Forgiveness - Part 2

Continuing with the letter from John MacArthur about forgiveness:

"Embarrassed public figures are not the only ones prone to make empty apologies or cling to cheap forgiveness--the same pattern is common much closer to home and in very personal ways. One of the early lessons of childhood is that a quick 'I'm sorry' goes a long way to diffusing trouble, and most adults operate on a similar notion that forgiveness should be fast and easy. Much of our society accepts that, no matter how egregious, any transgression can be completely wiped away with the right words and a few tears. No thought is given to the need for restitution, a true change of heart, or any authentic fruit of repentance. Far from it, in fact--the kind of apologies common today are intended to protect the status quo. The less you have to change, the better. [Note: words in bold are underlined in the original letter]

"At the root of those shallow apologies is a culture-wide misunderstanding of what true repentance and forgiveness look like. There's almost no thought given to people sinned against, or the impact that sin has had in lives--often the only thing a person is truly sorry about is that he or she was caught in the first place. And on the other side of the equation, grudges are nurtured for years, burying relationships in unaddressed anger and resentment that far exceed the original sin that caused it.

"And in a common, perverse reversal of blame, the most skilled apologizers are able to spin the facts of their transgressions and make themselves out to be the victims of their own weakness. By that standard, human frailty has become its own excuse.

"In fact, failure to repent guarantees the cycle of sin will remain unbroken. You can't patch the deep wounds of sin with bandages of fleeting sorrow and momentary regret. And reluctant, half-hearted forgiveness barely masks the grudge you're holding. In fact, decades of counseling troubled couples have convinced me that even the most complicated relationship problems always come down to a lack of either repentance or forgiveness."

More on Monday....