… until they meet the conditions of personal forgiveness!!!

On September 6, 2018, off-duty police officer Amber Guyger of Dallas, Texas arrived at her apartment complex after a 13.5-hour shift.  After parking on the wrong level, Officer Guyger went to what she mistakenly thought was her apartment, inserted her key into the door lock, but found the door unlocked.  Thinking her apartment had been broken into Guyger entered and confronted Botham Jean, the lawful occupant.  Thinking Mr. Jean was a burglar Guyger shot him with her service pistol.  Tragically, Mr. Jean was killed.  Amber Guyger has been convicted of murder and sentenced to ten years in prison.  During the trial Ms. Guyger expressed extreme remorse and contrition for the act of criminal negligence that she had committed.  In his “victim impact statement” Brandt Jean (18), Botham Jean’s brother, forgave Ms. Guyger and expressed hope that she would come to the Lord Jesus. 

Did Brandt Jean have the right to forgive a contrite and remorseful Amber Guyger?

On October 1^st 1997 a sixteen-year old heartless ghoul murdered his mother and then entered the Pearl Mississippi High School where he murdered two students and wounded seven others.  The following day certain students posted a banner at the high school which stated, “We forgive you!”

Did the students have the right to forgive the unremorseful killer?

Does God require believers to exercise unconditional forgiveness?  Can you forgive someone of a crime they committed against another?  Let’s consider the principles that will help us find the answers to these important questions.

God’s word is clear regarding our responsibility to forgive others!

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”                                                                            Matthew 6:14, 15

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”                               Matthew 18:21, 22

We are to forgive, but is to be unconditional?

The instructions are clear, we are to forgive others, but is this required under all conditions?  Vasily Blokhin was Joseph Stalin’s chief executioner.  He executed tens of thousands of political prisoners with his own hand, including 7,000 Polish prisoners during the Katyn Forrest Massacre in the Spring of 1940.  I found no record that Blokhin ever expressed remorse.  Should the Polish people forgive Blokhin?  Though he committed no crimes against us personally, should you and I forgive him? If a kidnapper has taken someone in your family and has been captured but hasn’t returned your loved one, are you to forgive them nonetheless?

God’s law regarding personal forgiveness

Paul tells the Christians in Colossae,

“bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Colossians 3:13

First note, “if anyone has a complaint against another,” that is “an occasion of complaint” and by implication, if you have a legitimate charge against another, then you are to “forgive as Christ forgave you.”  

We are to forgive as Christ forgives, which begs the question, does Christ forgive unconditionally, or does He require repentance?

Some argue that Christ called for the unconditional forgiveness of His murderers when on the cross He said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) The problem with this conclusion is that Peter, with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, indicts these same people of the crucifixion/murder of Christ and instructs them to “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins”. (Acts 2:36-38) If they had already been forgiven unconditionally of the betrayal and murder of Christ, why did they need to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of the same sin?  In Acts 3:19 Peter says again to those guilty of the murder of Christ, “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out.” In fact, we see in scores of passages from Matthew through Revelation that repentance is essential to forgiveness and salvation.

God does not forgive unconditionally and neither should we!

The Lord said, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him!”                                                                                     Luke 17:3

Love involves our attempting to restore the sinner, not forgive them unconditionally.  Note also, Matthew 18:15-17, Galatians 6:1, James 5:19, among many other passages.  We are not loving the sinner when we overlook their sin. 

What if they refuse to repent?  Then you have to move on and do not let bitterness control your heart. “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Ephesians 4:26

In Summary

We are to forgive as God forgives.  When the offender repents, we forgive.  If they refuse to humble themselves, we must withhold our forgiveness, just as God does.  Brandt Jean was right in forgiving Amber Guyger, however, the students in Pearl Mississippi were in error in forgiving an unrepentant killer.