04 Aug The Simple Solution to our Cultural Challenges
As we continue to look to Scripture for insight into the challenges we face in the current cultural and political upheaval in the United States, we see that the answers are very simple.
They are not easy. But they are simple.
- The offending party must repent. (Difficult)
- The offended party must forgive. (More difficult)
- The offended party must forgive even if the offending party does not repent. (Extremely difficult)
Let’s look at each of these more closely.
The offending party must repent.
This is fundamental and basic to the preservation of all relationships. When someone wrongs another, the first step should be to repent of the wrong and do what is necessary to reconcile.
Matthew 5:23-24 says, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
The offended party must forgive.
It can be very difficult to repent of a sin against another. Someone has said that nine of the most difficult words in the English language are: I am sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me.
However, three other words may be even more difficult: I forgive you.
Yet, Scripture is unambiguous on this matter. We must forgive others when they sin against us.
Matthew 18:21-22 says, “Then Peter came and said to Him, “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.”
The offended party must forgive even if the offending party does not repent.
This is the most difficult level of forgiveness yet. It is one thing to forgive someone who repents. It is another thing, altogether, to forgive someone who does not repent. Yet, again, Scripture is unambiguous.
Matthew 6:14-15 says, “If you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”
Forgiveness is the only thing that works
- God has created us so that forgiveness is the only thing that works in terms of maintaining relationships with others. Sooner or later, people are going to offend us; or worse, damage or violate us. These things are going to happen. It cannot be avoided in our broken world. Sometimes the offender might repent and restore the relationship, but often they will not. Even in the worst situations, Anne Frank, Viktor Frankl, Corrie ten Boom, all witnessed and suffered atrocities. All survived spiritually and emotionally by forgiving. So, we must choose. Either forgive or carry the offense, and the next one, and the next one, until the cumulative burden is impossible to carry.
- We must also forgive to maintain our relationship with God. When we do not forgive others, it interferes with our relationship with God, and it cannot be made right until we forgive.
- Finally, we must forgive to preserve our own well-being. Anger and hate are self-destructive. They harm the owner. We cannot harbor them without bringing damage to ourselves. Frederick Buechner, in his book, Wishful Thinking, wrote, “Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back, in many ways it is a feast for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.”
Conclusion
The principle of repentance/forgiveness is the power behind the nonviolent movement of Martin Luther King, Jr., whose work had an historic impact on the United States. His “I Have a Dream” speech was a defining moment in the history of our nation, including the powerful phrase:
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
King’s commitment to nonviolence had six key principles which he outlined in his book, Stride Toward Freedom:
- One can resist evil without resorting to violence.
- Nonviolence seeks to win the “friendship and understanding” of the opponent, not to humiliate him (King, Stride, 84).
- Evil itself, not the people committing evil acts, should be opposed.
- Those committed to nonviolence must be willing to suffer without retaliation, as suffering itself can be redemptive.
- Nonviolent resistance avoids “external physical violence” and “internal violence of spirit” as well: “The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent but he also refuses to hate him” (King, Stride, 85). The resister should be motivated by love in the sense of the Greek word agape, which means “understanding,” or “redeeming good will for all men” (King, Stride, 86).
- The nonviolent resister must have a “deep faith in the future,” stemming from the conviction that “The universe is on the side of justice” (King, Stride, 88).
There were contemporaries of Dr. King who opposed his principles of non-violence. They have largely been forgotten. Only the courage and power of Dr. King’s principles were transformative.
Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.” God has created the world to work according to certain principles which He outlined in the Bible. To follow them will yield a positive reward. To violate them will yield a damaging reward.
So, the principles of repentance and forgiveness are the answers to the challenges we face in America. They are by no means easy. But they are simple. And their simplicity must give us the courage and fortitude to pursue them. We cannot control how others respond, but we, His children, must be salt and light to the world around us by living lives of repentance and forgiveness.
Update: For further discussions on repentance and forgiveness, see these additional posts:
- Can a Christian Sin So Badly that God Will Not Forgive?
- The Power of Humility
- Four Reasons Why Christians Should Not Discriminate
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