Thread:Superdadsuper/@comment-26998507-20150921001036/@comment-1777104-20150930135911

Forgiveness is taking the consequences of another persons wrong doing upon yourself. Sin has a price and it always has to be paid by someone.

The term 'forgive' is very much a financial concept. The Lord's Prayer petitions God: "Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors." This prayer is a prayer from God's people, who have learned the cost of sin by personally loving others in spite of being sinned against. We ask our Heavenly Father to do the same for us.

So, how does someone get into debt? Well, basically, it comes when one makes a promise to pay and fails to follow through. Or, as is more often the case, fails to keep up with the increase of the debt based on increasing interest. The Bible explains that the debtor is "slave" to the lender!

In life, we are always taking advantage of 'the system,' if not the people around us. Each time we do, we become indebted to that system. If we continue in that behavior, the consequences can develop into a deplorable state of affairs. There are neighborhoods that we avoid for this very reason. We don't 'forgive' the criminals that make their living taking advantage of other people, do we? We seek justice, or simply look the other way.

What is likely to happen if we look the other way? Well, things get even worse! Soon even the police won't even look into a report from inside the neighborhood openly. It becomes a dangerous proposition. An undercover cop must then become part of the gang in order to have proof! It might even cost him his life if he is discovered. That is costly.

In affect, that is what God did with mankind. Instead of killing Adam and Eve, he killed an animal to provide clothing for them. But then, he removed them from the temptation that was within the garden. Instead of killing Cain, he marked him in some way, and then removed him from the people that might wish to take revenge upon him. The consequences of the forgiveness granted was a world in which things got worse and worse. God had to wipe mankind out to keep them from wiping themselves out!

But Noah 'found grace in the eyes of the LORD' -- that is, God had mercy on him and provided a way out of judgment. And then, God started over with a cleansed world. Once again, Noah's descendants (even his own children) took advantage of God, even forgetting Him to worship images representing men or the forces of 'nature.'  Then, God chose a family through which to bring the fulfilment of His promise to Eve: a savior. Like the undercover cop, God would have to enter the neighborhood to save it. It would cost Him life.

So yes, forgiveness is hard.