Thread:Superdadsuper/@comment-26998507-20150921001036/@comment-26998507-20151002004947

SouthWriter wrote: People, that is mankind, was made in God's image. That means that we have the same way of dealing with things as He does. We forgive because he forgives.

If the offense is a minor one, especially if it does not matter to you, it is an easy thing to "forgive someone." But what does that mean? In you, it means that you change any anger you have towards the offender into an attitude of reconciliation. If damage has done, you let it remain or fix it yourself.

So, no, you don't have to die, in this world, to forgive someone. But if it is true forgiveness, a price has been paid in your mind. Your expectations of that person is lowered, and you are on your guard for the next offense.

What our answers are doing is going back to the original point: you are comparing God to man in such as way that you can control Him. "If I were God, I wouldn't do it that way...." "Why can't he just say "I forgive you" and be done with it?"

As a matter of fact, the enemies of Jesus saw it as blasphemy to even forgive people of sins. That was the work of God alone. And so, when Jesus forgave sins on earth, the religious leaders wanted to kill him.

But it was Jesus who told his followers to pray: "Forgive us our debts, even as we forgive our debtors." And goes on to say that if we don't forgive others, we won't be forgiven. In another place Jesus tells a parable about a man that owed his master about as much as a province collected in taxes in a year! The debt was forgiven until the man was found extracting, without mercy, a debt equaling a few months' wages from a fellow servant.

So, you are correct, you personally don't have to suffer if your neighbor offends you. You can just say "I forgive you" and go on with your life. But that is not all there is to the concept of forgiveness. That is where we have failed in answering your questions. I am sorry if we confused you. You're basically saying there's something that the average Joe can do that God can't.