Why forgive in cases God wouldn't?

[opusAquinas]

We are expected to forgive even when someone hasn’t expressed remorse. But God only forgives when one is sorry for their sins. Aren’t we supposed to imitate God?

This leads to two possibilities:

1. God forgives unrepentant sinners
   OR
2. In imitation of our Lord, if someone isn’t sorry for wrongdoing, we need not forgive them.

Because they are rejecting God.

While people who treat you poorly are merely rejecting you.

But what if they torture you in rejection to God you must still forgive out of love forgive being a witness you may convert them - as even the centurion was converted.

Also, God forgave on the cross “Forgive them for they know not what theydo.” But if they did know who He was - He would not forgive them unless they repented… thus is Judas in hell?

 

[KindredSoul]

We are expected to forgive even when someone hasn’t expressed remorse. But God only forgives when one is sorry for their sins. Aren’t we supposed to imitate God?

This leads to two possibilities:

1. God forgives unrepentant sinners
   OR
2. In imitation of our Lord, if someone isn’t sorry for wrongdoing, we need not forgive them.

It is for the same reason that God may take someone’s life, and we may not. We all belong to God, we are made by Him and He has a Divine right over us. We, however, do NOT have ownership of our fellow man. We are equal, not superior, to them. When someone sins against us, no matter how grave the sin may be, he is sinning against an equal, one to whom he does not owe the same debt–and CANNOT owe the same debt–as we all owe to God. When someone sins against God (which is to say, when one sins at all, for all sin is ultimately against God), then he is sinning against his Creator, to whom he owes all existence. He is sinning against his Savior, Who suffered unimaginable torment for the redemption of that sinner’s soul.

So it’s not that we aren’t imitating God when we forgive even unrepentant sinners: If it were possible for God to have an “equal” who could somehow sin against Him, who did not owe God these same debts mentioned above, I have no doubt that God would hold Himself responsible for forgiving that sinner whether or not he repented. It’s just that God is in a wholly different league than we are, so by definition His requiring repentance as a condition for forgiveness is categorically different than if we were to do so. If we were to refuse such, rather than imitating God, we would be making ourselves equal to Him. And that is the sin of hubris.

Blessings in Christ,
KindredSoul

 

[Kay_Cee]

Forgiveness isn’t just for the person being forgiven. It’s also for the person doing the forgiving.

Unless we forgive from the heart, we allow another person’s evil actions to have power over us.

 

[Amandil]

We are expected to forgive even when someone hasn’t expressed remorse. But God only forgives when one is sorry for their sins. Aren’t we supposed to imitate God?

This leads to two possibilities:

1. God forgives unrepentant sinners
   OR
2. In imitation of our Lord, if someone isn’t sorry for wrongdoing, we need not forgive them.

It’s a false dichotomy.

When we forgive, it can only be forensic, so forgiveness in such a sense may, or may not, do anything to benefit the offender.

The need for us to forgive is not so much for the benefit of the offender but for us. Constant forgiveness for us is an act of humility and charity, it restores and maintains peace of soul.

God possesses the discretion to forgive or not to forgive because it rightly belongs to Him to judge souls.

 

[grannymh]

We are expected to forgive even when someone hasn’t expressed remorse. But God only forgives when one is sorry for their sins. Aren’t we supposed to imitate God?

This leads to two possibilities:

1. God forgives unrepentant sinners
   OR
2. In imitation of our Lord, if someone isn’t sorry for wrongdoing, we need not forgive them.

Please, why stop with only two possibilities…

Please, describe the nature of those sins you mentioned in post 1. Then it should be very easy to come up with another possibility.

Thank you.

 

[rinnie]

We are expected to forgive even when someone hasn’t expressed remorse. But God only forgives when one is sorry for their sins. Aren’t we supposed to imitate God?

This leads to two possibilities:

1. God forgives unrepentant sinners
   OR
2. In imitation of our Lord, if someone isn’t sorry for wrongdoing, we need not forgive them.

You are putting yourself in a position of being perfect. You are comparing yourself to God.

The reason we as humans and sinners are told to forgive no matter what, is because we are also sinners and need to be forgiven also.

God has no sins so he has no need to be forgiven. He only forgives.