Per chance, I am prompted this morning by the Lord to pick up a booklet that I forgot how I got it. The Lord urged me couple times to look at it for the past few days. I was slow to oblige because I don’t necessarily like such an idea of communication. 🙂
I was surprised to notice that it is authored by Witness Lee and Watchman Nee. After my conversation with Sister Nicole about my experience with Watchman Nee’s ministry on Monday, this caught my attention. Then casually opened it, I ran into this page (photo above) where the topic is one that have recently caught my attention as well: forgive and forget.
I don’t have time to really thoroughly expound my current thoughts on this topic. But the Lord prompted to record my note here. Not yet sure why. I pray it is for a good reason.
What a shallow, foolish and dangerous idea of God’s forgiveness!
Forgive ==\== Forget
The idea of “foregive and forget” seems to have a fundamental misunderstanding of the operations of God’s justice and His redemptive power or grace. It tends to confuse what belongs to a judicial operation with to an experiencial and emotional one, as if they are equivalent and should happen simultaneously. How absurd it is to think so!
To “legally”, “emotionally” and “practically” NOT count an (valid) offense against someone is obviously not equivalent to NOT remember it. To the contrary, it’s when we “counted” it and decided that we will not act upon what it deserves, we can legitimately and effectively exercise the practice or ministry of forgiveness . Only in this way, would the Father’s forgiveness unto mankind thru the sacrifice of the life of Christ Jesus our Lord be “counted” as an act of redemption or atonement.
That’s why confession of our sin or offense to God and others is prerequisite to the process of true and effective forgiveness from them.
In further reflection reasons are many for such a confusion:
- What is redemption thru Christ Jesus?
- What is eternal judgment?
- What is true forgiveness?
- What is our healing or sanctification by the power of the Holy Spirit?
- Etc.
