True Justice
If you don't view justice and vengeance rightly, you will not trust God to be just on your behalf.
One of the main lies satan uses is that God doesn't really care about justice...that He wants you to live passive. God is not passive. Even a cursory reading of the Bible will reveal this.
God does vengeance better...more effectively... than any human. God doesn't want children disciplining children. The Father is the one who sees enough, and is strong enough, to execute justice and vengeance.
A lot of believers are under the wrong impression that God just wants to sweep everything under the rug and have us all get along. That is unBiblical. There is no forgiveness without repentance. If those who treat you negatively don't repent, there will be consequences. Same goes for you!
Luke 13:1-5 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
There is no forgiveness without repentance. Teaching people to deal with sin by not addressing it actually keeps them from forgiveness. Teaching people the true consequences leads them to repentance. That is why Jesus preached repentance:
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
God is not passive about injustice. God does not want you to pretend the negative things people do to you aren't happening. He wants you to handle it in the right way, which is to trust it to Him, and forgive, not to erase the consequences of their sin, but to release the consequences to the one who judges rightly.
If you hang on to someone else's sin, it begins to negatively affect you. Often, where unforgiveness clings, the offended will begin to be the offender. Satan's kingdom spreads this way.
Yes, God wants you to forgive, and to even forget, but not because He is passive about people harming you. He doesn't want you to "take one for the team." He wants you to give vengeance over to the one who does it better than you. You would never have the 5-year old spank the other 5-year old. It is not wise OR effective to bring correction. You leave those sorts of jobs to the Father or mother. That is what "give place to wrath" means...give God space to do things His way. What you hang onto, you then take responsibility for.
Romans 12:19-21 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Vengeance is a necessary part of justice. It is just that we don't have enough information to execute vengeance rightly. God does. God wants us to cry out to Him FOR vengeance, not pretend He is passive and doesn't care:
Luke 18:6-8 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
One of the main lies satan uses is that God doesn't really care about justice...that He wants you to live passive. God is not passive. Even a cursory reading of the Bible will reveal this.
God does vengeance better...more effectively... than any human. God doesn't want children disciplining children. The Father is the one who sees enough, and is strong enough, to execute justice and vengeance.
A lot of believers are under the wrong impression that God just wants to sweep everything under the rug and have us all get along. That is unBiblical. There is no forgiveness without repentance. If those who treat you negatively don't repent, there will be consequences. Same goes for you!
Luke 13:1-5 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
There is no forgiveness without repentance. Teaching people to deal with sin by not addressing it actually keeps them from forgiveness. Teaching people the true consequences leads them to repentance. That is why Jesus preached repentance:
Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
God is not passive about injustice. God does not want you to pretend the negative things people do to you aren't happening. He wants you to handle it in the right way, which is to trust it to Him, and forgive, not to erase the consequences of their sin, but to release the consequences to the one who judges rightly.
If you hang on to someone else's sin, it begins to negatively affect you. Often, where unforgiveness clings, the offended will begin to be the offender. Satan's kingdom spreads this way.
Yes, God wants you to forgive, and to even forget, but not because He is passive about people harming you. He doesn't want you to "take one for the team." He wants you to give vengeance over to the one who does it better than you. You would never have the 5-year old spank the other 5-year old. It is not wise OR effective to bring correction. You leave those sorts of jobs to the Father or mother. That is what "give place to wrath" means...give God space to do things His way. What you hang onto, you then take responsibility for.
Romans 12:19-21 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Vengeance is a necessary part of justice. It is just that we don't have enough information to execute vengeance rightly. God does. God wants us to cry out to Him FOR vengeance, not pretend He is passive and doesn't care:
Luke 18:6-8 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”
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