Word of Offense

General Faith
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Here is a question that I’m not sure many will be willing to be honest or take time to answer. However, I feel that your testimony may actually help a new child of God. When this happens, and it will, how to deal with it? It is true.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Also, this fact.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

You will inevitably read something in the Word that offends you. It will happen. Remember when Jesus taught about the communion? Some of His own disciples became offended.

“When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Do you take offense at this?” John 6:60-61

It will happen. When it does, we know that God is right, and whatever reason we became offended is wrong. So the question is, when this happened to you, if it has yet, how did you overcome that? How did you reconcile yourself to God’s truth? Are you still struggling? Anyone care to share?

Peter

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This is such a good question. I don’t really have a good answer, but this is something that I will be pondering. I think oftentimes for me, it is not so much the words of Jesus or the Bible itself but how certain Christian or church groups have interpreted (or misinterpreted) them. It can be difficult, then, to separate the interpretation from what the text actually says. I think that’s something I am constantly grappling with.

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That’s good question because at some point God’s Word WILL deal with every single one of us.

Yep, Scripture has offended me. Every time it was never the Bible’s fault. It was my flesh. God isn’t willing to “bend” truth because it upsets my feelings. “Let God be true, but every man a liar” ~Romans 3:4. If the Word wounds you…it’s medicine. “The word of God is alive and active” ~Hebrews 4:12.

What changed for me, was understanding the difference between conviction and condemnation. Conviction leads to repentance and life. “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” ~ Revelation 3:19. The verses I used to shy away from were the verses God uses to mature me. I didn’t find peace by diminishing the truth, I found peace by submitting to it. “Great peace have they which love thy law” ~Psalm 119:165.

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Love this. One of the things I was, and still am in a way, working on is unforgiveness. I read when Jesus said this.

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15

My immediate response was, “Yeah, ok. You don’t know what they did to me.” As time went on, it kept coming back to me, and then my excuse was. Yeah, I tried to forgive, but then they just did it again.

“Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21-22

Ok allright. Then I said the words. But if I’m being honest, that was all it was. Words. I still hated them. I still wanted them to get theirs. I kept replaying their actions in my mind over and over again. Is this true forgiveness? No, of course not.

Then I finally said, Help me God, with my unforgiveness. He gave me this verse.

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

This also came to mind. This refers to brothers and sisters. What about those who are not saved? Clearer than I could ever explain, I got this in my spirit. “What do you suppose you could ever possibly do to them that is worse than what awaits them in the end?” Instead of being surprised or angry with the lost, why should they follow a God or a Bible they do not believe in? We should feel sad for them. We should cry for them. We should attempt to show them a better way.

Like I said. I’m still working on it.

Peter

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Forgiveness begins with the choice to forgive and it often takes some time. Its for our own benefit because it sets us free from that person and whatever it is they did. As long as we’re in the place of unforgiveness, they occupy space in our head, stir up negative emotions and poison our existence. Forgiving them sets us free from that. It’s for our own sake that we forgive.

Forgiving from the heart as Jesus commanded us to do involves our emotions. All the bad feelings that are aroused when we think about it. Heartfelt forgiveness rids us of those emotions. It’s not easy but Jesus never commands us to do something we’re not able to do.

Will they get theirs? If its justified, God says yes they will and He spells out how we should handle it. Romans 12:19

“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.“

So whatever wrong has been done to you. God will take care of it. That’s far worse than anything you might do. Instead Jesus tells us to:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 12:20-21

Not an easy thing to do by far. That’s why it takes time for many of us. Don’t allow your mind to think on what they did and how you felt. Change your mind to what God says about it and it will happen for you.

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Just to add.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness Belonging To The LORD
Dan_9:9.
Forgiving Others
Luk_17:3-4; Eph_4:32; Col_3:12-13.
How Many Times You Should Forgive Someone
Mat_18:21-22; Luk_17:3-4.
The Forgiveness Of Sins Coming Through The Blood Of Jesus Christ
Act_5:30-31; Act_10:37-43; Eph_1:3-7; Col_1:12-14.
The LORD Forgiving
Exo_34:6-7; Num_14:18-19; Psa_78:32-38; Psa_86:5; Psa_99:8; Psa_103:1-3; Psa_130:3-4; Jer_31:33-34; Eph_4:32; Col_2:8-13; Col_3:12-13.
The Reward For Forgiving Others
Mat_6:14; Mar_11:25; Luk_6:37.
The Reward For Not Forgiving Others
Mat_6:15; Mat_18:23-35; Mar_11:26.
Those Whose Iniquities Are Forgiven
Psa_32:1-2; Rom_4:6-7.
Who Shall Be Forgiven
2Ch_7:12-14; Psa_32:5; Mat_12:31-32; Mar_3:28; Luk_7:40-48; Luk_12:10; Act_10:37-43; Jam_5:14-15; 1Jn_1:9.
Who Shall Not Be Forgiven
Mat_12:31-32; Mar_3:28-29; Luk_12:10; Heb_6:4-8; Heb_10:26-29; 1Jn_5:16-17.
Whose Sins Are Forgiven
1Jn_2:10-12.
Why Jesus Christ Asked GOD The Father To Forgive Man
Luk_23:34.

J.

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Thanks @all anyone want to share their “offensive passages?”

Peter

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I find no cause to be offended by the Scriptures, brother, but rather a deep and abiding joy as the Holy Spirit continually illuminates them more and more, leading me not only to understanding but also to their faithful application in daily life.

Ever read this @PeterC ?

1 Samuel 25:22 (KJV)
“So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.”

J.

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I’m not sure that I’ve ever read anything in the Bible that “offended” me. I do, however, take offense to the way people try to bend Scripture to fit their worldview.

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