Does forgiving one another only apply to fellow Christians?
Question:
Hi brother!
I have a friend who is not a Christian. We talk about spiritual things. She has family members who have treated her badly. She said she needs to forgive them because of passages that say we are to forgive our enemies and that if we don’t forgive others, we won’t be forgiven, etc. I mentioned what Jesus said in Luke 12:3-4 regarding repentance being required first. Does that only apply to brethren forgiving one another?
This friend also doesn’t believe baptism means immersion. She had oil poured on her. I showed her all the scriptures about baptism, including the eunuch's baptism in Acts 8. Anyway, I am trying!
Thanks for your help on the forgiveness question.
Answer:
"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions" (Matthew 6:14-15).
Jesus is talking to those who strive to follow God's teachings, but the forgiveness is not limited to only fellow believers. Earlier in the same lesson, Jesus stated that we must love our enemies. "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:44-48). Notice that your friend mixed up the passages. We show love for our enemies and pray for them. We treat all people equally. "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12).
Luke 17:3-4 addresses our concern for our fellow Christians. But it doesn't mean we have nothing to do until the one sinning against us repents. "Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' forgive him" (Luke 17:3-4). We are required to let him know that he has done wrong. Our goal is to help one another reach heaven, and that can't happen if someone remains in sin. I should always be ready to forgive the wrongs done against me, but until the issue is corrected, I really can't truly release someone from the debt he owes me because of his sin.
For those who are not Christians, there are greater issues than just a wrong that was done against me. They need God's saving grace, so I should be trying to teach them to obey God. Even if they are my enemies, I need to pray for them and show them love. Forgiveness will come when they turn to God and are no longer my enemies.
Your friend's beliefs do not determine the facts. The word being translated as "baptized" does mean "immersion." "Baptizo is actually an intensive form of the verb bapto, "to dip, immerse." It also means "to dip" or "to plunge." [The Complete Biblical Library]. People don't get to redefine terms. An anointing with oil has nothing in common with baptism. There is no passage that states that we must be anointed with oil. There are many passages that state we must be baptized in water.
