The sin of forgiveness (2)
Prof. Barry Gritters argues that forgiving an impenitent sinner without genuine repentance constitutes sin, contrary to popular Christian understanding. Drawing on Scripture and the Reformed Church Order, he demonstrates that true biblical forgiveness is a declarative act requiring the offender's repentance, not merely an internal emotional release or automatic response, and explores why God prohibits extending forgiveness to the unrepentant.
Prof. Barrett Gritters, professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary and member of Hudsonville PRC Forgiving an impenitent sinner is a sin. Offensive as that may sound -- even blasphemous -- this is Scripture's teaching and that of the Reformed Church Order, as we saw last time (Nov. 1, 2022). The automatic and immediate declaration of forgiveness to someone who is not sorry for gross sin is "the sin of forgiveness." When a fifteen-year-old boy with an...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org