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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Forgiveness and Justice	Elsie	Monday, October 26, 2009
Question: As Christians we are called to forgive any wrongs committed against us, but how then do we reconcile this with our responsibility to speak out against injustice? I have struggled with this question all my life. Where do you draw the line? We are told to hate evil in all it's forms, so how can we at the same time love a person who embodies that evil?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Elsie: There is really nothing to reconcile. We are to forgive all wrongs committed to us but that does not mean the person is off the hook for what they did. For example, if a person commits a crime against you, forgive him while you still call the police and press charges. We can forgive someone and still expose them for his injustice. These are two completely separate things. If a person is acting with evil, we hate the evil, but love the person and forgive the person. Even an "evil" person is still a child of God. Do not you still love your child even if he were to commit a serious crime and go to prison for a long time? You love your child, but hate what he did. We deal with the issue of forgiveness all the time in our counseling. I recommend you read our document, Dealing with Bitterness and Unforgiveness (pdf). God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Forgiveness and Justice

Elsie

Monday, October 26, 2009

Question:

As Christians we are called to forgive any wrongs committed against us, but how then do we reconcile this with our responsibility to speak out against injustice? I have struggled with this question all my life. Where do you draw the line? We are told to hate evil in all it's forms, so how can we at the same time love a person who embodies that evil?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Elsie:

There is really nothing to reconcile. We are to forgive all wrongs committed to us but that does not mean the person is off the hook for what they did. For example, if a person commits a crime against you, forgive him while you still call the police and press charges.

We can forgive someone and still expose them for his injustice. These are two completely separate things.

If a person is acting with evil, we hate the evil, but love the person and forgive the person. Even an "evil" person is still a child of God. Do not you still love your child even if he were to commit a serious crime and go to prison for a long time?

You love your child, but hate what he did.

We deal with the issue of forgiveness all the time in our counseling. I recommend you read our document, Dealing with Bitterness and Unforgiveness (pdf).

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

For information on how to receive help see our Help page. We suggest that before contacting us directly for help you try the Seven Steps to Self-Deliverance. These self-help steps will often resolve the problem. Also our Spiritual Warfare Prayer Catalog contains many prayers that may be helpful. If needed you can ask for a Personal Consultation.