i. The transaction of forgiveness.
Just as God does not make His promise of pardon to people unless they repent (Luke 3:3, Acts 2:38), we cannot actually say “I forgive you” to people unless they admit their sin and repent. Therefore, the transaction of forgiveness is conditional in that we can only be fully reconciled to those who repent. Those who refuse to repent of their sin are not forgive by God (in the parental sense mentioned above) and so the consequences of a broken relationship with the offended person continued.
Luke 17:3 says that our part of responsibility to those who sin against us is to humble and lovingly confront them, and if we have truly dealt with our own heart attitudes first (i.e. if we have a willingness to forgive heart attitude). Then, if they recognize their wrong and repent from it, we can be recoiled to them. Matthew 18:15-17 makes it clear that we cannot be fully reconciled to those who have not repented, because if we did we could not continue the process described in those verse.
Other issues related to whom we forgive
(a) Confronting vs Covering
(b) Apologizing vs. asking for forgiveness
(c) What about forgiving God?
(d) What about forgiving unbelievers?
(e) What about forgiving dead people?
(f) What about forgiving ourselves?
2. How should we forgive?
a. Immediately (Luke 17:3)
b. Repeatedly (Luke 17:4)
c. Lavishly (2 Corinthians 2:5-8)
d. Why should we forgive? Gospel Motivated!!
