(PNN) PPSIMMONS News and Ministry Network: UNIVERSAL WHOLESALE FORGIVENESS IS A SIN

by Rev. Joda Collins

By universal wholesale forgiveness I mean the false doctrine that the Bible always requires every Christian to forgive everyone of everything automatically even if the offender does not repent. The common thread in this false teaching is NOT that doing so is Christ-like and like God because it is not. Jesus does not and did not forgive everyone of everything automatically. God does not forgive everyone of everything automatically, otherwise no one would go to hell and those who did go to hell for rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior would all receive the same degree of punishment since no one would have any other sin to their charge (being forgiven of everything automatically by God).

If everyone was forgiven by God of everything automatically, then there would be no reason for you or me to ask God to forgive us of any sin, since he already did. First John 1:9 would be a joke, "...if we confess our sins he (God) is faithful and just to forgive us (of our) sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Matthew 18:15 would be declared the ramblings of an idiot, "If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault (sin) between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee (repent) thou hast gained thy brother." (All parenthesis this article are mine added in an effort to reduce the words needed for clarity.)

Matthew 18:16 would be sin that is compounded with another sin. "But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses every word may be established." If the sin is to be automatically forgiven, then what right do you have to take two witnesses with you to confront the sinning brother?

Matthew 18:17a would be a sin compounded three times. "...if he neglect to hear them, tell it to the church." In the scenario of Matthew 18:16 the offending brother is told by the witness that he is wrong and needs to repent. That is what it means when Matthew 18:17 states that the offending brother "heard" them (the two witnesses).

If universal wholesale forgiveness is mandatory to stay in the good graces of God, then Matthew 18:17b is a sin four times compounded because it demands that unless the offending brother repents, the entire church is to understand and approve of you treating the offending brother with a cold shoulder (like a heathen and a publican).

If universal wholesale forgiveness is mandatory to stay in the good graces of God, then Matthew 18 brings sin into heaven because the decision for you to treat the offending brother in a cold manner is not only binding on earth, but binding in heaven. The sin of your brother against you, un-repented of by the offending brother and unforgiven by you has yields exposure of that sin to the witness and their rebuke, exposure of the sin to the church body and the church body's rebuke, your permission or at least the congregation's awareness of your cold treatment of the offender and the approval of that action by heaven itself. And, all of this because you denied universal wholesale forgiveness to an offending brother.

If universal wholesale forgiveness is your mandatory duty, then you are a horrible person to have exposed that sin to witnesses for their involvement in your failure to forgive, for bringing the church into the matter of which would not exist if you forgave and causing heaven to sin by supporting you in your attitude of rejection of a person because of his sin, whom you should have automatically forgiven. This is in addition to making First John 1:9 a joke.

If you honor Matthew 18:15-18 you are a terrible, vile, horrible, ugly, sinful and spiritually-sick person if universal wholesale forgiveness of everyone who sins against it is a doctrine of God. Thank God it is not! Not only is the doctrine of universal wholesale forgiveness not a Bible doctrine, it is a doctrine of demons. That teaching is from hell. It is a sin-filled doctrine designed by demons to bring to us various intensified miseries with the stench of death attached. "...sin (the doctrine of universal wholesale forgiveness), when it is finished (acted upon), bringeth forth death." James 1:15. "...there shall be false teachers among you, who...bring in damnable heresies...." 2 Peter 2:1. False teachers will come. False teachings may be prevalent, however, we do not have to believe them. If we do believe false doctrine, it will always be to our detriment sooner or later because sooner or later we make life decisions based on our convictions.