To pardon can mean to release someone from a duty or requirement. To set or declare someone free from blame, guilt, punishment or responsibility.

To forgive means to stop feeling angry, resentful and displeasure toward someone for their crime or offense against you.  It is the waiving of your right to seek revenge or restitution for the hurt and/or injury someone caused you.

Pardoning tends to have to do with the release from punishment. For example an official judicial authority may pardon a criminal’s punishment and commute their sentence.  Although he or she may be guilty of the crime and/or offence, they are released and freed from serving any more prison time for their offence and/or crime.

Forgiveness tends to have to do with the offended party’s emotions and feelings toward the one who is guilty of the offense against them.  For example the offended person may waive their right to take revenge or exact retribution or punishment or payment from the one who offended and/or injured them.  They release themselves from the emotional and spiritual desire to hurt the one who hurt them.  They release themselves from the righteous and justifiable law of revenge. Thus setting themselves free from the heavy burden and dark emotional baggage of unforgiveness.

Forgiving and Pardoning sometimes coexist and are inclusive of one another.  For instance, when we forgive a debt, we often pardon the repayment of it.  

But more often than not, Forgiving and Pardoning are exclusive of each other. For example, a murder victim’s family may forgive the murderer of killing their loved one but the murderer is not pardoned from the judicial and moral consequences of their murderous act. They will still have to serve time and may even be required to surrender their life as punishment for their crime.  Nevertheless, they are forgiven.

In like manner, sometimes we are forgiven for our trespasses against another and against God but we still have to pay and/or suffer the consequences for our sinful acts.

A good example of when Pardoning and Forgiveness do not co-exist maybe be found in the sin of fornication where a child is conceived out-of-wedlock. The sexual sin of fornication may be repented of and forgiven but the consequences are inevitable and life-changing and lifelong.  This particular sin may even have generational and intangible, psychological, sociological, moral and spiritual consequences that will impact innocent generations yet unborn.

Another good example of where Forgiving and Pardoning are exclusive of each other would be mankind’s fall from grace.  Sin entered the world through one man – Adam, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all have sinned through Adam. Therefore, all human beings suffer the wages of sin – physical death.  For it is appointed to man once to die and after that to face judgment.  However, all mankind can be forgiven from their sins through believing the Gospel, Repentance, Water Baptism in the name of Christ and the gift of the HOLY GHOST.  Nevertheless, all human beings will still have to die Physically and Spiritually at least once as a consequence of Adam’s original sin.

Are You Hearing What The Spirit Is Saying Unto The ONE TRUE EKKLESIA of CHRIST?

All sins do not reap the same consequences and all offenses do not receive the same penalty.   It is a case by case assessment and only God knows enough about each situation and mitigating circumstances to judge righteously and dispense justice fairly.  That is why YHVH reserved vengeance – The dispensing of justice and punishment – for himself.  (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19)

We are commanded to forgive each other and not to repay evil for evil.  We really don’t have to get anybody back for anything that they did to us.  Regardless of how much we forgive them, they will reap whatsoever they sow.  We can’t stop the spiritual law of sowing and reaping.  True pardoning of sins comes only from GOD through Christ. 

THEREFORE, FORGIVE EVERYONE JUST AS GOD IN CHRIST FORGIVES YOU.  HOWEVER, THE PREROGATIVE TO PARDON MAYBE TOTALLY UP TO GOD.

REPENT!  HUMBLE YOURSELF AND BECOME CONTRITE OVER YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS.  ASK GOD TO PARDON YOUR SINS SO THAT YOU WILL BE TOTALLY FREE FROM THE WAGES, CONSEQUENCES AND CURSE OF SIN.

REPENT!!!

Copyright © Othealor W. Prince 2015
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TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!