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Why Be Forgiving?The Watchtower—1994 | September 15
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In Jehovah’s eyes such repentance is a key to forgiveness even in the case of truly horrendous sins. For example, Jehovah forgave Manasseh, one of the most wicked kings in Israel’s history. On what basis? God did so because Manasseh finally humbled himself and repented of his vile ways.—2 Chronicles 33:12, 13.
In the Bible genuine repentance involves a sincere change in attitude, a heartfelt regret over any wrongs committed. Where appropriate and possible, repentance is accompanied by an effort to make restitution to the victim of the sin. (Luke 19:7-10; 2 Corinthians 7:11) Where there is no such repentance, Jehovah does not forgive.a Moreover, God does not expect Christians to forgive those who were once enlightened spiritually but who now willfully, unrepentantly practice wrongdoing. (Hebrews 10:26-31) In extreme cases, forgiveness may well be inappropriate.—Psalm 139:21, 22; Ezekiel 18:30-32.
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Why Be Forgiving?The Watchtower—1994 | September 15
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For the Christian, forgiveness means trustfully leaving the matter in Jehovah’s hands. He is the righteous Judge of all the universe, and he will carry out justice at the right time. That will include judging treacherous “fornicators and adulterers.”—Hebrews 13:4.
The Benefits of Forgiving
The psalmist David sang: “For you, O Jehovah, are good and ready to forgive; and the loving-kindness to all those calling upon you is abundant.” (Psalm 86:5)
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Why Be Forgiving?The Watchtower—1994 | September 15
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a However, Jehovah does take other factors into account when weighing forgiveness. For instance, if a wrongdoer is ignorant of God’s standards, such ignorance may lessen the burden of guilt. When Jesus asked his Father to forgive his executioners, Jesus evidently was speaking of the Roman soldiers who put him to death. They ‘did not know what they were doing,’ being ignorant of who he really was. However, the religious leaders who were behind that execution bore far greater guilt—and for many of them, no forgiveness was possible.—John 11:45-53; compare Acts 17:30.
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