The Bible talks about forgiving a brother 77 times. Matthew 18:22
There are allot of people in this world. I have gotten few apologies in this world. I don’t see many public apologies.
You want a public apology but you don’t give a public apology?
8 billion people plus in this World. Allot of sin in this world. Are all of them giving public apologies for their sins all the time? If you were a leader and sinned, would asking for forgiveness really be given or would it just be a reason to tar and feather you. I don’t want leaders tarred and feathered; I want them to have the right words and level of power to make peace. That said no acknowledgment of wrongs is how injustice is perpetuated.
There are two sins many commit commonly yet people don’t really acknowledge the wrong and apologize to each other about it. Might even disagree on judgment called not to condemn gets mixed with discernment, might lead to divestment from discernment at times.
Global Warming – ideally Golden Rule would say we would not invest in it at all, would not reinforce people, systems, governments, and leaders that invest in it at all. That way we would guarantee a better future per the Golden Rule.
Less than ideal reinforcement of Truth – we turn up movies that change how physics work, we don’t reiterate everything said, everything said isn’t always reiterated in the right way, we turn up systems that don’t give 100% less miscommunication and ideal truth.
So what if everyone on the planet said today to each other –
I am sorry for adding to Global Warming and I am sorry for reinforcing less than ideal Truth.
Admission of guilt
If you are the only one that says it, kind of feels wrong, like you are the only one that will be punished for something we all turn up.
Collective admission of guilt is a slap on the wrist. Since everyone does it, there is a complicity in your hands are not that clean my hands are not that clean, and mixed together that is all no big deal.
So here is a public admission of those two sins from me. God said be perfect James 4:17 knowing and not doing is sin – I kind of know and I kind of don’t know how to fix them ideally.
How much we all owe each other based on those two sins is questionable – we aren’t God, we don’t have ideal capacity to weigh, see how much each other has added to those sins. Maybe you invest in no Global Warming, maybe you invest in ideal Truth – might be some people like that yet I am not sure I have met them – all that said most people can’t be trusted with a little bit of truth, thus slippery slope in trusting people with admission of guilt – will see it as useful, might use it to hurt me in the future not all pretty.
77 times is about people that stay silent.
Or 77 times is about people that ask for forgiveness from each other. Is the sin really against each other or against God? If I am partially guilty too, am I really the person you need to be asking for forgiveness from?
All that said, the example we set for each other facilitates how the future will play out. The example we set for each other factors into the examples we set for children and future generations. If I admit two sins asking for forgiveness I will be helped, or I will be hurt, it will be low ground for people to leave me on the street and throw things at me, or it will be better ground of more respect?
If I give a public apology – I will get a public apology? Quid pro quo? Or it is more complex than that? Just because one forgoes pride and acknowledges wrong does not equate to others will forgo pride and acknowledge wrong – and that is the example we set for our children on repeat.
Blessed are the peacemakers – blessed likely at the speed at which they make peace.
Love your neighbor, 77 times. Does 77 times apply if they are of a different religion? Claim freedom of religion is worth reinforcing, just not claim forgiveness is worth reinforcing for the non-believer?