“The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.” (Prov. 19:11) One must be able to discern just how much one should overlook, which transgression, that is the key, as it were to certain Scripture verses.
“Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works.” (2 Tim. 4:14) Paul’s response in this instance does not seem as if he was willing to have that particular transgression overlooked, nor was he when he gave Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan for the destruction of their flesh. (1 Tim, 1:20)
Far too many who claim Christ as Lord will not discuss this subject matter in the context of just these two verses, much less the entirety of the topic, they believe a warm, fuzzy feeling that they mistakenly call love is the only way to react in these situations, when in fact the Scriptures are quite resounding in the negative of that belief. If someone bumps into you at the subway station, you more than likely will forgive them, but if they intentionally throw you onto the tracks as the train is bearing down on you, were your last words going to be “I forgive you?”
This type of inaction in the face of evil, this “just love everybody because Jesus loves everybody” has turned the fear of the Lord, what little of it there is in the lost, into an opportunity for mockery. David was to blame for the death of Uriah, (1 Sam. 11:15) the child was killed by God as a punishment for David’s actions, but and I will let you envision for yourself this statement, how do you believe Bathsheba reacted whenever she met Joab, was this transgression passed over, or not?
What we are discussing in this short letter is the difference between a minor and major transgression, and when they happen to us, we must be able to Spiritually discern the difference between the two. I offer here another example, those that will die in their sins, the Lord Jesus Christ is not going to forgive the transgressions of those who spent this life denying Him, there will be no forgiveness, no love, no opportunity for repentance, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire. (Rev. 20:11-15) Yet at the cross, when we came to Him in repentance and acceptance of His Lordship over our lives, our sins, many of them much worse that those that will spend eternity in eternal suffering, were forgiven, and any that we commit, any transgression against Him until we die, can be forgiven if we just ask, and truly repent of them. (1 John 1:9)
All of us were bound for hell, at the cross Jesus paid the price due for that sin, for all sins, but those who will not accept the payment of their debt of sin will not be forgiven, that transgression will not be overlooked.
These words, the contemplation of these transgressions, should not be overlooked, for there are many today that believe unquestioning obedience is the way that all born-again believers should be, that Romans Thirteen is written in stone, that we are to overlook all transgressions when they are mandated by our nation’s ruling government, and by doing this, they are not adhering to all of the Scriptures, they are willingly allowing that person to throw them in front of the subway train, with no action attempting to stop them from doing so.
All who came to Christ in repentance will have every transgression against them removed, forgiven, those who will not come to Him, those transgressions will not be forgiven, and there will be an eternal, terrible price to pay for their rebellion. When is love not enough, when must we act against those that transgress against us, that is the question.
