My sentiments as well, particularly in accordance with Luke 17:3. Here, the bible clearly stipulates the required condition in order for someone to Forgive. The key to this matter is not people playing God, but to Love the offender enough to "Help" them in the mist of their error. I'm blown-away by how many people who do not agree on the meaning of Forgiveness. Rightly dividing the meaning of Forgiveness is practically non-negotiable. At a minimum it's extremely important. It can be very costly and trigger a lot of confusion if people are misled people on this matter. Certainly, it's not a point we should toy with people over. I firmly believe the bible teaches that Forgiveness is what gets rid of the sin/offenses. Ounce we Forgive, it's as if the matter never happened, at least Spiritually speaking. We all know that our flesh will always present an unpredictable "hidden disclaimer" against the Spirit. This viewpoint of Forgiveness is an extremely important, but unfortunately many people reject it. I always humbly reserve the right to be wrong. I am unlearned in a lot of ways, but I'm eager to learn, beginning by sharing what I believe, following as close to scripture as possible. as a result, we may reason together and land safely on the Truth.
I have a strong feeling that Paul and Barnabas is a good example to help understand Forgiveness. I believe all three key elements are at work here; Love, Forgiveness, and Repentance. Paul ALWAYS was focused on winning souls to Christ and he really depended heavily on Barnabas. However, Barnabas ignored God's will as he tried to force his will on Paul. Act (13 and 15) Barnabas's logic made sense according to sight, but lead to this "sharp disagreement" which was no light matter in the least. Paul was angry and he suffered severely in two crucial ways. By severing his relationship with Barnabas it's hard to ignore, 1) Paul Loved John Mark dearly and always had his best-interest at heart. 2) Pau Loved Barnabas dearly and always had his best-interest at heart. If what Barnabas was proposing was so reasonable, I don't believe Paul would've severed the relationship. I actually believe Paul would've been happy to accommodate them. Even though Paul was angry and hurt, he and Barnabas was able to reconcile LATER, at a great cost God and the people. I just cannot buy-off on the happy ending concept that many people associate with this matter. I get it, but the weightier matter must be accounted for. I do not believe God was pleased with the rift in this matter because God lead Paul to evangelize the people for a reason. John Mark would've been just fine waiting until God said that he was ready and trustworthy travel abroad. Seemingly, Barnabas could really benefit from a well designed Discipleship class. (Light Humor) This is largely my personal view, as close to scripture as I know, as a laymen. God Bless!
Unity