Last week Mary McGrory wrote a column in the Washington Post in which she referred to Billy Graham's recent comments regarding the President. I quote:

Billy Graham announced on the "Today" show that he forgives Clinton. It was an embarrassing gift -- the president says he didn't do it. Still, there was a compensating grant of general amnesty: Said the Rev. Graham, who blessed Lyndon Johnson on Vietnam and Richard Nixon on Watergate, "He has such a tremendous personality that I think the ladies just go wild over him."

May I direct your attention to the Bible, the book we Christians claim to follow. In the good book Jesus Christ said, "If your brother sins, rebuke him." Today, when someone sins, the culture is more likely to quote "Judge not ..." or "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." Those words from Jesus are much more comforting to a culture that wants to be left alone in its sin and that doesn't want anyone to be held responsible for sin. But Jesus also clearly said, "If your brother sins, rebuke him." When someone sins, the right thing to do is for someone to rebuke him, to tell him to his face that what he has done is wrong.

Jesus said, "If your brother sins, rebuke him, AND IF HE REPENTS, FORGIVE HIM." (Luke 17:3) In the Lord's prayer Jesus teaches us to forgive those who trespass against us, and that if we don't forgive our debtors neither will God forgive us. However, Jesus also places some conditions on forgiveness. "If he repents, forgive him." What if he doesn't repent? What if he never says, "I'm sorry"? What if he keeps saying, "I never did anything wrong"? Are we to forgive him anyway?

Well, we ought always to offer forgiveness and we ought always to want there to be forgiveness, but we are to actually grant forgiveness only on the condition that the offender really repents. We can't say to people, "Oh, I forgive you anyway, no matter what you do and no matter if you ever change or say, 'I'm sorry.'" Try that at home and see how far you get. It won't work there and it won't work in any other relationship either.

When Jesus was dying on the cross, He prayed, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." Clearly, Jesus wanted even these people who murdered him to be forgiven. But unconditionally? Even if they never changed? Definitely not. God answered Jesus' prayer when fifty days later, the apostles preached to these same people who murdered Jesus. It was the day of Pentecost and after rebuking these people for murdering Jesus, Peter said, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38) God was certainly willing to forgive. And he made the offer to forgive. But not unconditionally. He did not say, "Even if you aren't sorry and do not intend to change, I forgive you."

That is not the way God forgives and that is not the way we are to forgive. Rather, we should desire that there be forgiveness, we should extend forgiveness, but it must be on the condition that God specified.

Read it yourself. It's in your Bible. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him." There is nothing God wants more than to forgive you because he knows what is going to happen to you if you aren't forgiven. And he has sent his son to pay your death penalty so that you can be justly forgiven. And he will forgive, if you will only meet the conditions. "Repent ..."

For the Cherryvale Church of Christ, this is Stan Bryan reminding you that God will forgive you of every sin, but not without repentance.