Love covers a multitude of sin but forgiveness does away with sin. Which is greater?
Sometimes I think love equals forgiveness and forgiveness equals love.
1cor13 ...the greatest of these is love.
Forgiveness is an effect of love (a result of being in 'the light of love')1 Jn 2:9 Any one who professes to be in the light and yet hates his brother is still in darkness.
Eph 4 In your anger do not sin....Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry....Get rid of all bitterness.....And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Is it possible in our current state (carnal)?Jeremiah 13:23, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil."
Paul comments on this verse in Jeremiah (Romans 7:14-24), "...I am carnal, sold under sin" ".... in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.......O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"
Who can help us forgive when it doesn't seem possible? Paul answers (Romans 7:25), "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
John 15:5 "...For without Me you can do NOTHING."
The WILL to forgive is not even in US.Rom 3:12 ...no one does good, not even one.
James 1:17 Every good thing comes from above.
praise GOD BROTHER. I needed that particular scripture study this morning.
jen