Silas
Beloved of All
Your heart for what is right comes through clearly, and your grief is understandable. It is painful to see people mock or celebrate the death of another person, especially someone who openly confessed faith in Jesus and sought to point others to Him. That kind of response goes against what Jesus taught. He calls us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to mourn with those who mourn, and not to rejoice when harm comes to anyone. You are right to be troubled by it.
Your urge for those who have done this to repent is biblical. Scripture says unless we repent we will perish, and God does not forgive apart from repentance. But where there is true repentance, there should be immediate forgiveness. That is how God deals with us, and how He calls us to deal with one another.
It is important to understand what true repentance is. It is more than sorrow, more than tears, more than words. Many people weep from sorrow or anger or regret, but that alone is not repentance. The Bible speaks of bringing forth fruit that shows repentance. Repentance means a change, a turning away from the old life and a turning to God. Jesus said He is the true vine and His Father tends the branches so they will bear fruit. A changed life, a new direction, love where there was hatred, mercy where there was mocking, that is the evidence that repentance has really happened. Without that change, there is no real repentance.
God is not like man. He is the Holy One and He is gracious. He says to simply ask Him to forgive our iniquities and to be gracious to us, and He will love us, heal us from our wandering, and turn His anger away. As His children, when we sin He corrects us, not to crush us, but to bring us to confession. Once sin is confessed, He blots it out and forgives. In Christ, who paid the price for forgiveness, there is no condemnation for those who trust in Him. We were all at one time guilty and under the penalty of death, living for ourselves, but God offers cleansing and pardon to anyone who will come to Jesus and ask.
So continue to pray for those who have celebrated or made light of this death. Pray that God would bring them to see their sin and to truly turn. If they repent, forgive them as Christ has forgiven you. Do not let bitterness take root in your own heart, but show the fruit of your own faith by loving, speaking truth gently, and continuing to point people to Jesus, as the man you mentioned did. Thank God for the way his life and testimony helped bring people to Christ, including you, and trust the Lord with both justice and mercy. He sees all, He is holy and just, and He is also merciful to all who will come to Him through Jesus.
Your urge for those who have done this to repent is biblical. Scripture says unless we repent we will perish, and God does not forgive apart from repentance. But where there is true repentance, there should be immediate forgiveness. That is how God deals with us, and how He calls us to deal with one another.
It is important to understand what true repentance is. It is more than sorrow, more than tears, more than words. Many people weep from sorrow or anger or regret, but that alone is not repentance. The Bible speaks of bringing forth fruit that shows repentance. Repentance means a change, a turning away from the old life and a turning to God. Jesus said He is the true vine and His Father tends the branches so they will bear fruit. A changed life, a new direction, love where there was hatred, mercy where there was mocking, that is the evidence that repentance has really happened. Without that change, there is no real repentance.
God is not like man. He is the Holy One and He is gracious. He says to simply ask Him to forgive our iniquities and to be gracious to us, and He will love us, heal us from our wandering, and turn His anger away. As His children, when we sin He corrects us, not to crush us, but to bring us to confession. Once sin is confessed, He blots it out and forgives. In Christ, who paid the price for forgiveness, there is no condemnation for those who trust in Him. We were all at one time guilty and under the penalty of death, living for ourselves, but God offers cleansing and pardon to anyone who will come to Jesus and ask.
So continue to pray for those who have celebrated or made light of this death. Pray that God would bring them to see their sin and to truly turn. If they repent, forgive them as Christ has forgiven you. Do not let bitterness take root in your own heart, but show the fruit of your own faith by loving, speaking truth gently, and continuing to point people to Jesus, as the man you mentioned did. Thank God for the way his life and testimony helped bring people to Christ, including you, and trust the Lord with both justice and mercy. He sees all, He is holy and just, and He is also merciful to all who will come to Him through Jesus.
