As Christians, can a spouse be 'indifferent' to a cheating partner, now divorced, who has asked forgiveness?
For example, if a man's wife cheats on him, they divorce, and she remarries later, is there a Biblical basis for him being indifferent to her once she apologizes?
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Asked December 20 2017
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Anonymous
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Fay Sewell
Supporter
How wonderful that they have asked for forgiveness - and that you have a rare opportunity to receive a blessing! This verse in particular I think is suitable for your situation:- Love your enemies and be kind and do good [doing favors so that someone derives benefit from them] and lend, expecting and hoping for nothing in return but considering nothing as lost and despairing of no one; and then your recompense (your reward) will be great (rich, strong, intense, and abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind and charitable and good to the ungrateful and the selfish and wicked. So be merciful (sympathetic, tender, responsive, and compassionate) even as your Father is [all these]. Luke 6:35 - 36 AMP And yes, I would stretch to call them an 'enemy'. There is a great deal of hostility and hurt in relationship breakups (moreso with cheating involved), along with the temptation to be indifferent or want revenge. Personal experience here. Go get blessed :)
Tim Maas
Supporter
If the question is asking whether a Christian can refuse to forgive a person who has sinned against them (no matter how grievous the sin), I would say no. Jesus made clear that God's forgiveness of our sins is conditioned upon our forgiveness of the sins of others, because any sin of others against us pales in comparison to the sins of which God has forgiven us for Jesus' sake, and to the mercy that He has shown in doing so (Matthew 6:14-15; Matthew 18:23-35). However, if the question is asking whether the Christian, in future dealings with that person, then has to act as if the sin never occurred, I would also say no. Jesus told His disciples not only to be as innocent as doves, but also as wise as serpents (Matthew 10:16). There is no requirement for Christians to let themselves be repeatedly taken advantage of; or to blindly trust someone who has shown themselves in the past not to be worthy of that trust; or to allow the person who has been forgiven to escape whatever temporal consequences might arise from that person's actions. In this regard, I would recommend reading the chapter on Forgiveness (Book III, Chapter 7) in C. S. Lewis' short book Mere Christianity, which is fully viewable for free online (for example, at the web address https://truthaccordingtoscripture.com/documents/apologetics/mere-christianity/Mere-Christianity.pdf).
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