Sermon Illustrations

The difference between forgiveness and restoration:

I believe that there is often a misconception Christians have about forgiveness. Some wrongly assume that saying your sorry is enough. But the truth is that the victim can often see the difference between a hastily uttered apology and genuine repentance.

There is a difference between forgiveness and Reconciliation. Consider the example of an abuser saying, “you’re a Christian so you must forgive me”, The implication is that the abuser is then free to continue his abuse. But who would be foolish to open themselves up to another round of abuse? A truly restored relationship requires Recognizing and Confessing guilt and real Repentance which may very well include Restitution when possible.