God cannot forgive a sinner who does not acknowledge his sin.
Interpretation
Acknowledging one's sins is essential for forgiveness.
This quote emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and accountability in the process of seeking forgiveness. It suggests that true repentance begins with recognizing and admitting our wrongdoings, as it is through this acknowledgment that we can seek genuine forgiveness and personal growth.
In practice
In a discussion about personal growth, one might quote this to emphasize the need for self-reflection.
I am not like a pebble on the beach - a grain of sand on the seashore or just one of millions of human beings past, present and future. No, I am a unique human being loved by God as if I were an only child - the only fruit of his creative powers.
I must not permit the evil capabilities of human nature to sour my faith in the tremendous good that is possible despite the frailty of that nature.
The sinner who suddenly realizes God's love for him and then looks at his rejection of that love feels a loss similar to the death of a loved one. A deep void is created in the soul and a loneliness akin to the agony of death.
Our memories are our own, and we cannot blame anything or anyone in the past for any pain dwelling there. If we open the door to them or keep hashing over past incidents in our minds, we have only ourselves to blame.
Man can and does rationalize his sins. He finds reasons for all his weakness, invents excuses that first calm and then deaden his conscience. He blames God, society, education, and environment for his wrong doing.
Love has been defined, analyzed, explained and excused. It has been the cause of wars, feuds, heroism, martyrdom, inordinate passion, and beautiful friendships. It pulls two people of opposite temperaments together into a married state and permits them to live happily. It makes friends understand each other without the necessity of words.
The big question about how people behave is whether they've got an Inner Scorecard or an Outer Scorecard. It helps if you can be satisfied with an Inner Scorecard.
When I was a child, adults would tell me not to make things up, warning me of what would happen if I did. As far as I can tell so far, it seems to involve lots of foreign travel and not having to get up too early in the morning.
No enduring improvement can occur without righteous exercise of agency. Do not attempt to override agency. The Lord himself would not do that. Forced obedience yields no blessings.
Go beyond everything. Don't collect anything. _x000D_ A king does not need to go shopping in his own _x000D_ kingdom. Nor does he beg. _x000D_ Remember, you are the inner reality-pure awareness only. _x000D_ All that arises are appearances in consciousness. _x000D_ Don't bother with all that. Rest only as the awareness. _x000D_ This is the secret.
By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity. Another man's, I mean.
The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.
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