We Are Used To Forgive All People

Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also. Galatians 6:1

Look what the Holy Spirit tells us here in verse 1: any person. He doesn’t just say believers; He tells us that we will be used to forgive all people. If any person is overtaken in sin, we will be used by the Holy Spirit to intercede for them so that they are saved to the uttermost. Through Christ we have the power to bring people into right standing by forgiving them their trespasses.

[Now having received the Holy Spirit, and being led and directed by Him] if you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of anyone, they are retained. John 20:23

Then Peter came up to Him and said, Lord, how many times may my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? [As many as] up to seven times? Jesus answered him, I tell you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven! Matthew 18:21-22

The adulterous woman that was dragged out for Jesus to judge did not sin against Him, yet Jesus forgave her. The lame man that Jesus told to pick up his mat and walk did not sin against Jesus, yet He forgave him, Mark 2:5. We have become one with our Father through Christ, so we will be used by our Father to forgive as He used Jesus to forgive and Jesus even forgave those who weren’t sinning directly against Him. 

When Jesus raised Himself up, He said to her, Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you? She answered, No one, Lord! And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more. John 8:10-11

Look how gentle Jesus was with this woman. He did not recount her adultery in front of everyone. He did not tell her how dangerous her sin was. He did not tell her that He was the Lord as He forgave her. He just ran off the arrogant religious bullies and made her feel safe. This is how the Holy Spirit handles us and this is how He causes us to handle others. 

Look at what we are also shown in verse 1, that we must act with all gentleness or we also will be tempted into the sin. I have seen it my whole life, religious people who are harsh judges always seem to be doing what it is that they are so harshly judging. You show me a preacher that is always preaching and judging others about sexual vices and he is doing them. Or a preacher who goes off harshly on people for drinking and in all likelihood he is drinking.