Whose recording?

Wrongdoings and improper behaviors, exhibited through a believer…are considered illegal and dishonest, in the sight of our God!

It is impossible to love somebody and think well of them and, at the same time hold the bad things they do or may have done in the past against them like a register of unpaid debts.

Whenever you think about that person you remember the incidents, and Satan will certainly enjoy tormenting you by reminding you of them in great detail.

You know that God wants you to forgive your transgressors/debtors, as you want your own transgressions to be forgiven. You can not do this if you hold things against them, and neither can God forgive you and cast your sins into the depths of the sea, because you keep a record of past wrongs and keep digging up the past!

There is a distinction between remembering the things, and
holding them against people.

When someone has been traumatized through people constantly doing things wrong towards and against them, these painful memories can last for years. Forgiving them is part of the healing process, but does not contradict the need for the perpetrator to accept the responsibility and consequences for their actions.

“God’s Love Does Not Keep A Ledger of Wrongdoings”

It is interesting to see that this phrase is so variously translated. It took me awhile to find it, in fact. I looked in 1 Cor 13 right off, but could not find “love keeps no record of wrong.” But I did find other ways it can be translated –

– “love keeps no record of wrongs done to it”
– “love thinketh no evil”
– “love is not resentful”

And there are many others. The verse immediately preceding, “love keeps no record of wrongs” is…“love is not easily provoked,” and “love does not impute evil.” Whichever way you go, the basic thought seems to be that…

agape Love is not characterized by highly reprehensible and revengeful behaviours.

Even with our perpetrators, we don’t seek personal vengeance upon them, but leave it to the Lord.

My good old “proof text” that I always like to turn to is 2 Timothy 4:14-15. Paul wrote:

Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.

That doesn’t sound like Paul has forgotten what this rotten guy Alexander did. He even encourages Timothy to take note of it and to take the appropriate cautions.

Unless we are prepared to say that Paul, (who wrote 1 Corinthians 13), didn’t practice what he preached, then the scripture reference-“love keeps no record of wrongs” cannot mean that we are prevented from remembering evil done against us, and refusing to trust such a person who proves themselves untrustworthy.

Those who have bitter thoughts are never happy, because their thoughts are not God’s thoughts, and He cannot bless them. They do not believe in God’s love and wisdom, like Joseph, when his brothers were afraid that he would take revenge on them for what they had done to him years before.

Joseph did not become bitter – on the contrary, He knew in his heart, even before the biblical reference, that vengeance belonged to God.

Joseph said “As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save ‘much people alive.”  What a story with great implications for our own lives. So many times, things come against us that seem evil- many times they are evil- but God is able to use them for good anyway.

Those who keep their own hearts pure in the face of all the evil they may experience from other people, and forgive as Jesus forgave, see and experience the goodness of God, and are able to overcome evil with good. 

God’s love indeed, keeps no record of wrongdoing: just be assured however, that this is just the kind of biblical phrase that an evil-doer is going to pull out of his bag of tricks-to attempt to justify his errant behavior.  

In the case of David and Saul, Saul was the perpetrator of evil conduct; because of his uncontrolled envy and jealousy. Would it be sensible to say that David was the “sinful rebellious one” when he distanced himself from Saul?

No, David left because of Saul’s wrongdoing/abuse. David did separate himself, but Saul was the cause of his disassociation and discontentment.

If a person who is not loyal to a love covenant, separates himself, let him separate; the one who makes the attempt to stay loyal to the covenant is then commanded to “let it be” and separate himself! Allow the relationship to be over, because the perpetrator has destroyed the covenant. Besides, someone’s continual wrongdoing in a relationship, is NOT a relationships at all!

So stop following the rules of “healthy relationships!” They simply don’t apply when consistent wrongdoing…is present, and is NOT a relationships --at all!