It is still not too late to enter the contest. I will continue to blog through the quiz on consecutive Friday’s until December 4th. Each Friday I will give away two copies of Unpacking Forgiveness. 
On December 4th, I will give away a Flip Camera. (Take A New Forgiveness Quiz)
The next two winners for A New Forgiveness Quiz are:
JLarso
gussa
I am posting the next two winners. I know people don’t necessarily appreciate having either their emails or their names broadcast on the Internet. If those of you who win would like to comment, that would be wonderful!
Question #5 – A very influential author argued that it is legitimate to forgive God. True or False, it is legitimate to forgive God?
FALSE.
It is heretical to suggest that God would need our forgiveness. But, this is where a feelings based approach to forgiveness often leads. Here is how the progression happens:
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It is wrong to feel bitterness and vindictive toward God.
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Forgiveness is defined as a feeling. Indeed, what many people believe is that forgiveness is no longer feeling bitterness or anger toward someone.
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Therefore, it is legitimate to forgive God because I shouldn’t feel bitterness or anger toward God.
These are the heretical ditches in which we find ourselves in when we redefine biblical concepts in man-centered ways.
Question #6 – Ken Sande says forgiveness is a 2-stage process. Is the statement that forgiveness is a two stage process true or false? TRUE.
First, I will again recommend Ken Sande’s book, The Peacemaker. This is a valuable resource for local churches.
Where this question is concerned, it is wrong to be bitter and vindictive. This is where Sande’s description can be helpful. He argues that forgiveness is a two stage process. Here is an excerpt of The Peacemaker.
Ideally, repentance should precede forgiveness (Luke 17:3) . . .
When an offense is too serious to overlook and the offender has not yet repented, you may need to approach forgiveness as a two-staged process. The first stage requires having an attitude of forgiveness, and the second, granting forgiveness. Having an attitude of forgiveness is unconditional and is a commitment you make to God . . . By his grace, you seek to maintain a loving and merciful attitude toward someone who has offended you. This requires making and living out the first promise of forgiveness, which means you will not dwell on the hurtful incident or seek vengeance or retribution in thought, word, or action. Instead, you pray for the other person and stand ready at any moment to pursue complete reconciliation as soon as he or she repents. This attitude will protect you from bitterness and resentment, even if the other person takes a long time to repent.
Granting forgiveness is conditional on the repentance of the offender and takes place between you and that person (Luke 17:3-4). It is a commitment to make the other three promises of forgiveness to the offender. When there has been a serious offense, it would not be appropriate to make these promises until the offender has repented . . .
