[6] I said; “Faith alone will not make you blessed, but the deed according to the light of faith, so that faith may become alive. But repair also as much as possible the injustice that you often have committed to your fellowmen. Then your sins will be forgiven, for as long as someone has not repaid the last unjust penny to his fellowman, he will not enter God’s Kingdom.” [7] The scribe said: “Lord and Master, then, only few will enter God’s Kingdom. For how often does it not happen that even with the best of will, one cannot completely repair the injustice that he has knowingly caused to someone, and there are a lot of such cases wherein this is prevented. What must one do then to receive forgiveness of sins?” [8] I said: “When a person who realizes and regrets his injustice and cannot make up anymore to his fellowman what he has done wrong to him, then he should remorsefully and sincerely confess his injustice in his heart before God and ask Him for forgiveness, and he should ask if He – for who all things are possible – would repair the inflicted damage to the one who was harmed. Then God will certainly always hear such a sincere prayer and forgive the sins of the one who has asked seriously and full of good will and remorse to forgive his sin, more in particular when someone really tries through his works of love to make up again to others what he had to make up for those who are no more there. [9] But whoever even cannot do that anymore, will be helped by God when he is really sorry and his will is truly good. But as long as there is still an opportunity to repair yourself the injustice that you have caused to your fellowmen, only good will, repentance and praying will help little or nothing, but only the deed. And only after the deed you also should ask God to forgive your sins, then they also will be forgiven by God if you really and truly have taken the serious resolution to commit no more sin and when you also keep to that resolution with all the strength of your life that is under the power of your free will. [10] However, if you will fall back into your old sins, then also all your already committed sins are taken into your account. For once you have made up to your fellowman for an injustice so that you have become friends, but soon after that you commit against the same friend or against someone else another new injustice, then also the injustice that was already made up for comes before judgment as an aggravating proof charged to your again committed sin, and by the judgment you will receive also double punishment as you would have received for the first offense. But if already the worldly judges are passing judgment this way, and rightly, then God will not be milder towards a hardened sinner who sometimes indeed improves his life and makes up for his injustice, but soon begins to sin again.
[11] Thus, man can only receive the real and complete forgiveness of his sins by firstly realizing that his sins are an injustice towards his fellowmen, feeling sorry about them and trying to repair them as much as possible, and secondly, after that, also by asking God for forgiveness with the serious resolution not to commit the sins no more and also to remain true to the good resolution which he made. If you decide this faithfully and truthfully in your heart, and furthermore will also act according to that resolution, then I say to you here already now: your sins are forgiven by Me.” (GGJ Book 19, chap. 14) [12] But I said to the Essenes: “Why do you actually ask Me for forgiveness while I have just shown you clearly how and why no one can ever offend Me? I say to you: forgive each other your sins and foolishness, and awaken your love for God and fellowman, then your sins will also be forgiven by Me. [13] But if someone is a fool, blind and mute, will he be helped if I would say to him: I forgive you your foolishness, your blindness and your muteness? No, no one will be helped by that, for by that the fool will remain a fool, the blind will remain blind and the mute will remain mute. But if would heal the fool of his illness and the blind and mute from their illness by means of word, advice and deed, then they all will be truly helped by that. [14] So let the one who commits foolishness understand the foolishness, cast it off and never commit it again, then it also will be forgiven to him in Heaven, but as long as he does not do that and from time to time still asks God for the forgiveness of his sins, they will not be forgiven before he will have forgiven his sins himself by completely casting off his old foolishness. So let everyone first sweep before his own door. After that, he can go to his neighbor and say to him: ‘Look, I have now removed the dirt from me and I am well now, please allow that I will clean up now your hallway, by making up for all the injustice that was committed to you, if you like.’ Yes, when the 2 neighbors will make up with each other like that and reconcile about everything in a friendly way, then also in Heaven everything will be made up for and be reconciled. But if this is not so, then it is of no use to pray Heaven for the forgiveness of sins.” (GGJ Book 20, chap. 41) 42. THE CORRECT FORGIVENESS OF SINS HE who can see well, can, if he sees a splinter in the eye of his brother, indeed say to him: ‘Brother, allow me that I remove that splinter from your eye.’ But someone who carries not only a splinter, but even a whole beam of sins and foolishness in his own eye, let him try to remove the beam from his own eye. Only after his own eye has become pure, he can also help his brother to remove the splinter from his eye. [2] He who teaches his fellowmen, should not only teach with wise and well-assembled words like the Pharisees and other false prophets are doing, but rather by his deeds and works, then he will move his fellowmen to a true and living observance. But if he teaches this or that and acts himself in contradiction with his teaching, he is like a wolf in sheep clothes who gathers the shortsighted and credulous sheep around him, giving them wise lessons, only to make them a willing prey for his mouth. [3] Will it then be of any use to such a wolf-teacher if he secretly perceives his injustice and says to God: ‘Lord, forgive my sins, for I have often sinned against Your sheep’, but would still remain the old wolf? O, this asking and praying will absolutely be of no use at all, for he is still the old wolf. He should desist completely from being a wolf and become a lamb, then he will have forgiven his sins himself, and then they will be forgiven in Heaven. [4] If your brother has offended you and done you evil, you have, by the love in your heart, the fullest right to forgive the sins of your brother that he has committed against you, and if he would then kindly come to you, would thank you for your love and would seriously promise to do you good, then the sins that he has committed against you are also forgiven in Heaven, even if you do not let yourself be indemnified by him. [5] But if that brother does not perceive the injustice that he has committed against you and perseveres in his evilness, then your love and patience will be highly accredited to you in Heaven, but the brother will retain his sins as long as he has not entirely forgiven them himself, which happens when he recognizes them completely as sins, abhors them in himself, lays them off entirely and does not commit them again. [6] Since this is now so and can impossibly be otherwise, then how can some of you, Essenes, say to the people: ‘We are chosen for the people by the highest God as His representative and have the right to forgive the people their sins and vices that they have confessed to us, which is also valid in Heaven if the one who confesses his guilt, does the penance that we have imposed upon him and who brings this or that offering, by which especially the latter is regarded as important? And when I Myself cannot forgive the sins of any person before he has forgiven himself in the manner that has been shown to you, then how can you replace God by forgiving the people – in return of an offering – their sins that they have never committed against you? [7] Yes, as good doctors you can indeed in all earnest want from people who are looking for your help to confess all their sins and infirmities to you, so that then you can give them the right advice for the future, and if it is strictly observed, give them also the desired healing of their soul and their body. But also in that case you should not be a sin-forgiving representative of God but only helping brothers and friends of fellowmen who are suffering in body and soul, then their sins will also be completely forgiven in Heaven if they will follow your advice precisely and will have completely forgiven their sins themselves. [8] So if in the future you truly want to help people, then teach them most of all how they have to help themselves, for if there is no serious preceding self-help, then also no help from God is possible. This is especially the case for the soul of man who has become weak and sick through all kinds of sins and who is often already completely dead. Because of his free will and good intellect that soul is – as far as God is concerned – left on his own and he should purify himself of all dross of matter and its judgment, so that after that he can also be purified and strengthened by the Spirit. [9] So lay off all your old foolishness and empty deceits and make yourselves free from it. Purify your souls by that, then I will also be able to say to you: ‘Now you are also pure in My eyes’. Then I will strengthen you by My Spirit, and this will then awaken you for a higher active power and will make you true, complete human beings. [10] Now that you know this and have heard it from My mouth, act accordingly, otherwise My most truthful and living words will be of as little use as your empty, untruthful and dead words have ever been for men. [11] My words are indeed the power and life from God Himself, but they only will become part of your life by the fact that you act accordingly. Therefore, be always true doers and not only hearers of the word that I have spoken to you, then also in Heaven all your sins will be forgiven and I will then always be able to help you. Did you well understand this?” (GGJ Book 20, chap. 42) 6. If someone has performed the works of true repentance, let him come to Me, and I will receive him like a prodigal son and keep him within My strength. For the servant can advise, but I can do it; the servant can instruct, but the salvation is My work; the servant can pray, but I alone can bless. My servant must pass fair judgment, but only the Lord has the right to show mercy. Therefore, let them not forget the Lord over the servants! (HHG vol. 1, chap. 2)
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