“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'”

-Matthew 25:41, NIV

Does this verse attributed to Jesus sound forgiving?

Of course, not.

My point is how so many people have a weak and distorted view of forgiveness. They treat forgiveness as a magical spell used to dissolve all the wrongs in the world with no claim on the one being forgiven.

This is NOT biblical forgiveness.

For the gift of forgiveness to benefit the forgiven, they must live as such. This verse highlights what the spiritual destiny is for those who refuse to receive God’s forgiveness and change their lives accordingly.

Many cheaters will not receive the gift of forgiveness because they do not see the need to be forgiven. This means they will certainly NOT change their sinful ways.

Is this means a faithful spouse is deficient in forgiving? No.

The most many of us can do is leave the gift in God’s hands trusting God to handle the cheater as a good God would. Then we go on to live our lives without the need to punish the cheater.

But that does not mean the cheater escapes punishment…they still have to receive the gift of forgiveness for it to do any good for them.