The first principle is to dispel all discord between others and ourselves. Every sinful act of ours, when become known to others, whether it causes damage to them or not, results in a discordant condition between us. For instance: if we abuse or curse another person, we have on one hand a record of sin before God, and we have made on the other hand a bad impression upon the one we have cursed and also upon any others who were present. Thus, it is difficult for us all to live together in harmony as before. Therefore, if, after being enlightened, we become conscious of this, we have on the one hand to confess it to God and ask His forgiveness, and on the other hand to go to the persons concerned-the one who was cursed and any others who were present-to apologize and also to deal with what we have said. By doing this, the bad impression we have given them will be eradicated, and we can live together as formerly. The first principle, therefore, in dealing with sins is to dispel all discord between others and ourselves.
Therefore, under this principle, even our forgiving of others and our seeking peace with others are also included in this dealing. Whether we are forgiving others or seeking peace with others, the purpose is to dispel all bad impressions and discordant situations between others and ourselves, so that in the universe we can live peaceably and harmoniously with God and with man.
The second principle in dealing with sins is to have a clean conscience, void of offense. The dispelling of a discordant situation is in relation to man, but the possession of a clean conscience, void of offense, is in relation to ourselves. Every sin we have committed not only causes disapproval in others but also brings condemnation to our conscience. Not only will it cause others to have a bad impression of us, but it will also cause our conscience to have guilty stains. Therefore, our dealing with sin is not only to dispel the bad impressions caused in others, but also to remove the guilt in our own conscience, so that our conscience will be clean and void of offense.
The third principle in dealing with sins is to testify to the salvation of God. Because of the enlightenment of God’s life, every person who has really been saved by God has a strong feeling about sins and therefore deals with them constantly. If one is willing to disregard loss and shamefacedness and deal with sins willingly and humbly, it is a strong testimony that God’s salvation has come upon him. If he deals with sins continuously, it is proved even more that the grace of God is still working in him. Each real dealing with sins, therefore, is the issue of the grace of God working in him and is a strong testimony of God’s grace.
The fourth principle in dealing with sins is to benefit others. Every time we deal with sins, the object is not only to dispel the discordant condition between ourselves and others, to cause our conscience to be clean and void of offense, or to testify to the salvation of God, but also to benefit others. When dealing with our own sins, we should never cause damage or trouble to others. The result of our dealing with sins is peace within ourselves and peace also within others. Thus, we cause others to be benefited both spiritually and materially, and they are thereby edified.
The four principles in dealing with sins which we have mentioned are those to which we should give heed in carrying out these dealings. Irrespective of the sin with which we are dealing and regardless of how we deal with it, we should always take care of these four principles by asking: Will this dealing dispel the discordant condition between others and ourselves? Will it cause our conscience to be clean and void of offense? Will it enable us to testify to the salvation of God and thereby give Him glory? And can we benefit others by it? If the answers to these questions conform to the four principles, we may bravely proceed then to deal with the sin. If, however, one of the answers does not conform to one of these principles, we should be careful; otherwise, the enemy will take advantage of our dealing and use it to produce an opposite result. In order that our dealings be properly and soundly carried out to the end that God may be glorified, that we obtain grace, and that others be benefited, we shall now discuss a few technical points in accordance with the four principles we have mentioned.
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