Roseangela declared:

"we aren't either sovereigns or judges or lawgivers, no matter how much you try to persuade me that we are"

Yet we will be, if we learn true forgiveness now:

"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. 1 Cor. 4:5.

During the thousand years between the first and the second resurrection, the judgment of the wicked takes place. ...
At this time the righteous reign as kings and priests unto God. John in the Revelation says: "I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them." Rev. 20:4. . . . It is at this time that, as foretold by Paul, "the saints shall judge the world." 1 Cor. 6:2, 3. In union with Christ they judge the wicked, comparing their acts with the statute book, the Bible, and deciding every case according to the deeds done in the body. Then the portion which the wicked must suffer is meted out, according to their works; and it is recorded against their names in the book of death.
We shall not hear a charge against us on the ground of the outbreaking sins we have committed, but the charge will be made against us for the neglect of good and noble duties enjoined upon us by the God of love. The deficiencies of our characters will be held up to view. It will then be known that all who are so condemned had light and knowledge, were entrusted with their Lord's goods, and were found unfaithful to their trust.
Satan also and evil angels are judged by Christ and His people. Says Paul, "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" 1 Cor. 6:3." {FLB 216.5}

If we don't let the Spirit teach us here now His ways, we will never get to this stage in judging.

By the way: my daughter was raped and murdered weeks before we came on this mission: God taught me about forgiveness very quickly, otherwise I would not have been commissioned by Him to be here.

Thank you for your love, Gents. They means more to me than all the pragmatics we can muster!

The horrors of sin are what killed Him.
I know that Christ, while taking the Victim's role experienced the sin of my daughter's murderer. The Fact that the Father would not intervene (as per Their agreement) by defending Christ from taking on His spirit these "wages of sin" IS "His strange act."

Phil, have you seen this? http://sharktacos.com/God/cross_intro.shtml

This site shares some thoughts similar to what you just mentioned.

Thanks I'll check it out.

Any leads on Fifield's book? I'm getting no where online.

John,

It is your view which does away with justification and Christ’s imputed righteousness, clearly against what the Bible and Ellen White say. We are only forgiven because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us. Imputed righteousness is our title to heaven - nobody will enter heaven without it.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

“Sinners can be justified by God only when He pardons their sins, remits the punishment they deserve, and treats them as though they were really just and had not sinned, receiving them into divine favor and treating them as if they were righteous. They are justified alone through the imputed righteousness of Christ. The Father accepts the Son, and through the atoning sacrifice of His Son accepts the sinner.” {OHC 52.3}

About repentance and forgiveness:

But while it is true that repentance must precede forgiveness, for it is only the broken and contrite heart that is acceptable to God, yet the sinner cannot bring himself to repentance, or prepare himself to come to Christ. Except the sinner repent, he cannot be forgiven; but the question to be decided is as to whether repentance is the work of the sinner or the gift of Christ. Must the sinner wait until he is filled with remorse for his sin before he can come to Christ? The very first step to Christ is taken through the drawing of the Spirit of God; as man responds to this drawing, he advances toward Christ in order that he may repent. {NL 20.3}


Ikan,

May God’s grace be with you each day, for I don’t think forgiveness is a once-for-all experience in such cases, for every time the pain returns you must forgive again. Some monstrosities committed by human beings provoke in us an utter revulsion. But if this is true of us, who are evil, how much more is it true of God? Could God let acts such as these go unpunished? Letting these acts without a punishment is something that goes against any sense of justice any person may have. Although the person may be forgiven, the act is unforgivable. Therefore, how could God forgive the perpetrator of such a monstrosity without at the same time demonstrating how much He hates the monstrous act that was perpetrated? This is what the cross is all about. God does not excuse sin. God punishes sin because it is sin, because it is monstrous, because it is heinous, because it is deserving of punishment. So, to be coherent with Himself, God couldn’t forgive the sinner without punishing sin. But, so that the sinner wouldn’t die, He punished sin in Himself.
In the same way we, in order to forgive, must separate the act committed from the person who committed it, otherwise we won’t be able to forgive.