Relationships: A Mess Worth Making

by Timothy S. Lane

Without a doubt, the victimizer needs to face his sin, yet the victim is still responsible for his response to being sinned against.

The Bible reminds us that even when we are sinned against, ultimately, before God our biggest problem is still our own hearts’ propensity to sin. Even when our hearts have been horribly damaged by the sins of another, we are to guard our hearts so that we are not sucked into sin’s destructiveness. Being sinned against tempts us to sin. So our need for Christ is as big when we are sinned against as it is when we sin. The calls to patience, humility, forgiveness, and gentleness are not calls to passivity. God is calling you to respond, but as he prescribes it.