Key Takeaways:

• Divine Justice & Human Forgiveness: We reflect God's image through our innate desire for justice, yet we are called to forgive and trust God's ultimate judgment.

• Forgiveness is Not Condoning: Forgiving a perpetrator does not mean excusing their actions; it means entrusting justice to God.

• Restorative vs. Retributive Justice: Tania explains the profound difference between punitive justice and healing, restorative justice.

• Real-life Example: The transformation of Andrew Chan and Mayurin Sukumaran in an Indonesian prison serves as a testament to the power of forgiveness and restorative justice.

• Following Jesus’ Example: As believers, we are prompted to follow Christ's teaching of turning the other cheek and extending forgiveness as we have been forgiven.

Notable Quotes:

1. "Our desire for justice is one of the ways we reflect God's image. It's a divine quality."

2. "We must never make our capacity to forgive dependent on the justice that may or may not follow."

3. "God's justice is always restorative, not retributive. There's a profound difference."

4. "As they were led to the firing squad, the power of restorative justice was evident."

5. "Forgive others as your heavenly Father has forgiven you."

The God of the Bible is a talking God. All throughout the Scriptures, God is seen talking to people. First to the prophets, then most fully in Jesus and today through his Holy Spirit. When we choose to follow Jesus, the Spirit speaks to remind us of all that Jesus established and apply it to our lives.

So how does the Spirit speak? How do we know it’s God? And what happens afterwards? Join Rev Dr Tania Harris as she explores what the Spirit is saying to us. Everyday God Conversations will encourage you weekly to reflect on the God-conversations of Scripture, the ultimate God-conversation in Jesus and to hear from the Holy Spirit yourself. Remember, it was never meant to be a one-way conversation!

Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram.

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