Self-righteousness [a "holier-than-thou" attitude] is in itself sinful.

 ("Let he who is without sin amongst you, cast the first stone").

We will understand the concepts more easily and be much less ready to judge others when we have progressed to higher planes.

That person who has done you wrong is a person that needs your
pity, not your anguish.
That person who has slighted your very being should be kissed
on the other cheek.
That person who has that bitter taste in their mouth needs to be
given the mouthwash called Love.
Love with a capital L is the most powerful tool you have, and
can be put to good use when that person gives you stress.
When that person is most unkind, with practice even you will be
able to smile and show that LOVE strength.

Monty

Sin and forgiveness are closely linked, like opposite sides of the same coin. Indeed there could well be said to be a triune partnership, which includes karma, or dharma (dependent upon our attitude and response) under the inexorable law of cause and effect.

There is a need to recognise that you have sinned or that someone has sinned against you before forgiveness comes into the equation. Indeed taking the concept of an equation it could be stated that:

Sin + Repentance = Forgiveness + Dharma
Sin - Repentance = Judgement + Karma

If you sin, you are essentially lowering your vibrationary rate and are drawing further away from reunion with the Godhead. If you then truly repent and seek forgiveness then the process is reversed through the opportunity of Dharma. This is a positive way to restore your body of light to a higher vibrationary level and to move closer to God in the process.

The act of repentance requires where possible a gesture of restitution to those you have sinned against which should be in proportion to the nature and degree of the sin. E.g.: If you wilfully blind someone in a fight, then your Dharma could well be a decision to work voluntarily in the field of rehabilitation and support of blind people.

Do not be misled into thinking that just because you are making good progress in your spiritual advancement, you can get away with sin because you are just effectively cashing in a credit balance on your karmic account. It may be that you want the thrill of sinning and feel that you already do enough good deeds to allow a little indiscretion without incurring any karma. In fact advanced souls who backslide are more likely to attract fast-track judgement than younger, inexperienced souls who do not know any better and are still learning the rules of the game.

If we ourselves expect forgiveness, we must be prepared to forgive those who have sinned against us ["Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us"] and not bear grudges ["Judge not, lest ye be judged"]. Bearing a grudge darkens the soul of the grudger and inhibits spiritual progress. It is quite acceptable to forgive a sinner, conditionally, allowing them to make restitution and so restore their opportunity for spiritual progress. By helping someone else make spiritual progress you automatically make similar progress yourself.

It could well be that genuine repentance may be acceptable without incurring karmic debt but be linked instead to dharma, the chance to put right what you did wrong. The story of the prostitute caught in the act, whom Jesus forgave because she admitted her guilt and was ashamed, concludes with the woman being told that she was not condemned but should "go and sin no more". Indeed the implication from the account is that because she was forgiven, she may well have been given the opportunity of restitution by choosing to carry out voluntary rehabilitation work amongst other prostitutes, showing them by example, the way their lives can be transformed if they abandon their sinful ways. I'm sure Jesus must have taken into account the lady's economic circumstances; perhaps she was just doing what she did, not for pleasure, or as service to the un-satisfied males in the community, but in support of a young family as a single mother, in a society with no Social Security Benefits! She could well have been a widow.

Things like this should be considered before we start to judge the sins of others. Judgement at this stage of spiritual development is not an option. On this plane we are more in need of forgiveness than judgement.

The moral: Hasten to forgive and be slow to judge.

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