Juliett:
I was thinking about the following scripture:
II Corinthians 3:5-6
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God. Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
*****
I was reminded of you ... and the letter to your relative where you told her to forgive and you quoted two scriptures as examples to forgive.
Don't try to correct this with this relative ... When relatives show they will not follow scripture anyway, no need to correct what you wrote them. When God turns them over to a strong delusion correction won't work. II Thessalonians 2
What you did was "letter of the law" ... looked right to forgive but what about I Corinthian 5 ... Forgiveness in this case would have denied I Corinthian 5 by what you wrote.
II Thessalonians 2
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming:
Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
*****
When their "pleasure" is in a way that is contrary to God, and God turns them over to strong delusion, there is nothing you can say that can restore them ... Don't try to reason with them ... Just walk away.
They will destroy you if you try to reason with them and you can't do anything anyway when the delusion they live by is from God.
Joan
*****