I listened to a quote by C.S. Lewis tonight that really struck me.  It said, "The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men and His compulsion is our liberation."

Is this not what is so difficult about being a parent that truly loves your child?  If you as a parent are able to say no to a child, and "harden" your heart to their selfish desires, so that in the end they will be built up in character you are truly giving them freedom from the "bondage of sin".

I think that this is the great challenge among Christians with other Christians.  You have to be able to say no to the sin.  You are not being kind or merciful when you overlook the sin.  You are wrapping the chains of bondage tighter around the person and leaving them in a worse state than when they began!  God NEVER overlooked the sin of anyone in the Bible!  He forgave them, but the consequences remained.  We must do the same.  I offer forgiveness, and a way to come back into fellowship, but to say that nothing happened is in itself a sin, and the "Truth" does not abide in you!

This should also not be confused with "judgement".  I don't pronounce judgement and inflict the punishment.  I simply state the facts as a lawyer is to lay out the evidence for "The Judge" (which is funny because God as Judge knows already more than anyone what really happened way before it actually occurred!).  No, then it is not to lay it out like a lawyer.  It is to recognize sin for ourselves, beware of it, deal with it properly, stand against sin because is it just that....sin!  It has no place in a believers life.  We are to purge it, not let it fester and grow.  So then the verse that says to confront in love, but beware lest you fall into the same temptation is applied here.  Watch out for that sin - recognize it as sin, call it what it is.  Don't explain it away, don't legitimize it, don't give it an excuse or call it an illness.  It is sin, in need of repentance and forgiveness - from God!  Psalm 51 states it clearly, "Against You, and You alone have I sinned...."  Of course we make things right with others, but our sin is against God, and we will not be truly forgiven and freed from the sin, until we come to Him on bended knee, confess the sin against Him and His law, and accept His free forgiveness and pardon!