Release Them
Deuteronomy 15:1
"At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release."
One of the ways God set up for Israel to have a healthy economy was to release people from a debt after seven years. God did not believe in debt lasting longer than this time period. At the end of the seven years, if the person did not have their debt paid off, the creditor was to release them from that debt.
Though this verse is talking about financial debt, I find that there is another debt that needs to be released. The debt I am talking about is the debt someone pays for doing wrong. If you want to have a healthy spiritual economy, then you need to learn to release people from their debt when they do wrong. At some point the debt must be released, and the person who did wrong must be allowed to move on in life.
Sin does have a payment. God says in Romans 6:23, "The wages of sin is death;..." A person cannot sin and expect not to pay for that sin. I do believe that people should pay for their sin. If people get away with sin then they will continue to sin, but in a greater way. Sin always forfeits certain rights. Letting people get away with sin is not love. In fact, you could say that love has nothing to do with letting people get away with sin, for they will do something bigger the next time, and the consequences will be greater.
However, sin's payment must end at some point. It is not just for someone to have to pay for their sin for the rest of their lives. Far too many Christians hold something against someone that they did several years prior. This is not right! Yes, that person should pay for their sin, but when the payment is done, they should be able to move on without you holding against them what they have done in the past. When their payment is done, you need to release them from their debt.
Christian, when someone falls into sin, be careful that you don't make them pay for their sin after the payment is over. At some point people need to be able to move on in their Christian life and be used again. When you read the Scriptures, you will find that God used many people after they committed a horrible sin. Why is that? Because God knows that sin's punishment must end, and that they must be released from that punishment. Be careful about holding the past against someone. Allow them to be spiritually restored.
Furthermore, Christian school teachers need to allow students to move on in their life. If a student has done wrong, then let the rules determine the punishment, but once the punishment is administered, you need to release them and treat them like every other student. Give a student who has done wrong a chance to be restored.
Simply put, the punishment for wrong needs to be predetermined before a wrong has ever been committed. Once someone does wrong, then administer the predetermined punishment, but once the punishment is over, you need to release them from that punishment.
Let me ask you, is there someone whom you have held prisoner in your heart and mind over something that was done several years ago? It's time you release them from their punishment. Even if there is no dispute about the wrong, you need to realize that God wants His children to move on so we can help more people. Don't be guilty of holding something against people, instead be willing to release them from your mental prison and treat them right.