Does Forgiveness Mean Condoning Wrong Actions and Having Fellowship with Sinful Men?
It can often be mistaken saying like, "Hey if I forgive, I am condoning his wrong actions." It's just a poor excuse to take the law into one's hands and to seek revenge. When trying to understand forgiveness is essential, it does not however mean condoning wrong actions. Usually, a person who is offended may not be the only person who gets offended by the offender like the thief has not robbed me alone, he will soon rob others or a person who is a bull won't just stop with me, he will also bully others and may have had a long list behind me of those he had bullied. To forgive means to to feeling angry or resentful towards someone.
To condone means to accept and allow. This is again where justice and revenge are being compared. Justice means "just behavior and treatment" and "the quality of being fair and reasonable" while revenge is "inflicting someone for the wrong suffered at their hands". Now for an example- God has forgiven everyone who has received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and He does not cast them out because His Son Jesus Christ said in John 6:37, "Whosoever cometh unto Me I shall no wise cast out.", however it does not mean by any bit that He condones their wrongdoings. God maintains His forgiving nature towards His own while He does not condone to their sinfulness. That is, he will still spank any of His children who go wayward, He will sanctify them daily and by His grace make them live according to His will by His grace.
God while He has forgiven the repentant sinner will no way permit them to sin some more, rather He sanctifies or purifies His own children by faith (John 1:12) DAILY and Hebrews 12:5-6 says He spanks those who are His own, if He does not then they are but bastards not children. Likewise for Christians to forgive their enemies who are usually unbelievers would not mean also that they condone their wrong by refusing to talk about it or file charges should they be hit by life threatening circumstances, warn others of the offender's wrongdoings (not for revenge reasons but because the truth need be known lest this offender gathers more victims) or worse, to have fellowship with sinful people like Jehoshaphat did with Ahab. Jehoshaphat may have had forgiven Ahab of any wrongdoing but he was foolish to have fellowship with Ahab.