Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
There are, and there have been instances where the husband or wife cheated, and they apparently got off scotch free, meaning, that the other was none the wiser. A married woman has a one-night stance on a business trip she went on. Afterward her conscience bothers her for some time as she grapples with her conscious guilt. She longs to confess to her husband, but she does not know how he will take it, since, like Uriah, he is a soldier in the army on active duty, and who knows, he might just trip a fuse.
She confesses to God, she never gets pregnant, and after that single rendezvous she never ever falls into the sin again. The woman makes a genuine change for the better. Years go by, the husband never finds out, they go on to have a decent family, with several kids, and they remain married for fifty years. But there is that one lone skeleton in her closet that has never been disclosed to her husband, and she is contemplating whether or not she should spill the beans and tell him about what he does not know.
If she does, it could potentially cause a rupture in the marriage and the family, and could possibly alienate the children. Should she let sleeping dogs lie? She doesn’t know how he will react, even though they attend church regularly. This situation has occurred more often than some spouses think, and it raises another basic question about forgiveness, especially within the context of married persons.
Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!