To Infinity - June 13-17
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
Often times we are going to have disagreements with people, our friends, brothers, sisters, parents, etc.
But it’s interesting that the Bible challenges us, time and time again to forgive.
Why does it remind us to do it so often?
Because forgiving is difficult.
Forgiving takes humility, it takes a lot. Especially when you’re right. But think about it this way, would you rather be right in front of man but wrong in front of God?
Jesus had to forgive us for our sins, he died forgiving us of our sins even as he was being murdered. He was telling the father, “God forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.”
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant tells the story of a servant who owed a king a lot of money. Before the parable, Peter asks Jesus how often he should forgive:
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
What is the meaning of 70x7?
The 70x7 expression is symbolic for infinity; Christians are called to forgive an infinite number of time because that is the number of time they are forgiven by God ; when a Christian fails to forgive, it becomes inconsistent with the infinite forgiveness of God.
The idea is that forgiveness is not a one-time action. If someone asks for forgiveness over and again, then it is the choice of an individual to forgive them
We live in an age that doesn’t promote forgiving others, as Christians we have to remember that this is key in our Christianity. God had no issue forgiving us for our sins, who are we to resent others for the wrongs they’ve done to us? We have to practice what we preach!
Are you prepared to forgive multiple times?
What are some ways to have easier conversations with difficult people?
What does the bible say about anger and rage?