Forgiveness that Knows No Limit

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."

Matthew 18:21-22

Perhaps Peter  was feeling righteous when he suggested to the Lord that forgiving an offending brother seven times would be acceptable to God. There was a rabbinic view that one need forgive only three times, so in effect Peter was actually doubling the quota for forgiveness.  But the Lord responded with a number much greater than Peter's. In fact, the Lord's idea of forgiveness knows no boundaries, and His followers are to forgive as He forgives. Today I read that Pierce O'Farrill, a 28-year-old who was shot three times in the Aurora theatre, says he has forgiven James Holmes the suspected shooter. O'Farrill, who serves at the  Denver Rescue Mission -- a Christian organization -- was quoted as saying: "Of course, I forgive him with all my heart. . . when I saw him in his hearing, I felt nothing but sorrow for him -- he's just a lost soul right now. I want to see him sometime. The first thing I want to say to him is 'I forgive you,' and the next is, 'Can I pray for you?'"  Pierce is a living testimony to what Christ taught. And it is by the power of Christ that this young man is able to forgive so great an offense. Praise God for his example. 

Forgiveness Releases Us

"So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; 
just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you."

Colossian 3:12-13

Every one of the virtues listed here has to do with relationships. If we want to live in harmony with others, then we must take seriously what God is telling us. We can't wait for the other person to go first in putting on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. It begins with each of us. If we say we belong to God, then we will imitate Him. God did not wait for us to love Him, He loved us first. "We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:19-20). Forgiving those who have hurt us, especially when they are not repentant, is a hard thing to do. But God has told us that if we want to be forgiven by Him, we must forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15). We forgive the unrepentant offender and leave the rest to God. He will deal with the other person. When we refuse to forgive we become embittered and resentful. We're not fun to be around and our bodies take a toll from the resulting stress. Dale Carnegie tells about a visit to Yellowstone Park where he saw a grizzly bear. The huge animal was in the center of a clearing, feeding on some discarded camp food. For several minutes he feasted alone; no other creature dared draw near. After a few moments a skunk walked through the meadow toward the food and took his place next to the grizzly. The bear didn't object and Carnegie knew why. "The grizzly," he said, "knew the high cost of getting even." [House of God p. 122] God wants us to live in joy and peace. Forgiveness releases us to do so. 

No Excuses

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;"

1 John 1:6

If we truly have a relationship with Christ, then we will hate sin. This doesn't mean we won't sin. As long as we're here on earth it's for certain we will. But when we do, we should feel disappointment in ourselves and a desire to talk to God about it; to confess our sin and ask for His forgiveness. Such honesty is pleasing to God and He is more than willing to forgive us (1 John 1:9).  Corrie Ten Boom said, "The blood of Jesus never cleansed an excuse."