Freedom Through Forgivenessنموونە

Forgiveness Is A Decision that We Make

Yesterday, we saw that forgiveness is a decision. Paul and Jesus gave instructions to forgive, but it’s not something God can force. We still must choose to obey.

Today, we will see that forgiveness is a decision that we make, not a feeling.

“Then Peter came to him and asked, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?" "No, not seven times," Jesus replied, "but seventy times seven!” - Matthew 18:21-22 NLT

In verses 21-22, Peter asks Jesus, "How many times do I have to forgive someone?" And to sound extra spiritual, he throws out the number seven. Peter is saying to himself, "Seven times is definitely a lot., That will be a good amount. I mean, it's the number of completion."

But Jesus is the ultimate "one-upper." Jesus says no, not seven, but seventy times seven.

For those who may need a calculator, I’ll be happy to help you. That is 490 times, and other translations say 70 multiplied by 7 in a day.

Do you know the amount of work and dedication it takes to offend someone 490 times in a day? Nobody is that devoted to offending someone. In reality, 490 times in one day takes more effort than anyone is willing to commit to.

To offend someone 490 times would take doing something approximately every three minutes in twenty-four hours without going to sleep. That’s a bit much.

Jesus is saying that you need to forgive every time, regardless of the circumstances.

There will be times when you don’t want to forgive that person AGAIN!. They found a new way to hurt you, or it may be the same way over again, and you were hoping that this one would be different. However, it turned out to be the same thing in a different wrapping.

Still, we are commanded to forgive.

You may need to adjust your perspective on forgiveness; you need to look at this differently than you thought. Here is where we have a decision to make:

We choose to forgive either by our own standards or by Jesus' standards.

Peter’s initial question about forgiveness is where most people are today. If they forgive someone 3 times, they think they should have a pass on forgiving them for the rest of their life.

To the world’s standard, that probably is very good, but by God’s, you haven’t scratched the surface. We are called to forgive every time.

Forgiveness And Trust Are Not The Same Thing

It is essential to note that forgiveness and trust are two different concepts.

You can forgive without restoring trust. If you decide that you don’t want to extend your trust to someone who hurt you, you are not in sin. In most cases, you are actually walking in wisdom. We will discuss this further in a future devotional.

Tomorrow, we will examine the parable that Jesus used to illustrate forgiveness. He breaks it down so well that it is clear that it is a decision that we make. He even shows what happens when we choose not to forgive.