A New Way to Love Your Neighborಮಾದರಿ

BE FREE: Love is Forgiving

In the Bible, forgiveness demonstrates two major ideas. The first one is the idea of giving or granting something. The second is the idea of sending something away or giving something up.

When God forgives us, he is both “sending” our sin “away” and “granting” us unearned favor. Think about the depth of the Father’s forgiveness. He sent our sin to his Son and granted us the righteousness of this Son. That thought should fill you with gratitude, awe, and joy.

As we relate to God and people, here's what those two ideas have in common. First, both ideas are presented as matters of the heart. There's no detailed behavioral instruction guide on what to say or when to say it, or what specific action to take. Secondly, in both cases, the instruction indicates a continuous present tense. You never stop forgiving. You never hit a limit. God doesn't hit a limit with us, and in turn, we don't hit a limit with one another. I know. It seems impossible. But it is truly possible when you’re empowered by God’s Spirit. He’s the one forgiving through you; remember that.

This is clearly articulated when answering Peter's question in Matthew 18. Here’s the question in verse 21:

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”

When Peter asked how many times he should forgive a brother who sins against him, he probably thought he was being generous when he suggested seven times as the answer. But Jesus took it to an entirely different level when he responded this way in verse 22:

Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Scholars say this could either mean seventy-seven (77) or seventy times seven (490). The point is not that you get to hold a grudge at the 78th or 491st offense. Jesus is using the commonly known meaning of the number seven, which communicates completion or totality. He’s saying, in essence, take the most complete, total number you know and just keep multiplying it. That’s how many times you should forgive someone – continuously and completely.

Forgiveness is not the absence of consequences. God doesn't look the other way. As Galatians 6:7 teaches, you will reap what you sow. Moses suffered the consequences of his anger. David suffered the consequences of his actions toward Bathsheba and Uriah. Peter suffered the consequences of questioning the plan of God in the Garden of Gethsemane. So, there can be consequences for our actions (or the actions of those who harm us), but they aren’t an excuse for us not to forgive. In a world that holds grudges, divine love forgives.