I Forgive You – Part 2
Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, “I repent,” forgive him [Luke 17:3-4].
We paused our last study by noting how the argument from silence is pulled out of mothballs and freshened up, to be used to misinterpret Matthew 18. Peter asked Jesus about the obligation of a person who was wronged, not about the obligation of the wrongdoer.
The argument from silence seizes upon this silence about the wrongdoer’s obligation to repent, claiming it isn’t necessary since in Matthew 18 Jesus didn’t say it was. Neither did Jesus demand that the priest come along, but what does that have to do with anything?
In Luke 17 the same subject is taught, but this time the requirement on the part of both parties is addressed. The wrongdoer recognizes his wrong and apologizes to the person he wronged, asking him for forgiveness. In this case it is obligatory on the part of the Christian who has been wronged to forgive him, and that from the heart, in spirit and in truth.
Implied in this teaching is that the person wronged needs to want forgiveness. You see, in Luke 17 there is no argument from silence. The subject of the wrongdoer’s responsibility is literally brought up by Jesus. When a person does a wrong and asks for forgiveness, the child of God must forgive the one who wronged him.
The implications are, for one thing, that we cannot hold grudges and conduct feuds. We cannot harbor ill will at others because our feelings are hurt.
But there is a more solemn implication to be garnered from Luke 17. If someone wrongs us and does not want forgiveness, we can’t forgive him. This doesn’t mean we can hold a grudge in such a case, or harbor ill will and pray for his damnation! It means we cannot pretend to him that all is well with the world.
Suppose I go up to someone who sinned against me and say, “Ken or Barbie, you did such and so to me and it is sin. But not to worry. I forgive you.” What just occurred?
I’ll tell you what just occurred. Someone sinned, but they had no remorse for their sin and didn’t see any need for forgiveness. My words helped harden them in their sin by allowing them to experience forgiveness without repentance, should their conscience ever experience any uneasiness over their sin.
This implicates me in their sin! I caused my brother to stumble. He has no need to repent of his sin. He’s forgiven already. Wow! This makes me more powerful than God Himself!
How so? Consider how a sinner is saved. Is it because Jesus died on the cross for his sins? Answer: no, it is not. Huh? You say you thought the answer was yes? Well, sorry. You’re mistaken. Yes, Jesus died for the sins of all mankind, past, present, and future. But no, everyone past, present, and future, is not saved because of it.
Oh, then what else is needed in order to be saved? Answer: believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved. Okay, so what does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus? Answer: to recognize His death on the cross as being for my specific sins. Jesus died my death in my stead, so that I can live His life with Him.
But why did I deserve the death which Jesus died for me? We will answer the question in our next study. For now ruminate a while on what Jesus taught us in this study. I’ll see you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We paused our last study by noting how the argument from silence is pulled out of mothballs and freshened up, to be used to misinterpret Matthew 18. Peter asked Jesus about the obligation of a person who was wronged, not about the obligation of the wrongdoer.
The argument from silence seizes upon this silence about the wrongdoer’s obligation to repent, claiming it isn’t necessary since in Matthew 18 Jesus didn’t say it was. Neither did Jesus demand that the priest come along, but what does that have to do with anything?
In Luke 17 the same subject is taught, but this time the requirement on the part of both parties is addressed. The wrongdoer recognizes his wrong and apologizes to the person he wronged, asking him for forgiveness. In this case it is obligatory on the part of the Christian who has been wronged to forgive him, and that from the heart, in spirit and in truth.
Implied in this teaching is that the person wronged needs to want forgiveness. You see, in Luke 17 there is no argument from silence. The subject of the wrongdoer’s responsibility is literally brought up by Jesus. When a person does a wrong and asks for forgiveness, the child of God must forgive the one who wronged him.
The implications are, for one thing, that we cannot hold grudges and conduct feuds. We cannot harbor ill will at others because our feelings are hurt.
But there is a more solemn implication to be garnered from Luke 17. If someone wrongs us and does not want forgiveness, we can’t forgive him. This doesn’t mean we can hold a grudge in such a case, or harbor ill will and pray for his damnation! It means we cannot pretend to him that all is well with the world.
Suppose I go up to someone who sinned against me and say, “Ken or Barbie, you did such and so to me and it is sin. But not to worry. I forgive you.” What just occurred?
I’ll tell you what just occurred. Someone sinned, but they had no remorse for their sin and didn’t see any need for forgiveness. My words helped harden them in their sin by allowing them to experience forgiveness without repentance, should their conscience ever experience any uneasiness over their sin.
This implicates me in their sin! I caused my brother to stumble. He has no need to repent of his sin. He’s forgiven already. Wow! This makes me more powerful than God Himself!
How so? Consider how a sinner is saved. Is it because Jesus died on the cross for his sins? Answer: no, it is not. Huh? You say you thought the answer was yes? Well, sorry. You’re mistaken. Yes, Jesus died for the sins of all mankind, past, present, and future. But no, everyone past, present, and future, is not saved because of it.
Oh, then what else is needed in order to be saved? Answer: believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved. Okay, so what does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus? Answer: to recognize His death on the cross as being for my specific sins. Jesus died my death in my stead, so that I can live His life with Him.
But why did I deserve the death which Jesus died for me? We will answer the question in our next study. For now ruminate a while on what Jesus taught us in this study. I’ll see you tomorrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
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