1 Corinthians 6:4-8 “If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? (5) I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? (6) But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! (7) Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? (8) No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!”
Scripture teaches us that forgiveness is applied differently between believers than it is applied between believers and unbelievers. And so in this section we will deal with forgiveness between believers. The first prize in forgiveness is to forgive the moment a wrong is suffered, and not even bring the matter up with the brother who offended you. We do this simply because we choose too, because we walk in love and love is not provoked (1 Corinthians 13:5). In other words, we do not ask for an apology when we suffer a wrong and in fact the person who has offended us may not even be aware that they have done so. But it can go even further than that. Because it may be that a brother has knowingly and deliberately wronged or cheated you. The first prize still remains, to simply forgive. In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Paul is dealing with believers that have taken each other to court because of some wrongdoing. He gives them no prize for their chosen course of action, and in fact he rebukes them for it. The first option he tells them to rather take is to get one who is considered to be wise in the church, to arbitrate in the disputed matter. Although this option is valid and acceptable in the church, it is still second prize. I want you to notice the first prize that Paul speaks of, for he tells them to rather accept wrong and to rather let themselves be cheated. In other words he tells them to simply forgive.
Matthew 18:15-16 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. (16) But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.”
The above quoted passage of scripture agrees with Paul’s counsel about allowing a wise member in the church to judge between brethren who have a dispute. In this passage our Lord Jesus taught on what steps we are to take when a brother in the Lord sins against us. The first step is to speak privately to the brother who has sinned against you, and tell them in what way they have wronged you. If at that stage, they apologise for the wrong that they have done i.e. they repent and ask for forgiveness, then we are to forgive them immediately and consider the matter closed. However, if they choose not to apologise after we have spoken to them, then our Lord teaches us to take one or two more brethren with us to speak to the unrepentant brother. Hopefully by that stage, the offending brother would repent and apologise so that they may be forgiven.
Matthew 18:21-22 “Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" (22) Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
So how often are we to forgive our brothers and sisters who sin against us? In the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Peter asked the Lord Jesus that exact question. When he did so, he thought he would show the Lord just how spiritual he was, by suggesting that perhaps we should do so up to seven times. But our Lord put it completely into perspective by answering that we are to forgive not up to seven times, but rather up to seventy times seven, which is four hundred and ninety times.
Luke 17:3-4 “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. (4) And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him.”
As quoted in the above passage of scripture, on another occasion when our Lord Jesus taught on the same subject of forgiveness, He taught us to forgive our brother who sins against us and asks our forgiveness, seven times in just one day. And so if you put this teaching together with the one He gave to Peter, then you can take that number to equal four hundred and ninety times in just one day. The point is therefore clear, that we are not to withhold forgiveness from the brother who is repentant. Think about our Lord Jesus and our sins for example. Every time we sin against Him and we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9). He places no limit on our forgiveness, and so neither should we.
Michael E.B. Maher
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