Many people today view forgiveness as a second chance. With this perspective, those who offer forgiveness give others a second and forgive them for their offenses against them, but if they mess up one more time, they cannot be forgiven anymore. The truth is, forgiveness is much more than a second chance. Forgiveness involves restoration and love, even when others have hurt us. Forgiveness does not just give second chances. Forgiveness gives second, third, and fourth chances. In God’s economy, forgiveness does not have limits.
Jesus instructed His followers to forgive without limits in Matthew 18. In this passage of Scripture, one of Jesus' disciples, Peter, asked Him, "Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?" (verse 21). We learned in the weekend message that during this time, the standard practice for people was to forgive someone three times, and then after that, they did not have to forgive. By offering the option of seven times, Peter certainly thought he was offering a more than generous number of times to forgive. Jesus knew his line of thinking and responded, “No, not seven times… but seventy times seven” (verse 22). For those of you who are not mathematicians, like me, seventy times seven is four-hundred-and-ninety. Now, Jesus did not give this answer to explain that we are to forgive specifically four-hundred-and-ninety times. After all, if we try to count that high, we will often eventually lose count. Instead, Jesus was explaining that we are to forgive as many times as we have the opportunity to forgive.
Have you been harboring unforgiveness over the past day, month, or year? My friend, take Jesus' words to heart today. There is always an opportunity to forgive the people around us. After all, there is no limit to God’s great forgiveness for all of humanity when we turn to Him.
Is there someone you need to forgive today? Take a few moments to think about your answer to this question. When you know who God has placed on your heart to forgive, pray for that person. Pray for any needs that you know they have, and pray for them to understand just how much God loves them.
18 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. 6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. 8 So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
10 “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.
12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! 14 In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.
15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. 16 But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. 17 If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won’t accept the church’s decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.
18 “I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.
19 “I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
