Sunday Sermons
Forgiveness, 70x7 and Repentance
Luke 17:3-4/Matthew 18:21-22
“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”; “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” “Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven’”.
“For every person, in every instance, either brief or interminable, cruel or civil, warm or hostile, there will be enough sin in all our relationships that forgiveness is required if they are to continue toward an end that is good” (Bold Love, Dan Allender, p. 14). 17:3 “Be on your guard”: When someone sins against us, or otherwise that can be a temptation (Galatians 6:1). 17:4 “Seven times a day”: The point here is that there is no limit upon forgiveness for the person who truly repents. Jesus does not necessarily mean that the brother is committing the same sin over and over again, but rather, we are to forgive someone who has sinned against us many times—if they repent. “Seven times a day” is not a literal maximum number, for in Matthew 18:21, Jesus will speak of seventy times seven. 17:5 “Increase our faith”: “The Savior replied that they have no need of more faith, but of the right kind of faith—a vigorous, living faith. The grain of the mustard seed is exceedingly small, but it contains the germ of life which, when it germinates, shoots up irresistibly into a tree. If the disciples had had faith of the same quality of life and vigor, no problem or task would have been too difficult for them” (Geldenhuys p. 432). Therefore, when it comes to the issues of forgiveness the issue is not the capacity or the ability to forgive. The appeal for more faith was simply dodging the real issue. The issue is not whether you have the capacity to forgive, but whether you want to forgive. Matthew 18:22 “Seventy times seven”: The question that Peter asks is proof that he had been seriously thinking about what Jesus had just said (18:15-17). The Rabbis taught that we could only forgive a brother three times. They came to this conclusion by thinking that Amos 1:3 was teaching that Divine forgiveness is limited to four times, hence a man cannot forgive more than God. Barclay notes, “Peter thought that he was going very far, for he takes the Rabbinic three times, multiplies it by two, for good measure adds one” (p. 213). Yet, we must also give Peter some credit. He was willing to go much farther than the official teachers of the time, Peter more than doubles the common limit and thus reveals that he is making some progress under Jesus’ teaching. In addition, Peter has ears that hear. He has been seriously thinking about what Matthew 18:15 would require of him. He has been making a personal application; he wants to know how these passages apply in a situation where a brother might sin often.
It is easy to fall into the trap of wanting to know the precise limits of our moral obligations, that is, “when I have done enough”, but if we would just reflect a little, limiting our obligation to forgive would mean that God could limit the number of times that He forgives us! Seventy times seven is basically a number so great that keeping such a count would be almost impossible. Therefore, the meaning is that forgiveness, when accompanied by repentance, is to be unlimited (no set number), just like God is always willing to forgive us after we genuinely repent. Hendriksen notes, 'One might as well ask, "How often must I love my wife, my husband, my children?' as to ask, "How often shall I forgive?" Jesus' answer, in the light of the following parable, might be paraphrased: "How many times should you forgive? As many times as it will be necessary for God to forgive you.." 18:35) (Folwer pp. 762-763). Before we move on, people need to remember that this discourse is not teaching a cheap forgiveness. When people were forgiven it was because they manifested sincere and genuine sorrow for sin (2 Corinthians 7:10-11). Carefully read what Peter said to Simon (Acts 8:20-23). Jesus is not endorsing a flippant or casual attitude towards sin that says something like, “You have to forgive me if I say I’m sorry”. Notice the attitude of the debtor in the following parable (18:29). One of the problems that people sometimes have is that if a brother is sinning (70x7) how do we know they ever really repented in the first place? First, the seventy-times seven is an unlimited forgiveness over an entire lifetime. Secondly, just like we might lapse back into a sin, people do the same against others. The sin might not always be the same. The sins can be of commission or omission. Jesus does not say that such sinning is making this brother any stronger and Jesus is not teaching that we sin against each other every single day. The real point is that we need to be willing to extend forgiveness just as often as God is willing to extend forgiveness to us, for we are all repeat offenders against God.
Repentance
“In normal circumstances, love obliges us to assume the best about those who profess repentance (1 Corinthians 13:7). Scripture does suggest, however, that there are certain times when it is legitimate to demand fruits of repentance before assuming that someone’s profession of repentance is genuine (Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8). Our Lord was not suggesting that the disciples should throw discernment out the window when it comes to evaluating a person’s repentance” (Forgiveness, MacArthur, p. 187). Remember, we need to make sure that we do not isolate the teaching in the above passages from the rest of the Bible. The Bible does tell us that not all sorrow over sin is genuine (2 Corinthians 7:10). We need to be prepared andeager to forgive, but this does not rule out the need to ask for or evaluate the fruit of one’s repentance.
2 Corinthians 7:10-11
“Paul is saying that there is one kind of sorrow that leads nowhere except to a pity party for one. But godly sorrow leads to definite change in our life” (When Forgiveness Doesn’t Make Sense, Robert Jeffress, p. 122). “Many people confuse genuine repentance with sorrow. I’ve counseled abused wives who consider returning to their mates because their husbands are so grief-stricken over the separation. Without trying to appear too cynical, I usually question the sincerity of the husband’s remorse. ‘Do you think that possibly the main reason your husband is so upset is because he no longer has someone to cook his meals, wash his clothes, or sleep in his bed?” (p. 121). 7:11 “What earnestness”: “For notice how serious this God-related grief has made you” (Ber); “Look how serious it made you think” (Phi); “the notable degree of eager application, in contrast to their former carelessness and indifference” (NICNT. Hughes p. 274). Here is an eagerness to correct the situation. You don't have to "bug" this person with phone calls, cards or letters. “What vindication of yourselves”: “Eagerness on their part to clear themselves of the guilt in which they were involved” (Tasker p. 106). Godly sorrow does not have to be pushed to apologize, come forward, or ask for forgiveness. Godly sorrow takes the initiative, it seeks out those it has wronged, it comes in humility, without excuses, without demands, without accusations, and without bitterness (Luke 15:18-20). “What indignation”:“What wrath against sin” (Bas); “how disgusted with wrong” (Beck). “What fear”: Which would include the fear associated with being separated from God (2 Corinthians 5:11), and the fear of what we are capable of when we yield to sin. “What longing”:“How eager to see me” (Gspd). Godly sorrow longs for a restored relationship with God and brethren. The person who claims to repent but is bitter towards faithful brethren (like Paul) is not genuine godly sorrow. “What zeal”: “To make up for past remissiveness” (P.P. Commentary p. 171). “What avenging of wrong”: Eagerness to see justice done. “In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter”: Repentance is eager to take whatever steps that are necessary to completely clear up the damage that has been done.
Restitution
Forgiving someone does not automatically nullify the need to make reparations. “Zaccheus offered fourfold restitution to those he had defrauded (Luke 19:8). That spirit of willingness to make restitution should accompany all true confession of wrongdoing” (MacArthur p. 188). Carefully note that in the case of Zaccheus, Jesus does not correct his desire to make restitution, but on the contrary interprets such an act as an evidence of conversion (19:9). It was an attempt on the part of Zaccheus to be reconciled to God and his fellow Jews. On a practical level, “lies should be confessed and the truth communicated at least as widely as the lie was. Slander needs to be corrected by a sincere effort to restore the offended person’s reputation and honor” (p. 189). Yet, there are instances where restitution is not possible because the person sinned against is dead or cannot be found. We need to remember that all the restitution in the world cannot, at times, make up for the damage left in the wake of someone’s sin. There are some losses that cannot be compensated. There is no payment that someone could offer you to compensate for a child killed by a drunk driver, a marriage destroyed by infidelity, or childhood innocence stolen by an immoral relative. Yet this does not mean that there are no consequences for such actions.
Forgiveness and Trust
Forgiveness opens the door for reconciliation (Matthew 18:15), but trust is another matter. “A marriage that is fractured through a few moments of adulterous pleasure may take years to rebuild” (Jeffress p. 123). In addition, remember that forgetting is a function of the brain, but forgiveness is a function of the spirit. Just because I can forgive someone does not mean that everything will immediately be just like it was. Forgiveness is an act of the will, it is a choice, and while I want the sinner to be forgiven, at the same time I may not have warm and fuzzy feelings for them. The love that God commands towards an enemy is an act of the will (Matthew 5:44), but it is not a command to be “in love” with them. The elder who sins and destroys his reputation can be forgiven, but this does not mean that he is entrusted with the care of the flock after his repentance. A Christian employee might steal from me, and upon repentance I can forgive them but this does not mean that I am required to bring them back into the business. Forgiveness does not necessitate that the church treasurer who stole funds from the congregation to be reinstated as treasurer upon his repentance. In like manner, a woman can forgive her husband if he commits adultery but this does not mean that she is forbidden to exercise the right given in Matthew 19:9. I can forgive my son or daughter of sneaking out of the house or using the car without my permission, but this does not mean that trust is instantly restored.
Forgiveness and Others
When I forgive I need to remember that the souls and safety of others is an equal consideration. I may not go back into business with the Christian who stole from me because I have a family to feed (1 Timothy 5:8) and employees to pay, and cannot assume such a financial risk. The same is true with it comes to placing my children in an environment when someone who has abused children in the past. In addition, when I forgive, it does not mean that I surrender another person’s responsibility to seek justice. I may choose to cancel a financial debt, but this does not mean that other Christians are obligated to do the same. I can forgive and yet still seek expect to be repaid, even if it is in very small monthly payments. In fact, in many instances such a requirement is healthy, for it holds the person accountable for their repentance.
