7 Times 70 , Radical Call To Forgive

 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?” [22] Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
(Matthew 18:21-22 ESV)

When Peter comes to Jesus to inquire about forgiveness and how many times someone is obligated to forgive another he makes the statement of perhaps seven. Using the number of perfection and more than doubling the amount that was taught to the Jews of the day . The religious leaders taught 3 times one was to forgive another. So Peter perhaps playing a bit of a look at me card , going see how righteous I'm , I will say 7 . But Jesus throws him for a loop coming back not 7 times but 7 times 70. This is not a literally designation in just numerical value , what Jesus is saying that forgiveness should be in the heart of a believer and that we are not to keep a score card .

But lets face a real fact. Just as Peter sounded so religious by saying 7 times , we too can glibly say , yes we should forgive.The reality is when we have been hurt or we have been the one to hurt another be it in conduct or word , then that is where the rubber hits the road. But the truth is we are commanded to be a marked by forgiveness. Jesus earlier in Matthew 6:14 after he delivers the Lord's prayer , tells His followers that unless they are willing to forgive others , the Father will not forgive you. It is a warning to check our hearts . If we truly comprehend how much we have been forgiven by God  through the work of Christ on the cross, when we call to Him in repentance , and come to faith , the natural outcome should be a heart willing to forgive.

If someone does you harm and they don't come to you to ask for forgiveness , should we still forgive them ? I believe in that instance we need to still practice a heart of forgiveness.We are never told to hold anger or bitterness against anyone . It may take time for this to work out , and we need to ask God for grace . But a heart that withholds forgiveness is open to self righteousness,bitterness,hatred and will only lead to ruin. 

Ultimately within a Church setting if another brother sins against one we are told to approach them privately , if they repent  we are told to forgive them . That is a model we need to practice. It is a bit more complicated if it is an outsider or unbeliever . Still one cannot read through the Bible and not see that forgiveness should be a marked trait in those who say they follow God, for Christianity is a faith marked by a profound forgiveness given to us when we did not deserve it .


Verse Of The Day  :  Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,  and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
(Luke 17:3-4 ESV)