Of Easter: Forgiveness and Repentance

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21,22

Jesus could have answered Peter by saying, ‘not seven times, but infinitely.’ I say that because it is highly unlikely that anyone would have sinned against, and asked for Peter’s forgiveness, 490 times. Then again, in Luke 17:4 Jesus said, “Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” In this case, seven times in a day; multiplied by 360 days a year equals 2,520 must forgives. Why is it a must forgive?  Consider the Lord’s prayer, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:”   Mat. 6:14

It is with forgiveness in mind that we gather over Easter and recognize the death of Jesus on the cross and His glorious resurrection. How wonderful it is to know that if we repent, no matter how often, He is willing and able to forgive us!  When we stop to think about what Jesus did for us, we should consider how we all too often react to those who come repeatedly to us. We would think ourselves a fool for continuing to forgive them. How could we allow ourselves to be taken so advantage? I hate the idea that any grace that I show is taken as weakness!

Let me answer it this way: If we feel that way, consider the humility of Jesus, who being Himself God, bore an infinite number of our sins and carried the weight of them on the cross. Do you know what strength in conviction and faith one must possess to shower such grace on another? Besides, is the servant greater than His Master? Were we not called to take up our cross and follow Him? What does that mean? It means that we will humbly suffer forgiving those who repent; even those who abuse and strike at us. Of course, that doesn’t mean we remain in an abusive situation. Even as the Holy Spirit’s presence in the Christian, when continually grieved, may no longer be felt, we may also need to leave so the offender realizes the vacuum that was left as a result of their repeated actions. If there is sincere love that leads to repentance, the relationship will be restored. However, the offender has no right to demand an immediate restoration. He is at the mercy of God, and God through you.

As for the abuse of God’s grace and forgiveness, yes; we can wrongfully abuse it and suffer a terrible and eternal price. The Apostle Paul addressed that in Romans 6:1, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” The answer, of course, is ‘no,’ but that is the risk that Jesus was still willing to take when He told Peter to forgive those who repent—even to the infinite. Jesus knew there would be those who would abuse His grace. He knew there would be those who would willfully continue in their sins, but such men were not the types to repent as often as they fell (seven times and more daily.) Those who abuse God’s grace tend to rely on a single or sporadic act of repentance and take that to an infinite abuse. They will always repent when they find themselves caught in a situation that they desperately want out. Oh, then they will cry, ‘God have mercy! Forgive me!’ And soon after they find their relief and the penalty has passed, they, as dogs, return to their own vomit. But this is not true, I pray, of my friends.  What I want for each of you to know is, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Unfortunately, there are those who are Christ’s own and are caught in the Devil’s trap. The more that they find themselves in sin the Devil enters to suggest that ‘they are not good enough,’ and they believe that God is unwilling to forgive them yet again. As a boy, I remember thinking that I had used up my allotted number of sevens, but then as a man, I learned that Christ’s blood shed on the cross was of infinite worth. How then, I ask, could the number of sins that are forgiven be subject to a limit when the value of the sacrifice was of infinite good and mercy? Nonetheless, there will be a multitude of sins that are left uncovered. They will not be covered because men in their pride, and who live in darkness, will not sincerely repent. Some will give intellectual assent to what Christ has done, but their hearts are far from Him. They did not know, or care to consider the enormity of the price that was paid for their transgressions.

As for those of us who do know God’s goodness and mercy, I pray that we will continue to search our hearts; seeking His forgiveness in all matters, and then forgive those who repent. If you have sinned against a brother or sister, go and repent this weekend. Brother and sister, if approached, please forgive! Thank God that we celebrate in Christ Jesus the forgiveness of all of our sins: past, present and future, and with that knowledge, let us take up our cross.