Forgive Those Who Repent

Luke 17:1-3 he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 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.” (ESV)

Our ability to forgive, yours and mine, is like a muscle that we need to exercise for it to grow stronger. Fortunately, we live in a world where there’s plenty of opportunity to give it a workout.

We’ve been chatting about sin these last few days, based on Jesus’ own teaching. His first point is that temptation is a reality for all of us. Secondly, when we yield to that temptation, we’re likely to drag others down with us, something that He takes very seriously indeed.

Luke 17:1-3a … he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves. (ESV)

And His next point is just as important.

Luke 17:3 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.” (ESV)

Jesus died on that Cross so that we could be forgiven, so that the chain of sin, its ongoing effects, would be broken. That’s why forgiveness is such a big deal to God. And it’s the very same deal when someone sins against us. You want to break that chain? Do you want to stop the consequences of their sin rippling on?

When someone sins against you, by all means hold them to account. But when they apologise (even if the cycle repeats itself) … listen to this carefully, from Jesus … you must forgive them.

That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.