Today, we shift gears from out months-long study of what defines a New Testament church to a study of forgiveness. The Scripture passage comes from Matthew 18:21-35, in which a brief exchange between Peter and Christ segues into a parable on forgiveness. In this parable, a king forgives an enormous debt owed by one of his servants, while the servant turns around and refuses to forgive a much smaller debt owed by a fellow servant.
There are three themes to this parable. One, forgiveness is demonstrated, because God graciously forgives a debt we can never repay.
Two, forgiveness is denied, because we too often fail to forgive really small stuff.
Three, forgiveness is demanded, because God expects us to forgive others.
If you’ve been forgiven by God, you have to be forgiving like God.
We don’t forgive others to earn God’s forgiveness; we forgive others to honor God’s forgiveness.
If we have experienced forgiveness, we must also extend forgiveness.
We’re not given a limit for forgiveness; we’re called to a lifestyle of forgiveness.
If we’ve received God’s grace, God calls us to reflect His grace.
Why do we struggle to forgive? We often find it easier to begrudge others than to forgive. We fail to realize just how much God has forgiven us. We owe an enormous debt to God. We also don’t fully understand what forgiveness really is. Forgiveness is our only hope of reconciliation with God.
We don’t deny that bad things happen. Forgiveness acknowledges this, and means we love each other, anyway, offering grace when we are hurt. We futilely try to forgive in our own power; it doesn’t come naturally, but spiritually. Followers of Christ ought not to hold grudges, but instead ought to reflect His grace.
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The king’s forgiveness
Today, we shift gears from out months-long study of what defines a New Testament church to a study of forgiveness. The Scripture passage comes from Matthew 18:21-35, in which a brief exchange between Peter and Christ segues into a parable on forgiveness. In this parable, a king forgives an enormous debt owed by one of his servants, while the servant turns around and refuses to forgive a much smaller debt owed by a fellow servant.
There are three themes to this parable. One, forgiveness is demonstrated, because God graciously forgives a debt we can never repay.
Two, forgiveness is denied, because we too often fail to forgive really small stuff.
Three, forgiveness is demanded, because God expects us to forgive others.
If you’ve been forgiven by God, you have to be forgiving like God.
We don’t forgive others to earn God’s forgiveness; we forgive others to honor God’s forgiveness.
If we have experienced forgiveness, we must also extend forgiveness.
We’re not given a limit for forgiveness; we’re called to a lifestyle of forgiveness.
If we’ve received God’s grace, God calls us to reflect His grace.
Why do we struggle to forgive? We often find it easier to begrudge others than to forgive. We fail to realize just how much God has forgiven us. We owe an enormous debt to God. We also don’t fully understand what forgiveness really is. Forgiveness is our only hope of reconciliation with God.
We don’t deny that bad things happen. Forgiveness acknowledges this, and means we love each other, anyway, offering grace when we are hurt. We futilely try to forgive in our own power; it doesn’t come naturally, but spiritually. Followers of Christ ought not to hold grudges, but instead ought to reflect His grace.
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