Matthew 18:21-22
“Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘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.’”
The study of mathematics begins early in life. Toddlers start counting fingers, toes, and blocks long before learning addition, subtraction, and multiplication. Why, then, is it hard for adults to grasp the spiritual arithmetic—the principle of “seventy times seven”—behind forgiveness? Like physical math, forgiveness rarely comes naturally and is constantly being tested.
Knowingly or unknowingly, people hurt us, and those bumps and bruises expose our willingness to forgive. Are we eager to give God the pain we’re experiencing or keep a mental ledger to count and recount others’ wrongdoings?
Believer, God does not want you to remain in a state of unforgiveness because it divides you and Him more than you and that person. The heavens will seem as though they are shut when you pray, and your worship will be dulled. Refusing to forgive wounds the heart of God, who freely forgave us “all our trespasses” (Colossians 2:13).
Forgiveness is not a matter of calculation. Forgiveness is the right response for those whom Christ has forgiven. The psalmist asked, “LORD, if you kept a record of our sins, who, O Lord, could ever survive?” (Psalm 130:3 NLT) The answer is no one, and that includes you and me! So, if God doesn’t keep a record, why should we?
Four hundred and ninety times—seventy times seven—isn’t the upper limit or cut-off point in releasing offenses, but it gives us a target to shoot for. When forgiving with such generosity seems beyond you, ask God to point your feet in the right direction, and He will help you move there.
Awaiting His Return,
– Pastor Jack
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