Subject: Can we not ask God to forgive another? |
Bible Note: Aixen: Your exegesis of Luke 17:4 appears flawed. The number 7 was not to set a limit on the number of times to forgive but exactly the opposite. Compare Matthew 18:21,22, which does not add the provisional "I repent" clause of Luke 17:4. Neither do Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13. Jesus clearly taught the principle of forgiving our debtors in Matthew 6:12,14,15. The Lukan passage does not contradict His teaching. If you will read the full context in which Luke 17:4 appears, you will see that Jesus is speaking not only of forgiving others their offenses but of rebuking them as well. In the Matthew 6 prayer Jesus laid it down clearly that God will not forgive our transgressions until we have forgiven those who have transgressed against us. This is true whether or not they have apologized, repented, asked us to forgive them or whatever. Jesus' point in Luke 17:1-4 is expounded on and the context explained in greater detail in Matthew 18: 15-35. Reading and studying these passages in both Luke 17 and Matthew 18, comparing them with each other and both with what Christ taught about forgiveness in Matthew 6, should make it clear that Jesus' disciples, to be forgiven their sins, must forgive their debtors unconditionally in their hearts and not harbor grudges or ill will against them no matter what the debtors do. This forgiving spirit is intimately related to and absolutely essential to receiving God's forgiveness. ...... Isolated verses of Scripture sometimes appear to be in conflict with one another, but properly exegeted in context, they never are. ...... .... In Luke 17:3 Jesus says, Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him." Then in the next verse, vs. 4, Jesus says, "And if he sins against you seven times a day and returns to you seven times saying, 'I repent' forgive him." Did he truly repent, or did he merely SAY he did? So far as our command to forgive him is concerned, it really doesn't matter. Jesus said to forgive him anyway. And is it any easier to forgive a man who sins against you who SAYS he repents than one who does not say so? If someone walks up to you and slaps you in the face and says, Oh, I'm sorry."' and if that same man comes back six more times the same day and slaps you in the face and says "Oh, I'm sorry" each time, is it any easier to forgive him than to forive the guy who pokes you in the nose and walks off without saying a word? It is not given to us to withhold our forgiveness of our debtors until we are absolutly sure they have repented of their transgressions against us. We may never even see them again. We may never know whether they have repented. --Hank |