A Forgiving Spirit

Matthew 18:21-35

Apostle Peter understood that he must not shun a brother who had sinned against him.

But this prompted him to ask a question, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?”

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The answer of the Lord Jesus Christ and the parable that followed show that every Christian must be merciful and have a forgiving spirit.

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The cruel behavior of the man, who had been forgiven the massive debt which he had no hope of repaying, rightly fills us with indignation.

He had owed a huge fortune, but his fellow servant owed him just a hundred denarii or a hundred days’ wages.

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The message of this parable is that God has graciously forgiven the Christian.

We could never have saved ourselves.

How can we possibly refuse to forgive anyone who has sinned against us when they have repented and sought our forgiveness?

How dare we be so eaten up by anger, like the man in the parable, who refused to forgive?

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But if those who have sinned against us refuse to repent, we are not expected to forgive them.

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God only forgives those who repent of their sins and any forgiveness which does not lead to reconciliation falls short of the biblical ideal.

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We must, however, pray for our enemies, desire their salvation and be prepared to forgive them.

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Are we refusing to forgive someone who has sinned against us and has repented of that sin?

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Forgiveness must be whole-hearted.

If our attitude is, “I’ll forgive but I will never forget,” we have not really forgiven or been reconciled.

We are still harboring a bitter and a resentful spirit.

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How is our heart before God?