No Limits To Forgive!
"And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God in
Christ forgave you."
Ephesians 4: 32
Love is at the heart of everything—even
forgiveness. Not because forgiveness is
a loving thing to do (though it is). But
because it
is a sacrificial thing to do.
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that
“love suffers long” (verse 4), which is usually
a way of saying that love is patient. But when
the need for forgiveness comes often, it will
result in longsuffering, patiently enduring the
offense that necessitates forgiveness no
matter how often it arises.
When Peter asked Jesus how
many times he was
required to forgive the one who offended him, and
said seven times would suffice—Jesus surprised
him with a different number: seventy times seven
(Matthew 18:21-22).
Jesus did not mean that 490 was the limit; He was
suggesting that we're to forgive an infinite number
of times. We are to forgive without counting. So we
wonder if Paul had this teaching in mind when he
exhorted the Ephesians to forgive each other
“as God in Christ forgave you.”
God puts no limit on the number of times
He is willing to forgive us. Neither should
we limit our
forgiveness for others.
"If you are suffering from a
bad man’s
injustice, forgive
him lest there be two bad
men."
Augustine