MESSAGES
Seventy Times Seven (Matthew 18:21-22)
One of Jesus’ deepest and most challenging teachings for our lives concerns the continual practice of forgiveness.
Matthew 18:
21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”
» The Absence of Limits in Forgiveness
Here we see Jesus Christ teaching us something of tremendous importance. Peter asked if he should forgive his brother up to seven times, but Jesus’ answer — “seventy times seven” — illustrates in a symbolic way that forgiveness has no limits.
Lack of forgiveness produces devastating spiritual consequences in us: it corrodes the soul, generates anger, bitterness, anguish, and sadness, directly affecting the quality of our communion with God.
We must forgive and understand that the one who practices evil is, in truth, someone desperately needing a genuine encounter with Christ.
» Forgiving Because We Were Forgiven
Lack of forgiveness leads to spiritual death. We must forgive, fundamentally, because we were forgiven by God.
Because of sin, humanity was condemned to live separated from God; we were unworthy. But Jesus Christ came, changed our story, and gave us His forgiveness.
He removed our curses and pains to restore us to the presence of the Father.
For Him, the size of the sin committed in the past does not matter, but rather the true repentance of the heart and our genuine surrender to Jesus.
» The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Jesus illustrated this truth in a powerful way by comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
One of them owed ten thousand talents — the equivalent of sixty million days of labor — a humanly unpayable debt.
Seeing the servant’s desperation, the king had mercy and forgave everything.
However, upon leaving, that same servant found a fellow servant who owed him only one hundred denarii, refused to forgive him, and had him thrown into prison.
When the king learned of the man’s lack of compassion, he became indignant: “Why did you not forgive the one who owed you, since your immense debt was forgiven?” — and punished him severely.
» Free Yourself from the Weight of Bitterness
There is a very strong spiritual reality in our lives: without God’s daily mercy, we could never feel His presence or have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.
Therefore, if you have something to forgive, remove that weight from your shoulders.
Free yourself from the spiritual burden of hatred and bitterness so you can live fully.
Present yourself before God and declare: “Because the Lord forgave me when I was undeserving, I also choose to forgive.”
It does not matter whether the person deserves it or not; simply forgive, wish them well, and pray for them.
Open your eyes to what God is saying, for perhaps the spiritual coldness, sadness, and lack of faith you face today are the result of past wounds that still need healing.
Choose to forgive so that you may be worthy of the wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit in your life!
