SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN

"But you should be bitter against him."

"Why do you always seem to find it easy to forgive when you get hurt?"

"Why are you like this?"

"What are you thinking?"

Same thing Jesus was thinking when he forgave us our sins.

Romans 5:6-8(KJV)

6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US.

Colossians 2:13(KJV)

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, HAVING FORGIVEN YOU ALL TRESPASSES.

Before we were born.

Before we ever sinned.

Jesus died for our sins and rose again in victory. He forgave us over 2 000 years ago.

Now we can replicate same attitude of forgiveness towards others.

Ephesians 4:31-32(KJV)

31. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, EVEN AS GOD FOR CHRIST'S SAKE HATH FORGIVEN YOU.

Colossians 3:13(KJV)

13. Forbearing one another, and FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, IF ANY MAN HAVE A QUARREL AGAINST ANY: EVEN AS CHRIST FORGAVE YOU, SO ALSO DO YE.

It's our nature now.

One thing to carefully note is the use of tenses.

CHRIST'S FORGIVENESS HAS BEEN GIVEN ALREADY(past tense), once and for all.

Ours, on the other hand, is ongoing—continuous.

Christ is now in us and therefore, we can forgive as Christ forgave.

Matthew 18:21-22(KJV)

[21]Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?

[22]Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Can you see that?

In essence, we are to forgive ALWAYS.

Moving further in that passage, Jesus gave an illustration of a servant whose master forgave him of his ten thousand talents debt because he could not afford it, but who then shamelessly went ahead to imprison his fellowservant who owed him just one hundred denarii.

A Christian that has an unforgiving heart is likened to this servant. Jesus described such like being forgiven of a debt worth billions of Naira and going ahead to arrest someone owing you a few thousands. The talent in this parable was worth about 6,000 denarii, so that the debt of the unforgiving servant was 600,000 times as large as that which his fellowservant owed him. The Amplified Bible describes the difference as approximately 10 million dollars versus 20 dollars. (A talent was the largest unit of currency in Bible days.)

God sees such as ingrates.

We forgive freely.

Jesus forgave us in advance. You too can do the same.

You can; it's possible. That's why you are instructed to.

Colossians 3:8-13(KJV)

8. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

9. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

10. And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

11. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

12. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Truth is, refusal to forgive is like acting a drama; acting beside yourself; acting who you are not.

It's our nature now; we think like Christ.

"But you should be bitter against him."

"Why do you always seem to find it easy to forgive when you get hurt?"

"Why are you like this?"

"What are you thinking?"

Same thing Jesus was thinking when he did same to us.

Victor Ibosiola © 2018