The test

Matthew 18:23-35…

Jesus describes for us what a forgiving spirit looks like.  We are always supposed to forgive those who ask for it because God forgives us everything when we ask. There is no excuse. Forgiven people become forgiving people. We have received mercy and we are called to be merciful. We are to be forgiving to others because God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). 

The King of the Universe is going to settle accounts. Some may not subject themselves to His rule right now, but they will be finally subjugated nonetheless, and the King rules nonetheless. Those who place themselves willingly before the King’s mercy will indeed have it. Those who do not, will not and they will pay on the Day of Reckoning.  

God’s children will have had their accounts settled at the cross of Christ. They will have repented of their sin again God, against men, against the King and His subjects. Those who have not will have their accounts settled with the most severe of sentences. They will be led away to the Ultimate Prison, and unable to ever pay the increasing debt they will forever owe. There will be no escape, no parole, no way out.

Now there is a test, something Jesus tells us that we will be and do if we truly know Him now as King. To know Him is to know forgiveness, and if we are not forgiving, we do not know Him. This is the Great Surprise that awaits many (Matthew 7:21-27). The words of Jesus are about receiving and giving forgiveness.

We have to receive forgiveness, and the test of that, the test of if we are a forgiven person is if we are a forgiving person. How can we think we are in the fellowship of forgiveness if we are not forgiving people ourselves? Unfortunately many are in for the Great Surprise; they are deceived, so says Jesus Christ. Many are not looking to forgive; they are looking for ways out of it. It is as if they are looking for ways out of heavenly fellowship, and indeed, sadly, tragically, they are doing EXACTLY that.  

Ask King Jesus for forgiveness, receive it, and spread around the fragrance of forgiveness to your world as a child of God. This is what pleases the King. 

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

The fellowship of forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-22 / Luke 17:3-4…

Matthew 18:15-20 gives us an outline for the steps of church discipline. It starts out one on one, and if the other person repents, that’s the end of it. Peter’s question takes us back to vs.15. What about the person who seems to just be going through the motions? Are we supposed to just keep on going through the motions if someone keeps fouling up, even if it seems like it’s on purpose? How often are we supposed to forgive? Jesus tells us the answer is always.

But don’t miss something here. We are not to condemn the person, but we are to confront them with the offense. We must forgive those who are repentant, but we must give an opportunity to repent. This doesn’t mean that we only have to forgive them before God but that we can hold onto our unforgiveness until we see them come to us to repent, and if they never do we never forgive. No, if we are able we must go to them, rebuke them, and give them a chance to repent. If they do we give them the cleansing benefit of our forgiveness.

We should typically forgive some sins without necessarily even mentioning it (Proverbs 10:12, 19:11 / Matthew 7:1-5 / Colossians 3:13 / 1 Peter 4:8). We must be promoting an atmosphere of forbearing and forgiveness; it isn’t always required that I rebuke a brother who sins. Still there are times we should go to a person, and it takes courage to practice biblical forgiveness.

What about those who cannot be approached this way, like a dead relative, or you were taken advantage of in some anonymous way, or the incident was 20 years ago and you don’t know where the offender is? If you don’t have access to a person, you forgive them before God in your heart (Mark 11:25). You are always to do that in all situations anyway. We must be willing to forgive, because a biblically forgiving spirit is a faithful one. 

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

I don’t agree

Matthew 18:19-20…

We should be wholeheartedly committed to prayer. However, this passage is not teaching us about a “prayer of agreement”. It is intended as a further statement regarding the authority of the church and its leaders in discipline situations. The agreement part is in relation to the process employed in verses 15 through 17 that results in the decision to expel the unrepentant person from the fellowship.

Yet some say this text teaches that if two or more Christians agree in prayer about any specific issue, God will accomplish the prayer. If that is so, then why doesn’t God answer all our corporate prayers in accordance with our desires? Obviously, this passage clearly teaches more than what it simply says. 

This was Christ telling the disciples that the Heavenly Father would ratify the decision of the church leaders. This wasn’t about giving church leaders or “prayer partners” unlimited authority. It was Jesus telling us, in principle, that when proper disciplinary procedures are followed in the church, the leaders have the right to deny fellowship to the defiant rebel who won’t repent of their major doctrinal, moral, or schismatic failure.

The binding and loosing has to do with the disciplinary decisions being made; God vests a certain authority to the church (cf.1 Corinthians 6:1-8). The gospel truth is that submitting to God means that we also have to submit to one another. This text is no proof that people don’t have to go to church, but rather, this passage is one that speaks directly and clearly to the reality of some kind of formal church organization.  

What Jesus intended, some churches and individuals twist as they neglect the process of church discipline and shun church membership. Thus, certain portions of Jesus’ word (Matthew 18:19-20) are used to justify a lack of obedience to other portions of His word (Matthew 18:15-18). This may seem unimportant to you, but I don’t agree. Martin Luther’s instruction rings true here: it is better to be divided by truth than united by error.  

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©