Forgiveness is the act of pardoning someone especially when they have done something wrong to you. This is one of the biblical principles that is very difficult for most people to practice. This is because the nature of mankind has always been tit for tat, that is if you wrong me, I repay you by wronging you and that is where vengeance comes in.

But what is the plan of God concerning forgiveness? How does God want us to deal with people that have wronged us? One day while Jesus Christ was with his disciples, Peter, one of the disciples, came to Jesus with a question about forgiveness. Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? “Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”  Mathew 18:21-22

According to Peter, forgiveness was supposed to be seven times. Peter wanted to know the exact number of times he is required to forgive someone. He also wanted to know if the same person continues to offend him past the seven times of forgiveness what should be done to him?

It is not funny that we have individuals who also have their limits of forgiveness. Some say that they will only forgive someone a certain number of times and if the person exceeds the set number of times, they will have to repay for the wrong that they have done.

I believe the response of Jesus to Peter wasn’t expected. But the answer given by Jesus Christ shows that we should always be ready to forgive however many times. This is because I believe no one records exactly the number of times that they have forgiven someone in the past and if they do so, recording the seventy times seventy would be so cumbersome and one may quickly forget how many times they have forgiven a particular person so far.

Jesus Christ knew that such teaching may be difficult for Peter and the people listening to Him to understand. Now, this led Jesus to further explain this through the parable of the unforgiving servant. This parable explains what forgiveness should be in the kingdom of heaven.

That there was a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants and when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment is made.

The servant, therefore, fell down before him, saying, “Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all. Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, pay me what you owe! So, his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So, when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, you wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? And his master was angry and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. Then Jesus concluded by saying so my heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Mathew 18:23-35.

From this parable, God is likened to the forgiving Master and if we find it difficult to forgive our brother we are likened to the unforgiving servant. The parable opens our eyes to see and wonder how someone who has been forgiven much ten thousand talents can fail to forgive someone who owes them only a hundred denarii. It is so sad that even after his fellow servant begging him, he declined to forgive forgetting that he once begged his master and was forgiven. That is how it feels when we fail to forgive one another.  The reason why this parable was written is for our learning. We should always remember this parable when we find it hard to forgive one another. Just as the unforgiving servant, we also have been forgiven much and many times by our heavenly Father. When Adam sinned in the garden of Eden the scripture says that sin entered the world and death through sin spread to all men. Romans 5:12

This means that everyone born after Adam was born in a position known as in Adam where all are dead. 1 Corinthians 15:22. This death state of man has been described well by Apostle Paul in the book of Ephesians.

“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Ephesians 2:1-3

Indeed, the original state of man without Christ is very pathetic. Every man minus Christ Jesus is dead in trespasses and sins, he is a son of disobedience, fulfills the evil desires of the flesh and mind and by nature he is a child of wrath. And because our God is a God of justice, His justice demands that all sins should be punished.  For the wages of sin is death, according to Romans 6:23.

Among all mankind, none was found perfect and sinless to pay the penalty of sin to make himself escape the punishment of is which is eternal destruction, which is death in the lake of fire. Therefore, man had a debt that was too much for him to pay. Man was in a state of helplessness and hopelessness. But because God is full of love and forgiveness Psalms 130:4, He demonstrated His own love towards us that when we were still sinners, He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to come and He died a painful death at the cross to save us. Romans 5:8

Therefore, in Christ Jesus God has forgiven us. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  2 Corinthians 5:18-19

The above scripture explains clearly that while Christ was at the cross God was in Christ with the aim of not counting up and holding against men their trespasses but cancelling them through forgiveness. That is why salvation is totally by the grace of God. No one qualified and deserved to be saved because all had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Paul explains it better in the verse below.

“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  Colossians 2:13-14

Now the question is, how does God help me to forgive someone? The answer is very simple. Just as Jesus Christ narrated to His disciples the parable of the unforgiving servant to explain forgiveness, the gospel of the salvation of mankind has been proclaimed so that from it we can see that just as no one deserved to be saved but through the grace, mercies and forgiveness of God all who only by placing their faith in Christ Jesus are forgiven all their trespasses unconditionally. This has only been made possible by the death of Jesus Christ at the cross. “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Finally, let’s observe something very interesting written in the bible. That when Christ had not died at the cross, we see Him teaching His disciples in the Lord’s prayer the reason and the mode of forgiveness.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom comes. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.  For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6: 9-15

But after Jesus Christ dying at the cross and forgiving all our trespasses, the mode of forgiveness now changed. We no longer forgive men their trespasses so that our heavenly Father will forgive us but we look back at what happened at Calvary more than two thousand years ago and forgive men just as Christ forgave us our sins. This is clearly explained by Apostle Paul in His letters.

“And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”  Ephesians 4:32. “Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. Colossians 3:13

And this is exactly how God helps us to forgive someone, He opens our eyes to behold and learn the truth about forgiveness in the Holy Scriptures. Now what remains of us is to obey what the scripture says. Just look at what Jesus told a certain woman. And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”   Luke 11:27-28

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