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19 - The Measure of Forgiveness - Christ's Object Lessons · Wisdom of the Ages Library

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  Chapter nineteen, The Measure of forgiveness. Peter had come to Christ with the
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  question, how oft shall my brother sin against me? And I forgive him
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  till seven times? The rabbis limited the exercise of forgiveness to three offenses.
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  Peter, carrying out as he supposed the teaching of Christ, thought to extend
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  it to seven, the numbers signifying perfection. But Christ taught that we are
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  never to become weary of forgiving. Not until seven times, he said,
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  but until seventy times. Seven. Then he showed the true ground upon which
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  forgiveness is to be granted, and the danger of cherishing and unforgiving spirit.
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  In a parable he told of a king's dealing with the officers who administered the
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  affairs of his government. Some of these officers were in receipt of vast sums
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  of money belonging to the state. As the king investigated their administration of this
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  trust, there was brought before him one man whose account showed a debt to
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  his lord for the immense sum of ten thousand talents. He had nothing to
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  pay, and according to the custom, the king ordered him to be sold
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  with all that he had that payment might be made. But the terrified man
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  fell at his feet and besought him, saying, have patience with me,
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  and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of the servant was moved
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  with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt. But the same servant
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  went out and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred
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  pence, and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat,
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  saying pay me that thou owest. And his fellow servant fell down at his
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  feet and besought him, saying, have patience with me, and I will
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  pay thee all. And he would not, but went and cast him into
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  prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what
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  was done, they were very sorry and came and told unto their lord all
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  that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him,
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  said unto him, O, thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that
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  debt, because thou desirest me, shouldst not thou also have compassion on thy
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  fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee. And his lord was
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  wroth and delivered him to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due
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  unto him. This parable presents details which are needed for the filling out of
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  the picture, but which have no counterpart in its spiritual significance. The attention
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  should not be diverted to them. Certain great truths are illustrated, and to
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  these our thoughts should be given. The pardon granted by this king represents a
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  divine forgiveness of all sin. Christ is represented by the King, who moved
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  with compassion forgave the debt of his servant. Man was under the condemnation of
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  the broken law. He could not save himself, and for this reason Christ
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  came to this world, clothed his divinity with humanity, and gave his life
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  the just for the unjust. He gave himself for our sins, and to
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  every soul he freely offers the blood bought pardon. With the Lord there is
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  mercy, and with him is plentious redemption. Here is the ground upon which
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  we should exercise compassion toward our fellow sinners. If God so loved us,
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  we ought also to love one another. Freely. Ye have received Christ says,
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  freely give in the parable. When the debtor pleaded for delay with the
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  promise, have patience with me, I will pay thee all. The sentence
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  was revoked, the whole debt was canceled, and he was soon given an
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  opportunity to follow the example of the master who had forgiven him. Going out,
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  he met a fellow servant who owed him a small sum. He had
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  been forgiven ten thousand talents. The debtor owed him a hundred pence. But
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  he who had been so mercifully treated, dealt with his fellow laborer in an
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  altogether different manner. His debtor made an appeal similar to that which he himself
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  had made to the king, but without a similar result. He who had
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  so recently been forgiven, was not tender hearted and pitiful the mercy shown him,
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  he did not exercise In dealing with his fellow servant. He heeded not
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  the request to be patient. The small sum owed to him was all that
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  the ungrateful servant would keep in mind. He demanded all all that he thought
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  his due, and carried into effect a sentence similar to that which had been
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  so graciously revoked for him. How many are today manifesting the same spirit.
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  When the debtor pleaded with his lord for mercy, he had no true sense
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  of the greatness of his debt. He did not realize his helplessness. He
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  hoped to deliver himself. Have patience with me, he said, and I
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  will pay thee all. So there are many who hope, by their own
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  works to merit God's favor. They do not realize their helplessness. They do
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  not accept the grace of God as a free gift, but are trying to
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  build themselves up in self righteousness. Their own hearts are not broken and humbled
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  on account of sin, and they are exacting and unforgiving toward others. Their
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  own sins against God compared with their brother's sins against them, are as ten
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  thousand talents to one hundred pence, nearly one million to one. Yet they
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  dare to be unforgiving in the parable. The Lord summoned the unmerciful debtor and
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  said, unto him, O, thou wicked servant, I forgave THEE all
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  that debt, because thou desirest me, shouldst not thou also have had compassion
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  on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on THEE. And his
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  Lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors till he should pay all that
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  was due unto him. So likewise, said Jesus, shall my heavenly Father,
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  do also unto you, if ye, from your hearts forgive not every
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  one his brother their trespasses. He who refuses to forgive is thereby casting away
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  his own hope of pardon. But the teaching of this parable should not be
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  misapplied. God's forgiveness toward us lessens in no wise our duty to obey him.
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  So the spirit of forgiveness toward our fellow men does not lessen the claim
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  of just obligation. In the prayer which Christ taught his disciples, he said,
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  forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. By this,
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  he did not mean that in order to be forgiven our sins, we must
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  not require our just dues from our debtors if they cannot pay, even though
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  that may be the result of unwise management. They are not to be cast
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  into prison, oppressed, or even treated harshly. But the parable does not
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  teach us to encourage indolence. The word of God declares that if a man
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  will not work, neither shall he eat. The Lord does not require the
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  hard working man to support others in idleness. With many there is a waste
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  of time, a lack of effort, which brings to poverty and want.
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  If these faults are not corrected by those who indulge them, all that might
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  be done in their behalf would be like putting treasure into a bag with holes.
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  Yet there is an unavoidable poverty, and we are to manifest tenderness and
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  compassion toward those who are unfortunate. We should treat others just as we ourselves,
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  in like circumstances, would wish to be treated. The Holy Spirit through
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  the Apostle, Paul charges us, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ,
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  if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if
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  any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded,
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  having the same love of being of one accord of one mind. Let
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  nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, Let
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  each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things,
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  but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be
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  in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. But sin is not to
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  be lightly regarded. The Lord has commanded us not to suffer wrong upon our
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  brother. He says, if thy brother trespass against THEE, rebuke him.
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  Sin is to be called by its right name, and is to be plainly
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  laid out before the wrong doer. In his charge. To Timothy, Paul,
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  writing by the Holy Spirit, says, be instant in season out of
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  season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. And
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  to Titus, he writes, there are many unruly, in vain talkers and
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  deceivers, Wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith.
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  If thy brother shall trespass against THEE, Christ said, go and tell him
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  his fault between THEE and him alone. If he shall hear THEE, thou
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  hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear THEE, then take
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  with THEE one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three
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  witnesses, every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear
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  them, tell it unto the Church. But if he neglect to hear the
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  Church, let him be unto THEE as a heathen man and a publican.
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  Our Lord teaches that matters of difficulty between Christians are to be settled within the
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  Church. They should not be opened before those who do not fear God.
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  If a Christian is wronged by his brother, let him not appeal to unbelievers
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  in a court of justice. Let him follow out the instruction Christ is given.
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  Instead of trying to avenge himself, Let him seek to save his brother.
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  God will guard the interests of those who love and fear Him, and
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  with confidence we may commit our case to him who judges righteously. Too often,
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  when wrongs are committed again and again, and the wrong doer confesses his
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  fault, the injured one becomes weary and thinks he has forgiven quite enough.
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  But the Savior has plainly told us how to deal with the erring. If
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  thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him, and if he repent, forgive
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  him. Do not hold him off as unworthy of your confidence. Consider thyself
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  lest thou also be tempted. If your brothern heir, you are to forgive
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  them when they come to you with confession, You should not say, I
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  do not think they are humble enough. I do not think they feel their
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  confession. What right have you to judge them as if you could read the
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  heart. The word of God says, if he repent forgive him. And
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  if he trespass against THEE seven times in a day, and seven times in
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  a day, turn again to THEE, saying I repent, thou shalt forgive
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  him, And not only seven times, but seventy times seven, just as
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  often as God forgives you. We ourselves owe everything to God's free grace,
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  grace in the Covenant ordained our adoption, grace in and the Savior affected,
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  our redemption, our regeneration, and our exultation to airship with Christ. Let
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  this grace be revealed to others. Give the erring one no occasion for discouragement.
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  Suffer not a phariseical hardness to come in and hurt your brother. Let
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  no bitter sneer rise in mind or heart. Let no tinge of scorn be
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  manifest in the voice. If you speak a word of your own, if
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  you take an attitude of indifference, or show suspicion or distrust, it may
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  prove the ruin of a soul. He needs a brother with the elder brother's
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  heart of sympathy to touch his heart of humanity. Let him feel the strong
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  clasp of a sympathizing hand and hear the whisper. Let us pray, God
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  will give a rich experience to you both. Prayer unites us with one another
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  and with God. Prayer brings Jesus to our side and gives to the fainting,
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  perplexed soul new strength to overcome the world, the flesh, and the
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  devil. Prayer turns aside the attacks of Satan. When one turns away from
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  human imperfections to behold Jesus, a divine transformation takes place in the character.
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  The spirit of Christ working upon the heart, conforms it to his image.
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  Then let it be your effort to lift up Jesus. Let the mind's eye
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  be directed to the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
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  world. And as you engage in this work, remember that he which converteth
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  the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death,
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  and shall hide a multitude of sins. But if you forgive not men
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  their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trispasses. Nothing can justify an
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  unforgiving spirit. He who is unmerciful toward others shows that he himself is not
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  a partaker of God's pardoning grace. In God's forgiveness, the heart of the
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  erring one is drawn close to the great heart of infinite love. The tide
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  of divine compassion flows into the sinner's soul, and from him to the soul's
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  of others. The tenderness and mercy that Christ has revealed in his own precious
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  life will be seen in those who become sharers of his grace. But if
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  any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
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  He is alienated from God, fitted only for eternal separation from him. It
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  is true that he may once have received forgiveness, but his unmerciful spirit shows
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  that he now rejects God's pardoning love. He has separated himself from God and
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  is in the same condition as before he was forgiven. He has denied his
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  repentance, and his sins are upon him as if he had not repented.
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  But the great lesson of the parable lies in the contrast between God's compassion and
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  man's hard heartedness, in the fact that God's forgiving mercy is to be the
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  measure of our own. Shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow
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  servant, even as I had pity on thee. We are not forgiven because
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  we forgive, but as we forgive, the ground of all forgiveness is found
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  in the unmerited love of God. But by our attitude toward others we show
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  whether we have made that love our own. Wherefore Christ says, with what
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  judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye meet,
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  it shall be measured to you again. End of Chapter nineteen.