Luke 17:3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. (4) And if he sins against you seven times in a day and turns again to you seven times, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him. (5) And the apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith.
The verses in Luke say that we have to forgive a brother who sins against us seven times a day, repents, and turns to us seven times. Whether or not his repentance is genuine, we must forgive him as long as he repents. Whether or not he is genuine is not our responsibility. We have to forgive him. Suppose the same person does the same thing to you seven times a day, and suppose he says that he has sinned against you seven times a day. Would you still believe that his confession is genuine? I am afraid that you would think that he was only confessing with his lips. This is why Luke 17:5 says, "The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith." They felt that this was a problem to them. It was unthinkable to them that a brother could offend someone seven times in a day and then turn around to repent seven times. They could not believe it, and they said, "Lord, increase our faith." But God's children should forgive even if they are called upon to do so seven times a day. When a brother sins against you, you should not hold it against him.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, Messages for Building Up New Believers, pp.347-348. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
To unsubscribe from the mailing list, either: Send an email to: [email protected] (No subject or message needed; a blank email will work) or visit www.emanna.com and fill out the unsubscribe form there.
