Faith and Obedience

In Luke Chapter 17, Jesus commanded “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” The response of the apostles is interesting. When faced with the daunting command to be constant forgivers, they asked the Lord to “increase our faith”. Without a faith that believes that God exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him, it is impossible to please God. Jesus described the power of just a little faith, Luke 17:6, and then focused their attention on the real issue. When forgiveness of another is called for, are they WILLING to forgive and forgive again? From God’s perspective forgiving one another is our duty as His servant. Forgiveness is the one aspect of the model prayer that Jesus chose to expound upon, Matthew 6:12,14-15 “And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.” “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. Forgiving one another is the subject of an entire parable that Jesus told Peter, Matt. 18:21-35, which ends, “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. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” The disciple certainly has faith enough, but the question of forgiving is not about rewards but duty Luke 17:7-10 “And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ ” Forgiving a repentant person is not requested, but commanded. It is not an extraordinary service of the super faith-filled, it is rather a basic daily duty that God expects of all who are called by His name. Colossians 3:12-13 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 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.”(NKJV)