Bible Questions Answered:
Why Jesus say forgive wrong so many times. And treat enemies as best friend.
Naya/ Nigeria, S.W. Africa
Bible Answer:
Text:
Matthew 18:21-35 KJV
21 Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But for as much as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29 And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Matthew 6:14,15 KJV
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
(We as Christians have been forgiven.)
II Corinthians 5:21 KJV
For He (God the Father) hath made Him (Jesus His Son) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
It is the duty of every Christian, to forgive his enemies, and those who wrong him!
What is not understood, is the fact that our Lord, forgave us, “more than we will ever know,” of our sins, when He accepted us in repentance and faith.
Is it than any wonder why He in turn asks of us, His servants, to do as He has done?
If it seems hard to do, then remember again and again, write it in your Bible...
Our Lord, forgave us “more than we will ever know,” of our sins, when He accepted us in repentance and faith.
Proverbs 25:21,22 KJV
21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
22 ...and the LORD shall reward thee.
Matthew 5:44-48 KJV
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Luke 6:27-36 NLT
27 “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you.
28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.
29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also.
30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back.
31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.
32 “If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!
33 And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much!
34 And if you lend money only to those who can repay you, why should you get credit? Even sinners will lend to other sinners for a full return.
35 “Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of
the Most High, for He is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.
36 You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.
Luke 23:33,34 KJV (Christ Jesus, our example.)
33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted His raiment, and cast lots.
Retaliation:
Retaliation, is not in the vocabulary of a Christian!
If that angers you, then you need to go to the altar, and seek the face of the Lord, and talk to Him about it.
Proverbs 20:22 KJV
Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and He shall save thee.
Matthew 5:38-42 NLT
38 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’
39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.
40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.
41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.
42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.
Romans 12:17-21 KJV
17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
I Thessalonians 5:15 KJV
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
I Peter 3:8-12 NLT
8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters.
Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.
9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.
10 For the Scriptures say,
“If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.
11 Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.
12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and His ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns His face against those who do evil.”
For more on this subject see The Bible Prayer Line, blog.... Forgiveness
