All Aspects of ForgivenessSample

Day 4: Jesus' Teaching on Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-22

"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’"

Peter thought he was being generous by suggesting seven times. But Jesus’ response—seventy-seven times—shows that forgiveness isn’t about keeping score. It’s about a heart posture.

I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a story from the inner sanctum of The Crow Bar (That's my Man Cave) One evening, I had a few friends over to hang out, play cards, and shoot some pool. It was meant to be a laid-back, good time, but things quickly took a turn when one of the guys decided to stir up trouble. I’m not sure what exactly set him off, but his behavior started to become less than fun. It wasn’t just a little teasing or joking around—it was crossing lines and making the whole vibe uncomfortable. We tried to get him to chill out, but it wasn’t working. At that point, we knew we had to remove him from the group, and eventually, from the house.

Now there was not an inch of me that wanted to go over and see him off the back of that evening. A big part of me just wanted to pretend it didn't happen and let it slide but I knew forgiveness was important and on top of that I also wanted to make it clear that his actions weren’t okay. So, I reached out to him and told him that while I forgave him, I also needed him to understand that his behavior was unacceptable. I didn’t want him to think it was fine to act however he pleased and get away with it.

Forgiveness isn’t about ignoring bad behavior or letting someone off the hook. It’s about addressing it directly, letting the person know their actions hurt or disrupted the group, and then moving forward with the hope that they’ll learn from it.

Forgiveness is a lifestyle, not a one-time event. It means choosing, day after day, to release the offense. It doesn’t mean tolerating abuse or pretending nothing happened. Instead, it means refusing to let bitterness take root.

Today, ask yourself: Is there anyone I’ve only partially forgiven? How can I walk in the kind of radical forgiveness that Jesus calls us to?