…He [Jesus] said to His disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come…if he (your brother) sins against you seven times in the day…saying, “I repent,” you must forgive him.
Luke 17:1-4
Jesus, teaching His Disciples and Christians throughout history, tells us that temptations are guaranteed to come to all Christians. When one understands that all humans are born with a sinful nature, it is not difficult to understand Jesus’ teaching. Only Adam and Eve, at the beginning, could have “not sinned.” That is, they had the ability to not sin as well as the ability to sin. Adam and Eve represent all humanity that follows after them, a federal headship for humans. When they disobeyed God’s command to not eat fruit of certain trees in the Garden of Eden, their ability to not sin was lost and they found themselves being in a state of sin and misery, unable to not sin, for the remainder of their long lives. When they began to have children, their descendants were born with the same inability to not sin. We see that played out in the lives of Cain and Abel, and all humanity since. This is what Jesus is teaching His Disciples here. Satan has used his power for evil purposes and now is the “prince of the power of the air.” Satan believes he has usurped the creation from God and wants to destroy God completely. I do not pretend to understand all the intricacies of this condition of our creation presently. God knows exactly what is happening and I am confident in His Holy Word as to the culmination of this present creation and the re-creation He tells us of in His Holy Scripture. Jesus was teaching this to His Disciples. For Christians, today, it is enough that our Savior and Lord has told us that temptations are a part of this earthly existence. That being said, Jesus further instructs His Disciples, and us today, on forgiving those who sin against us. Here, Jesus is teaching that forgiving one who has sinned against another, and repented of his sin, is required. Peter had challenged Jesus earlier about forgiving someone 7 times. Jesus’ answer then, and now, is to forgive the one who sins against you, even if it is multiple times in a day. In forgiving someone, we no longer remember the sins of the past. So, someone sinning against another is like the first time that one has sinned against that person. This teaching falls under the category of hard teaching because, in our sin nature, we are prone to “keep score” and to want “retribution” in some fashion. God is our Avenger. He will “even the score.” The Christian is to act as he is commanded by his Savior and Lord. May all Christians consider this teaching and abide by it to best of their ability with prayer and supplication to our Lord, Jesus.
Source: S C Ball March 25, 2023
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