Verses 1-4 “1Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
2It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
3Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
4And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”The passage does not say, “If he does not repent you are not obligated to forgive him.” Nor does it say, “If he does not repent, if he does not say ‘i am sorry.’ or ‘I apologize,’ you MUST NOT forgive him.” We must not read that into the verses. If someone offends you, the goal should be to bring him to repentance so that he will be right with the Lord. It should never be our goal to nurse our offenses, but to forgive. An offense cherished and nursed becomes a grudge, and the Bible says, “Grudge not (James 5:9).” So the passage can not mean that we should wait for the offender to repent before we forgive. Rather, it means that forgiveness should be unlimited, and bringing the offender to repentance should be a goal. If you do not forgive those who offend you it will hinder your peace of mind, your prayer life, and your being forgiven by God. If you do not forgive, even your physical health can be ruined. Nine times out of ten your offender could not care any less if you forgive him or not, and most of the time he does not even want your forgiveness. Forgiveness is more for you than it is for your offender. Your offender may not even agree that he has done anything wrong, and he may think, rightly or wrongly, that he has nothing to repent of or to say that he is sorry for. Forgive while you still can! Life is short, and you are running out of time. Forgiving someone does not mean that the forgiven one is restored to his former position of trust, esteem, or affection.
2It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
3Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
4And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”The passage does not say, “If he does not repent you are not obligated to forgive him.” Nor does it say, “If he does not repent, if he does not say ‘i am sorry.’ or ‘I apologize,’ you MUST NOT forgive him.” We must not read that into the verses. If someone offends you, the goal should be to bring him to repentance so that he will be right with the Lord. It should never be our goal to nurse our offenses, but to forgive. An offense cherished and nursed becomes a grudge, and the Bible says, “Grudge not (James 5:9).” So the passage can not mean that we should wait for the offender to repent before we forgive. Rather, it means that forgiveness should be unlimited, and bringing the offender to repentance should be a goal. If you do not forgive those who offend you it will hinder your peace of mind, your prayer life, and your being forgiven by God. If you do not forgive, even your physical health can be ruined. Nine times out of ten your offender could not care any less if you forgive him or not, and most of the time he does not even want your forgiveness. Forgiveness is more for you than it is for your offender. Your offender may not even agree that he has done anything wrong, and he may think, rightly or wrongly, that he has nothing to repent of or to say that he is sorry for. Forgive while you still can! Life is short, and you are running out of time. Forgiving someone does not mean that the forgiven one is restored to his former position of trust, esteem, or affection.