70 times 7 = God only forgives up to 490 times?

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T_Laurich said:
If you read all of Matthew you get the impression that Jesus was saying to forgive them beyond your wildest dreams. God was not saying, "yah after this exact number you should forget them they are lost."

No what God is saying is that our human minds think 7 is a pretty decent amount of charitable forgiveness. But to really be Christlike and a true brother we must forgive beyond what we consider charity. We must go above and beyond what we consider good.

When you think about it, if God only forgave you 490 times, I think the same week I accepted Jesus as my savior I would be damned to hell again. This is why I am glad of his eternal grace and love. Something I still don't understand.

And I don't believe we are saved and forgiven through works. I believe we are saved and forgiven through the Son of God, Jesus. The 490 times I forgive someone doesn't even compare to that cross...
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he said what i was going to write :) except he said it more coherently :)
 
Cobus said:
God only forgives ONCE... He does not have to learn how to forgive as we do... God's forgiveness does not come BEFORE HE gives you victory of what He needs to forgive you for...
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This statement is completely rubbish.
 
Just a curious question How many people would even remember if there brother or sister sinned against them 490 times? :p
 
You can't take everything you read in the bible in a wooden literal fashion. You "can't make the bible walk on all fours" Hank Hanegraaff (CRI) would say. When God walked in the garden of Eden, we can't suppose that God has literal legs and feet. When Satan is described as a snake or dragon it is not meant to tell what Satan looks like but what Satan IS like. When Jesus said we should puck out our eye or cut off our hand if it causes us to sin, He doesn't actually mean we should do it, but that sin carries serious consequences when we do it. In the same manner, when Jesus said we should forgive 70X7, he is not meaning we should just forgive our brother 490 times, but that we should always be willing for forgive. However, forgiveness is a two way street, the one asking for forgiveness needs ask genuinely. For true forgiveness only comes when one is truly sorrowful and the other is freely accepting the repentant one.
 
We are taught to pray this way: Forgive us as we forgive others.

The verse you quoted is about us forgiving others. 7 is a number which represents perfection in scripture. Jesus is saying, forgive perfectly x perfectly. We know also we are forgiven in the same way we forgive others.

Consider then how you want to be forgiven. I need to and want to be forgiven perfectly. I want to be forgiven of all sin. Sin I am aware of and sin I am not aware of. Sin I have repented from and sin which I do not think is sin at all! Because I know I am so often wrong, I can easily think something is not a sin when it is. I need to be forgiven for that too.

I am unable to forgive this way in my own power so I pray to God. Father prepare my heart to always forgive anyone anything even before they repent and even when they do not consider they have done wrong. God does continually empower me to forgive this way. It is not about a number. Love does not consider a wrong suffered. In order to love we must forgive perfectly. It is impossible for us to do so without God's power and with God's power it is easy.

Forgive perfectly and you will be forgiven perfectly. Be merciful and you will receive mercy. We have this gift of grace from God. If we do not offer this same gift we have received as freely as we have received it, it will be removed from us. consider the parable of the unmerciful servant. I have been forgiven all my debt and transgressions. I must forgive others this same way or I will be held accountable for all my sin.
 
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