Luk 17:1 Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe unto him, through whom they come… vs. 5 – And the apostles said to the Lord, “increase our faith.
Jesus spoke of the reality of offenses, this was a hard message because we all struggle to forgive. Upon hearing it in vs. 5 it appears the disciples tried to change the subject by asking for an increase of faith. Not the case, Jesus words were hard to live that they assumed a greater measure of faith is what they needed to live it out.
They did not need more faith to believe, they needed to faithfully live out a life of forgiveness by faith, “the just shall live by faith” (Rom 1:17). I believe faith has a potential to grow as we practice His call to forgive, of course with His help. Everything God has commanded in His laws is everything He has provided in the Gospel of His Son Jesus “so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1Co 2:5). Faith in God’s pardoning mercy will enable us to get over the greatest difficulties in the way of forgiving our brethren. In my judgment, the true test of our faith is seen by how we forgive.
2 replies on “Faith And Forgiveness”
It is easier to forgive when we see ourselves the way we truly are. When we see how offensive we are compared to Christ, When we look at our own sinfulness, it becomes easier to forgive those who are offensive toward us. It is only when we think more highly of ourselves than we ought too that we get into trouble.
Well put. Amen