Luke 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Why did they tell the Lord to increase their faith? The apostles needed increased faith because Jesus had just given them a radical teaching on forgiveness. Forgiveness is an essential part of a healthy Christian community and in Luke 17:3-4, as well as the parallel passage in Matthew 18:15-17 and 21-22, Jesus provides us with a process for forgiveness among Christians.
Luke 17:3 outlines the forgiving process. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. This verse lists 4 things involved in the process: a brother or sister that sins against you, rebuking, repentance, and forgiveness.
1. If a brother or sister sins against you. The first thing we must understand is that this teaching is about forgiveness between Christians and not unbelievers who sin against us. The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or woman, for us this means another Christian. We are to pray for unbelievers who sin against us in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25). This is what Jesus said to do in Matthew 5:44 (pray for those who persecute you) and what he did in Luke 23:34 (“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”). But we cannot expect repentance from unbelievers or expect to apply the forgiveness process to those who do not accept and submit to God’s Word.
2. Rebuke them. The first step to forgiveness is to rebuke the offender. This means to bring the sin to the person’s attention with the goal being a restored relationship. At this point we must make sure that a sin has actually been committed and that we are not merely part of unpleasant circumstances, an accident, or an annoying person who rubs us the wrong way. We live in an overly sensitive-easily offended society and not everything that bothers us amounts to being sinned against. A rebuke should be done gently with the goal being restoration (Galatians 6:1). Matthew 18:15-17 offers specific guidelines to follow.
3. If they repent. In order for genuine forgiveness to take place, the offending party must repent. To repent means to admit the wrong, accept responsibility for it, and seek forgiveness from the offended party. The goal is a restored relationship but that requires BOTH parties.
4. Forgive them. If the offending party repents then the offended party must forgive. This is not a suggestion but a command. There cannot be unity within the body, there cannot be peace within the body, and there cannot be maturation of the body without the willingness to forgive when someone sins against you. Colossians 3:13 reminds us : Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
In the next verse Jesus takes the forgiveness process a step further. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day taught that one who had been wronged was to forgive the person who wronged him two to three times – at the most. In Luke 17:4 Jesus said “Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” What Jesus is saying is that forgiveness among brethren knows no limits. To better understand this concept, let’s look at Matthew 18:21-22 (NASB) :
Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Here, Peter, mustering up as much forgiveness as he could, wondered if forgiving someone seven times would be enough in Jesus’ eyes. Imagine Peter’s shock when Jesus said “up to seventy times seven” (490). Did Jesus mean that if someone needed forgiveness after the 490th time that they were out of luck? Of course not, rather, Jesus was teaching that we should extend unlimited forgiveness to others who genuinely repent.
But what if the offending party refuses to repent? We are to follow the steps outlined in Matthew 18:15-17. We are to go privately and point out the sin; if the person repents then the offended party is to forgive that person. If they do not repent the offending party is to be approached with one or two others in order to establish the facts. If there is still no repentance then the sin is to be reported to the church. If there continues to be no repentance then the offended party is to be treated as an unbeliever by the whole church. Matthew 18:17 says to “treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” In 1st century Judea, pagans and tax collectors were excluded from the community. At this point the offending party would be treated as a non-believer and the offended party should follow Jesus’ examples from Matthew 5:44 and Luke 23:34 (pray for them) and then move on without holding a grudge. The point here is that sin is to be confronted and forsaken so that the church may be holy and the body unified before God.
The goal of forgiveness is reconciliation as well as the development of godly character. This is forgiveness with the offending party in mind and for the maturity of the body of Christ.
- Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
This applies to every Christian throughout time. As members of God’s family we are to get rid of the bad feelings in our hearts, be kind and compassionate to one another, and forgive each other, just as in Christ God forgave each one of us. God’s ways are ways that work and God gives us a “way that works” when it comes to dealing with sin between Christians.
Let’s summarize Jesus’ teaching on sin and forgiveness in Luke 17:3–4.
- Remember, this process applies to Christians
- Make sure it’s a sin
- Rebuke – gently and with reconciliation as the goal
- Repent – admit the wrong, accept responsibility and seek forgiveness
- Forgive – Unconditionally
In order to maintain unity and strength within the body we must be willing to rebuke, repent, and forgive. Rebuking should be done only when someone sins against you and it should be done according to Scripture (see Matthew 18:15-17). The offender must be willing to repent. This means confessing and accepting responsibility for the wrong and seeking forgiveness. The offended person then must be willing and ready to offer unconditional forgiveness because love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5). This isn’t a one-time event but an ongoing process because none of us are perfect. When we mess up and sin against one another God gives us a “way that works” to deal with it and move forward. And when we practice “God’s ways that work” the body is strong, unified, and able to advance God’s Kingdom in a lost and crazy world.