LIMITLESS FORGIVENESS
Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”
Matthew 18:21-22 (NLT)
When Jesus told the Hebrew audience seventy times seven, He wasn’t giving a math lesson—He was revealing a deeper truth. In Hebrew tradition, the number seven represents divine perfection and completeness. The total, 490, is linked to the Hebrew word tamin, meaning complete, perfect, or finished.
Forgiveness is a superpower. Jesus wasn’t saying we only need to forgive 490 times, which would already be a high bar. He was telling us that forgiveness has no limit. In God’s Kingdom, forgiveness is a way of life. It brings healing and wholeness to both the one who receives it and the one who gives it. God’s forgiveness of our sin is limitless. Encountering His mercy should stir love, adoration and healing in our hearts. As His people, we’re then invited to respond by offering forgiveness to others.
Forgiveness isn’t optional for followers of Jesus. In our culture, it can feel like an obligation or something we offer to those who are genuinely sorry. But Jesus calls us to something deeper: a lifestyle of forgiveness that reflects God’s mercy offered to us. As we continue to receive the forgiveness offered through His work on the cross, we’re called to extend it to others, regardless of whether they repent (Colossians 3:13). Unforgiveness chains us to the past, to hurt and anger. Forgiveness isn’t about denial or dissociation—it’s about freedom.
There’s a process of forgiveness. Forgiveness is hard, especially when the hurt runs deep—but it’s also holy. Jesus isn’t demanding we instantly forgive or pretend we’re not wounded. He’s teaching us how to step into the fullness of healing. As we forgive others, a miraculous and divine restoration occurs. We don’t have to figure it out at once or force ourselves to act before our hearts catch up. The journey of forgiveness takes time, repetition and daily encounters with God’s mercy. But in that space, we experience true, divine and complete healing, wholeness, and freedom—the kind God longs to release on the earth.
APPLICATION: Where are you in your journey of forgiveness? Ask the Lord to search your heart, not for condemnation, but to reveal the places of pain and unforgiveness He’s inviting you to explore. Let the reality of God’s mercy fuel your next small step in this journey.
PRAYER: Father, thank You for Your example of forgiveness that heals and empowers me. Please give me the grace to both receive and give true forgiveness. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?