Section 92, Forgiveness and Duty
Section 92
SECOND GREAT GROUP OF PARABLES
Probably in Peræa
Subdivision G
CONCERNING OFFENSES, FAITH, AND SERVICE.
LUKE 17:1-10
FORGIVENESS
"And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!" Luke 17:1
Principle: Sin will come.
"In this life sin cannot be eradicated - such things are bound to come." -BKC
"The plain meaning of our Saviour, when He affirms it to be impossible but that offences will come, is this only—that, considering the state of the world, the number of temptations, the freedom of men’s will, the frailty of their nature, the perverseness and obstinacy of their affections; it cannot be expected, it cannot be supposed, it cannot be hoped, but that offences will come; though it be very unreasonable they should come.
Since our Saviour has forewarned us that it must needs be that such offences will come as may prove stumbling-blocks to the weak and inattentive, let us take care, since we have received this warning, not to stumble or be offended at them. And above all, as we ought not to take, so much more ought we to be careful that we never give, any of these offences." -S. Clarke
Be not afraid of the great multiplication of offences at this day in the world. The truths of the gospel and holiness have broke through a thousand times more offences. -J. Owen, BI
"Take heed of yourselves..." Luke 17:3
Principle: Don't be the one through whom sin comes.
The giving offence being a great aggravation of sin, let this rule lie continually in your hearts, That the more public persons are, the more careful they ought to be that they give no offence either to Jew or Gentile, or to “the Church of Christ.” -J. Owen, BI
"Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved." 1 Corinthians 10:32-33
"Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him." Luke 17:3
"Jesus had already noted that the Pharisees were not only refusing to enter the kingdom but were also keeping others from entering (Luk_11:52) Not only are Jesus’ followers not to cause others to sin; they also are to counteract sin by forgiving others (Luk_17:3-4). One should rebuke a brother if he sins. If he repents, he is to be forgiven even if he sins and repents over and over. The words seven times in a day denote a completeness - as often as it happens." -BKC
This expression of the forgiveness cycle in Luke resonates with me. I like that it actively involves rebuke and repentance as an integral part of the cycle.
"All rebukes should be delivered in a spirit of love. We have no way of judging whether an offender's repentance is genuine. We must accept his own word that he has repented. That is why Jesus says: “And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” This is the gracious way our Father treats us. No matter how often we fail Him, we still have the assurance that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1Jn_1:9)." -Believer's Bible
FAITH
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” Luke 17:5
If this is a direct response to Christ's command to forgive, it's notable that they ask for faith not ability. It seems faith precedes and drives ability in this spiritual discipline.
"That Jesus has “the power” of increasing the faith of his people. Strength comes from him, and especially strength to believe the gospel. Hence, he is called the “Author and Finisher” of our faith, Heb_12:2." -Barnes
"The reply of the Lord indicated that it was not so much a matter of the quantity of faith but of its quality. Also it was not a question of getting more faith but of using the faith they had. It is our own pride and self-importance that prevent us from forgiving our brothers. That pride needs to be rooted up and cast out. If faith the size of a mustard seed can root up a mulberry tree and plant it in the sea, it can more easily give us victory over the hardness and unbrokenness which keep us from forgiving a brother indefinitely." Believer's Bible
"When you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead." Col 2:12
"In praying for more faith, they also acknowledged their own insufficiency to produce it" (Eph_2:8; Php_2:13).
Our faith may be increased by examining the evidence of Divine truth. God always deals with us as intelligent beings. -?
The human conscience always Justifies God. This is an undeniable fact—a fact of universal consciousness. C. G. Finney
But there is another "judging" that the command of Christ condemns, and that is the hasty and the false judgments we pass on the motives and lives of others. How apt we are to depreciate the worth of others who do not happen to belong to our circle! We look so intently for their faults and foibles that we become blind to their excellences. We forget that there is some good in every person, some that we can see if we only look, and we may be always sure that there is some we cannot see. We should not prejudge. We should not form our opinion upon an ex parte statement. We should not leave the heart too open to the flying germs of rumor, and we should discount heavily any damaging, disparaging statement. We should not allow ourselves to draw too many inferences, for he who is given to drawing inferences draws largely on his imagination. We should think slowly in our judgment of others, for he who leaps to conclusions generally takes his leap in the dark. We should learn to wait for the second thoughts, for they are often truer than the first. Nor is it wise to use too much "the spur of the moment"; it is a sharp weapon, and is apt to cut both ways. We should not interpret others’ motives by our own feelings, nor should we "suppose" too much. Above all, we should be charitable, judging of others as we judge ourselves. Perhaps the beam that is in a brother’s eye is but the magnified mote that is in our own. It is better. to learn the art of appreciating than that of depreciating; for though the one is easy, and the other difficult, yet he who looks for the good, and exalts the good, will make the very wilderness to blossom and be glad; while he who depreciates everything outside his own little self impoverishes life, and makes the very garden of the Lord one arid, barren desert. -Expositor's Bible
"Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’" Luke 17:9-10
"In this passage, which is in the nature of a parable, Jesus teaches that duty is coextensive with ability, and explodes the doctrine that it is possible for a man to do "works of supererogation." Since in God's sight no man can even do his full duty (Ps. 143:2), it is impossible that he can do more than his duty. We may be rewarded for the discharge of our duty, but the reward is of grace and not of merit." -Fourfold
SECOND GREAT GROUP OF PARABLES
Probably in Peræa
Subdivision G
CONCERNING OFFENSES, FAITH, AND SERVICE.
LUKE 17:1-10
FORGIVENESS
"And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!" Luke 17:1
Principle: Sin will come.
"In this life sin cannot be eradicated - such things are bound to come." -BKC
"The plain meaning of our Saviour, when He affirms it to be impossible but that offences will come, is this only—that, considering the state of the world, the number of temptations, the freedom of men’s will, the frailty of their nature, the perverseness and obstinacy of their affections; it cannot be expected, it cannot be supposed, it cannot be hoped, but that offences will come; though it be very unreasonable they should come.
Since our Saviour has forewarned us that it must needs be that such offences will come as may prove stumbling-blocks to the weak and inattentive, let us take care, since we have received this warning, not to stumble or be offended at them. And above all, as we ought not to take, so much more ought we to be careful that we never give, any of these offences." -S. Clarke
Be not afraid of the great multiplication of offences at this day in the world. The truths of the gospel and holiness have broke through a thousand times more offences. -J. Owen, BI
"Take heed of yourselves..." Luke 17:3
The giving offence being a great aggravation of sin, let this rule lie continually in your hearts, That the more public persons are, the more careful they ought to be that they give no offence either to Jew or Gentile, or to “the Church of Christ.” -J. Owen, BI
"Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved." 1 Corinthians 10:32-33
"Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him." Luke 17:3
"Jesus had already noted that the Pharisees were not only refusing to enter the kingdom but were also keeping others from entering (Luk_11:52) Not only are Jesus’ followers not to cause others to sin; they also are to counteract sin by forgiving others (Luk_17:3-4). One should rebuke a brother if he sins. If he repents, he is to be forgiven even if he sins and repents over and over. The words seven times in a day denote a completeness - as often as it happens." -BKC
This expression of the forgiveness cycle in Luke resonates with me. I like that it actively involves rebuke and repentance as an integral part of the cycle.
"All rebukes should be delivered in a spirit of love. We have no way of judging whether an offender's repentance is genuine. We must accept his own word that he has repented. That is why Jesus says: “And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” This is the gracious way our Father treats us. No matter how often we fail Him, we still have the assurance that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1Jn_1:9)." -Believer's Bible
FAITH
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” Luke 17:5
If this is a direct response to Christ's command to forgive, it's notable that they ask for faith not ability. It seems faith precedes and drives ability in this spiritual discipline.
"That Jesus has “the power” of increasing the faith of his people. Strength comes from him, and especially strength to believe the gospel. Hence, he is called the “Author and Finisher” of our faith, Heb_12:2." -Barnes
"The reply of the Lord indicated that it was not so much a matter of the quantity of faith but of its quality. Also it was not a question of getting more faith but of using the faith they had. It is our own pride and self-importance that prevent us from forgiving our brothers. That pride needs to be rooted up and cast out. If faith the size of a mustard seed can root up a mulberry tree and plant it in the sea, it can more easily give us victory over the hardness and unbrokenness which keep us from forgiving a brother indefinitely." Believer's Bible
"When you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead." Col 2:12
"In praying for more faith, they also acknowledged their own insufficiency to produce it" (Eph_2:8; Php_2:13).
Our faith may be increased by examining the evidence of Divine truth. God always deals with us as intelligent beings. -?
The human conscience always Justifies God. This is an undeniable fact—a fact of universal consciousness. C. G. Finney
But there is another "judging" that the command of Christ condemns, and that is the hasty and the false judgments we pass on the motives and lives of others. How apt we are to depreciate the worth of others who do not happen to belong to our circle! We look so intently for their faults and foibles that we become blind to their excellences. We forget that there is some good in every person, some that we can see if we only look, and we may be always sure that there is some we cannot see. We should not prejudge. We should not form our opinion upon an ex parte statement. We should not leave the heart too open to the flying germs of rumor, and we should discount heavily any damaging, disparaging statement. We should not allow ourselves to draw too many inferences, for he who is given to drawing inferences draws largely on his imagination. We should think slowly in our judgment of others, for he who leaps to conclusions generally takes his leap in the dark. We should learn to wait for the second thoughts, for they are often truer than the first. Nor is it wise to use too much "the spur of the moment"; it is a sharp weapon, and is apt to cut both ways. We should not interpret others’ motives by our own feelings, nor should we "suppose" too much. Above all, we should be charitable, judging of others as we judge ourselves. Perhaps the beam that is in a brother’s eye is but the magnified mote that is in our own. It is better. to learn the art of appreciating than that of depreciating; for though the one is easy, and the other difficult, yet he who looks for the good, and exalts the good, will make the very wilderness to blossom and be glad; while he who depreciates everything outside his own little self impoverishes life, and makes the very garden of the Lord one arid, barren desert. -Expositor's Bible
"Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’" Luke 17:9-10
"In this passage, which is in the nature of a parable, Jesus teaches that duty is coextensive with ability, and explodes the doctrine that it is possible for a man to do "works of supererogation." Since in God's sight no man can even do his full duty (Ps. 143:2), it is impossible that he can do more than his duty. We may be rewarded for the discharge of our duty, but the reward is of grace and not of merit." -Fourfold
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