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Last time we considered the Procedure of Forgiveness. In Matthew 18, Jesus gave us a clear procedure that must be followed in order to deal with sin and offense in the church. When followed faithfully, this procedure will either lead to forgiveness, or to judgment. Forgiveness when the offending brother acknowledges his sin and repents of it, or judgment when he refuses to acknowledge his fault and rejects the church’s intervention.

Upon hearing this procedure for forgiveness, Peter came to Jesus and asked, “How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?”. Peter’s question reveals to us that although he understood the procedure which Jesus outlined, he had missed the principle on which it was based. Jesus then begins explaining the Principle of Forgiveness by answering Peter:

Matthew 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”

Jesus was not indicating that we are to forgive our brother 490 times, but that we are to continually forgive and to deny our own pride or desire for retribution. In order to make this hard saying easier to understand, Jesus began to teach a parable, in this parable he would set forth the powerful principle that underlies the procedure.

1. The Principle of Forgiveness Matthew 18:23-34

a. The Kingdom Principle
The principle for forgiveness could easily be called The Kingdom Principle. Jesus, in this parable, begins to compare a fictional king and his servants to the Kingdom of God. It is important here to understand exactly what the Kingdom of God is.

There is coming a day when Christ will literally rule and reign on earth, both in a temporal kingdom for one thousand years (Rev 20), and in his eternal kingdom (Luke 1:30-33). These aspects of the Kingdom of God are entirely future in nature and are not what Jesus is referring to in Matthew 18.

Here in Matthew 18, Jesus is dealing with another aspect of the Kingdom – the present kingdom. In a certain sense, many of the features of the future kingdom are already here. For all those who are saved, Christ is already ruling and reigning in their hearts (Luke 17:21). These men and women already confess Christ as Lord (Rom 10:9) and seek to obey Him. He already has sovereign authority over the lives of all believers. It is this aspect of the Kingdom that Jesus is referring to when in his parable he begins, “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto..”.

Matthew 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.2 6 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

It would be useful here to understand the parallel’s that Jesus is making in this parable. Firstly the King represents God himself, the servant represents the believer, and the fellow servants represent his fellow believers (Matt 18:35). Now we can draw some lessons from the parable.

First of all, we see that In the Kingdom we are all Debtors (Matthew 18:24-27).

Like this indebted servant, we all owe a price which we are unable to pay (Rom 6:23, Rom 5:6). Our sin has rendered us absolutely bankrupt before God (Isaiah 64:6-8, Rom 7:18-21). The man or woman who comes to God for salvation is like this servant who has cast himself at his Lord’s feet begging for mercy (Luke 18:13-14).

The fact that we are all equally debtors in the kingdom of God should lead us to readily forgive one another. Who are we to judge others while we also owe such a debt?

Romans 14:4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Jesus uses the negative example of the unthankful servant to teach us this very lesson. He was forgiven an insurmountable debt of ten thousand talents, yet he failed to show enough mercy and forgiveness toward his fellow servant who owed only one hundred pence.

Matthew 18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

The Kingdom Principle teaches us that we are all debtors in the Kingdom. Because God has forgiven us so much, we also should forgive those who have sinned against us (Eph 4:32).

Next we see that In the Kingdom we are all Unified (John 17:11). When we choose not to forgive, we threaten this unity and cause sorrow among our fellow believers.

Matthew 18:31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

If keeping the unity of the church is our priority, than forgiveness will be our practice!

Jesus taught us to forgive continually and he gave us a procedure for that forgiveness in Matthew 18. Following this procedure becomes easier and even joyous when we first understand the principles on which it is based. We forgive because we are all forgiven (Eph 4:32), we forgive because we do not desire to cause division (Eph 4:2-3) and we forgive because God is the only just Judge (Rom 14:4).

Lastly we see a tremendous Promise of Forgiveness. Following Christ’s commands concerning forgiveness are an act of obedience, and so much more! He has attached a promise to following this proper procedure for forgiveness.

2. The Promise of Forgiveness Matthew 18:35

a. The promise of Christ is that he will forgive us when we sincerely forgive our brother.

Matthew 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Jesus first gave us this promise in his model prayer in Matthew 6:

Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:c15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Again we see it repeated in Luke 6:37:

Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

The promise is clear. If we forgive those who have trespassed or sinned against us, we can be assured that God will also forgive us. This promise also has a negative aspect. If we do not forgive our brother, God will also not forgive us. When we fail to forgive, we have committed sin, this sin separates us from God and hinders our fellowship with him. As believers, this fellowship can be restored at anytime by confession and obedience (1 John 1:9).

Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Tags: forgiveness, Matthew 18
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In Matthew 18 we are given instruction by Jesus himself regarding the subject of church discipline and forgiveness. The instruction is so clear that it can be easily outlined and practically applied in our lives and in our churches. In Matthew 18:15-35 we see the procedure for forgiveness, the principle of forgiveness, and the promise of forgiveness. Today we will look at the first of these, The Procedure for Forgiveness.

Matthew 18:15-35

1. The Procedure for Forgiveness Matthew 18:15-20

a. Approach your brother in confidence
To approach someone in confidence is to approach them privately without the involvement of others.

Matthew 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

When we feel that we have been “trespassed against” it is our responsibility to approach our Christian brother in private and with the intent of regaining a right relationship with them. Approaching them with any other intent or attitude is a violation of Jesus’ clear instructions in Matthew 18.

By precluding the involvement of other church members we assure that offense will not be taken up on our behalf and that we are not responsible for tainting the reputation of the person who has offended us.

Think for a moment of a situation where you have been offended. If you took it upon yourself to inform others in the church of the offense you would be helping them to form a negative attitude toward the one who has offended you. If the time comes when you and your brother are reconciled, or that you discover your offense is the result of a misunderstanding, you will have already damaged your brothers reputation in the eyes of others.

Proverbs 17:9 teaches that approaching our brother in confidence is an indication of our desire to maintain a loving relationship but telling others of our conflict is simply our way of sowing discord and creating separation between others.

Proverbs 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

It is easy sometimes after being offended to seek to justify ourselves by telling the situation to others, the more people who take up offense for us, the more we feel justified in our negative attitude toward our brother. This is the exact attitude that is to be avoided by employing the procedure that Jesus has given us.

The procedure which Jesus gave us, of first approaching our brother in confidence with the intention of becoming reconciled to him, avoids the above problem. It ensures that if we and our brother are successfully reconciled it is only us and God who know about the conflict. We have the freedom to put it behind us and to move on in our relationship.

Proverbs 11:13 A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

Next of all, Jesus tells us to approach our brother with counsel.

b. Approach your brother with counsel
Matthew 18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

Here we are told to tell our situation to one or two other Christians who can act as objective witnesses. These men or women can act as mediators or judges. They can view the conflict with fresh eyes and help to determine whether there has been a misunderstanding or a legitimate offense.

If the situation is to rise to the level where the church becomes involved these witnesses can serve as confirmation of the offense. The use of two or three witnesses is a biblical principle stretching all the way back to the book of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 19:15 One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

Next, Jesus tells us that if we are not reconciled with our brother after we have approached him in confidence and with counsel, then the situation rises to the level where the church as a congregation should become involved.

c. Approach your brother as a congregation
Matthew 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Step three in this procedure, after two or three witnesses have deemed there to be a legitimate trespass or offense, is to bring the situation before the church.
Here, the church acts in unity to admonish the sinning brother and seeks to restore him to fellowship. This restoration can happen only after repentance and reconciliation.

If the sinning brother does not heed the admonition of the church then he has made it clear that he is no longer in submission to the authority of the church. The church then has no choice but to move on to step four in this procedure for church discipline.

d. Remove your brother from your company
Matthew 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Lastly, Jesus tells us that if our brother has not taken heed to our desire for reconciliation, nor has he obeyed the counsel of two or three witnesses, nor has he submitted himself to the authority of the church, then the next step is to remove him from our fellowship.
Paul confirms this principle in his epistles to the Thessalonians and the Corinthians.

2 Thessalonians 3:14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
1 Corinthians 5:9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
10 Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.
11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
13 But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

It is no small matter for a Christian man or woman to reject the efforts of the church to reconcile him to their fellowship. The church is the very body and bride of Jesus Christ and operates with his authority and on his behalf. When we obey Christ in dealing with these matters we are executing His will on earth. This is made plain in Matthew 18:18-20.

Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

The church who does not employ this procedure for forgiveness, or in the worst case scenario, church discipline, does not operate with the authority of Christ. It is the faithful adherence to Christ’s commands in Matthew 18 that brings his blessing and authority to the church’s verdicts.

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