What Did Jesus Mean By Forgive 70 x 7?

In response to Peter, who asked how many times should one forgive those who sin against him - up to seven times Peter asked - Jesus replied not 7 times but 70 x 7.

Jesus then told a story about a man in prison who was forgiven of his debt, released from prison, but who did not forgive his own debtors.

The man was locked back up in prison.

Jesus then made this shocking statement.

He said (Matthew 18:35), "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Wow!

Who can measure up to such expectations?

Not only is complete forgiveness of others required to maintain God's forgiveness of sins, but forgiveness must come from the heart.

Who can measure up to such requirements?

No one.

That's the point.

In this story, Jesus is revealing that under the law, perfection is required.

He is teaching Peter and the other disciples that if they want to live under the law, meriting God's forgiveness by forgiving others, then there is no room for failure.

Perfect forgiveness is required (70 x 7).

Jesus is holding up the law to his disciples to show them their own sin (just as he did with the rich young ruler and with the Pharisees and teachers of the law).

The law was intended to show us our own sin and lead us to the cross of Jesus...to his grace.

It is designed to show us that we can't merit anything with God.

The fallen nature desires to earn something with God.

The fallen nature wants to merit something with God.

And this is the point of Jesus' story in response to Peter's desiring to merit forgiveness from God.

If a person desires to merit God's forgiveness, then perfection is required.

Under a merit system, no one can be forgiven.

But we do not live under the merit system of the law.

We live under grace.

This means that Jesus took upon himself our sins at the cross, and through Jesus, God offers us free and full forgiveness that is received by faith (Acts 26:18).

Under grace, we do not maintain forgiveness by forgiving others.

That's life under law.

We simply receive God's forgiveness through faith in Jesus, fully aware that under grace forgiveness is not maintained by forgiving others.

We spend our lives in gratitude for God's forgiveness...for his grace.

As we grow in his grace, then his grace works in us so that we begin to forgive others as God has forgiven us.

It's a process.

This takes time.

There is no time for growth under the law.

There is no process under the law.

Only perfection...right now.

But we know we are not living under the law.

We are not trying to merit and maintain God's forgiveness by forgiving others.

We are not asking Jesus how many times should we forgive others so we can stay forgiven by God.

We are not living under the 70 x 7 system.

We are living under grace...the cross of Jesus...where God no longer counts our sins against us (2 Corinthians 5:19) and where he remembers our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12; 10:17).