How Many Times?

READ

As followers of Christ, we are called to practice a forgiveness that resists limits or conditions. Having received mercy that is unearned, undeserved, and inexhaustible, we are invited to extend that same mercy to everyone we encounter.

As forgiven people, we must live as forgiving people. We must learn to forgive as God, through Christ, has forgiven us—not cautiously or selectively, but freely and without restraint.

This does not mean we are required to endure harm or accept mistreatment. It means we are called to release the bitterness we carry toward those who have wronged us, even when our resentment feels justified.

Take a moment to read Matthew 18:21-22: 

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!” 

REFLECT

Peter asks Jesus an honest, deeply human question—how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Like so many of us, Peter assumes that forgiveness should come with limitations or stipulations. At some point, it seems reasonable to stop extending grace to someone who has repeatedly violated our trust.

In the first century, rabbinic teaching instructed faithful Jews to forgive a transgressor three times. By the religious standards of his day, Peter’s suggestion to forgive seven times was not hard-hearted or ungracious—it was strikingly generous. 

Peter knew that Jesus would want him to forgive more readily than what was deemed “normal” or “acceptable.” Peter was prepared to forgive more than twice as often as his peers. 

Yet, Jesus did not laud Peter for his gracious generosity. Instead, He called Peter to practice radical, boundless forgiveness. And whether we like it or not, this same call extends to us today. 

Throughout Scripture, the number seven is associated with Divine perfection and completion. When Jesus commands us to extend forgiveness “seventy times seven,” He is not giving us permission to stop forgiving others after their 491st offense. Rather, He is calling us to extend perfect grace to those who sin against us—the Divine kind of mercy we’ve received from Him. 

Though forgiving others in this way often feels impossible, we are not alone in our task to extend grace to our transgressors. If we are willing to embrace His help, the Holy Spirit can enable us to grant boundless mercy to those who’ve wronged us. The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of unmerited, limitless grace. If we are willing to call upon this Spirit—which has met us mercifully in the depths of our own sin—we can forgive even the worst offenses committed against us. 

It is important to note that Christ’s call to extend limitless forgiveness does not mean He calls us to remain in harmful or abusive situations. Though our forgiveness should have no boundaries, our relationships should be defined by boundaries that honor the sanctity, dignity, and value of every person, including the one in the mirror. It is entirely possible—and often essential—to forgive those who’ve harmed us while taking steps to safeguard our bodies, minds, and hearts from further harm. God does not call us to endure sustained physical or emotional abuse. 

Forgiveness is not giving others permission to sin, nor is it a denial of harm. It is the courageous work of naming what has been done while refusing to reduce a person to the sum of their sin. Forgiveness means choosing to approach our transgressors as broken, beloved children of God, rather than as enemies. 

Forgiveness means remembering how freely we have been forgiven—and allowing that memory to shape how we extend grace to others.

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read. 

• Is there someone to whom you’ve stopped extending grace? What might it look like to forgive them again—while still honoring your safety and wellbeing? 

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying: 

Forgiving Father, thank You for granting me immeasurable, inexhaustible grace! Lord, when I am tempted to place limits and restrictions on the forgiveness I extend to others, help me to remember how You’ve forgiven me. Lord, grant me the wisdom and courage to show mercy to others, even those who’ve harmed me again and again. Enable me to forgive, while simultaneously honoring my safety and guarding my heart. Let me strive for reconciliation whenever possible, remembering that forgiveness is not an abstract idea, but a concrete practice. Amen. 

Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.