Seventy Times Seven

Copyright 2006 by Shea Oakley

All rights reserved

The only thing that draws us out of hiding from God when we have sinned is experiencing His forbearing love towards us in and through Jesus Christ. The love of the cross is the only force strong enough to effectively do this and do it continuously. This is a good thing because, even as believers, we remain fallible human beings with a flesh-nature that has a disconcerting tendency to re-assert itself. For this reason we need that kind of love shown to us time after time.

The earnest Christian will admit that the battle with sin is constant and that sometimes the battle is lost. It may well be that a threshold can be reached in which some degree of permanent victory is attained over certain besetting sins. I will not presume to say that such victory is impossible because the Scripture tells us that the power of Christ can enable us to overcome sin. That said many of us have not reached that point. We are very aware both of our ongoing failure and the need of forgiveness on a regular basis.

Some might say that the Christian who continues to sin is not really a Christian at all. In answer to that I can only remind those willing to judge such a one that when the disciples asked their Lord how many times they should forgive an erring brother who asked for pardon His answer was "seventy times seven". In the language of the time this meant an infinite number of times. Would Jesus ask us to do what He would not be willing to do Himself?

In saying this I do not condone sin. Transgression of God’s law is always a grave matter and it is right to question the salvation of he who casually commits evil. The "seventy times seven" only applies to those who both recognize their sin and humbly seek forgiveness for it. We are never free to sin but we are free to know that, in the love of Christ, God has made a way back to Him if we are penitent.

How many times does the sensitive believer feel him or herself beyond the reach of God’s love? How often have we who tend to be morally scrupulous been tempted to believe that some threshold has been crossed that put us outside the reach of the hand of grace? I, for one, have been there many times. But each time a love that is beyond my understanding has somehow touched me and drawn me back into fellowship with the One who has made my life worth living. I cannot begin to repay my Lord for His patience with me. All I can do is let the tears come and tell him I love Him and I’m sorry that I gave into my flesh yet again.

God is not man. The Bible tells us that He is slow to anger and quick to forgive. We, on the other hand, are often quick to anger and slow to forgive and we can foolishly assume that He is like us. He is not and for that we can literally be eternally grateful. Think about the forbearing love of God, think about it often and love Him in return. Perhaps that mutual love will furnish the power you need to overcome your sin.