Dale Partridge - August 11, 2021


Real Christianity #158： The Duty to Forgive—No Matter How Difficult


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Length

24 minutes

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145.20801

Word count

3,609

Sentence count

209

Harmful content

Toxicity

3

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1

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Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

In this episode, Pastor Dale discusses the biblical doctrine of Forgiveness and why it is a duty and a duty only Christians can fulfill. He uses a parable of a King who owed money to his slaves and who was unable to pay them back. He was left with no choice but to forgive them.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Welcome to Real Christianity. My name is Dale Partridge. For those of you who are new here, 0.65
00:00:08.980 you can always find the show notes for these episodes at relearn.org. Our mission at relearn.org
00:00:14.100 is to bring the church back to the Bible. And we're doing that by fighting for biblical literacy
00:00:19.620 in the church. Today's episode, we're going to be touching on an issue that's both at the core
00:00:25.280 of our relationship with God and our relationship with others. We're going to be talking about
00:00:30.820 forgiveness, and every one of us has faced the opportunity to either forgive or resent.
00:00:38.220 For those who have chosen the latter, that resentment often turns into bitterness, retaliation,
00:00:45.180 and even sometimes hate. Before we begin diving into the depths of this conversation, I just
00:00:51.820 wanted to make a couple of quick announcements. The first thing is we have just passed over 3
00:00:57.820 million downloads on the Real Christianity podcast. So thank you so much for those of you
00:01:03.340 who are loyal listeners to this podcast. Also, thank you so much for those of you who have
00:01:09.340 supported our work financially at relearn.org forward slash donate. Many of you guys are $5
00:01:16.420 a month or $10 a month or even $25 a month. That has continued to allow us to produce this show,
00:01:23.700 to produce content at relearn.org, to further our ministry efforts, to create videos and content
00:01:30.160 that is edifying for the body of Christ. So thank you guys so much. We are so excited about just
00:01:36.620 passing 3 million downloads. We've got, I think, over 5,000 reviews. This show, guys, has reached
00:01:43.300 so many people because of your loyal listenership and your support. So again, just thank you guys
00:01:49.960 so much. It really does mean a lot to us over here. The next thing I wanted to talk about is
00:01:55.460 one of our products that we offer is standinvictory.org. And this is a program that helps
00:02:01.300 Christians break free from the bondage of pornography through the theological truth
00:02:06.960 of the gospel. And we need to learn these theological truths, understanding the mechanics
00:02:13.260 of the gospel so that we can better see our sin and that we can experience the freedom that we
00:02:17.900 have in Christ. And for those of you who are struggling with pornography and are having issue
00:02:24.100 with the bondage of sexual immorality, this is a fantastic program for you to get the gospel
00:02:30.140 as it relates to those issues. So go to standinvictory.org. You can enroll there. It's
00:02:38.340 a short program. You can do the whole thing in a day. You can do the whole thing over a week or
00:02:43.400 two. It's very easy. It's really just broken down into about three or four videos. Okay,
00:02:48.560 to dive into this episode, I'm not going to pretend that this is a non-issue among Christians.
00:02:53.460 In fact, we've all been hurt, betrayed, deceived, defrauded, abandoned by somebody
00:02:59.980 at some point in our lives. And the need for a clear understanding of the Bible's position and
00:03:07.020 command of forgiveness is not so much theological as it really is practical for our life.
00:03:16.800 Furthermore, I'd say that the Bible stands firm and speaks very clearly about our duty as
00:03:23.800 Christians to forgive the trespasses and offenses of others. Now, to be clear, our forgiveness
00:03:28.740 doesn't mean that there are not consequences and justice, both civil and divine, for the
00:03:36.640 painful actions of those who have hurt us. There's absolutely a place for retribution
00:03:43.540 in terms of consequences for those inflictions of pain. But today's discussion is regarding
00:03:52.460 the Bible's doctrine of forgiveness, but not only the act or the duty, but also the reason behind
00:04:00.900 it. And for those who are severely wounded, I just want to encourage you to join me today as
00:04:08.580 we look upon the words of our Lord. This passage is from Matthew 18, 23 through 35. It's 13 verses
00:04:19.780 and it's a parable. And so hang in there as I read the text. I'm going to be reading from
00:04:25.200 the NASB and then I'll offer some clarification and a few application points at the end.
00:04:32.180 It reads, for this reason, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle
00:04:39.100 accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him 10,000 talents
00:04:45.640 was brought to him. But since he did not have the means to repay, his Lord commanded him to be sold
00:04:52.080 along with his wife and children and all that he had and repayment to be made. So the slave fell
00:04:59.840 to the ground and prostrated himself before him saying, have patience with me and I will repay
00:05:05.580 you everything. And the Lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the
00:05:11.480 debt. But the slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii.
00:05:18.840 And he seized him and began to choke him saying, pay back what you owe. So his fellow slave fell
00:05:25.460 to the ground and began to plead with him saying, have patience with me and I will repay you. But
00:05:30.860 he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So when
00:05:37.760 his fellow slaves saw what had happened. They were deeply grieved and came and reported to their Lord
00:05:43.900 all that had happened. Then summoning him, his Lord said to him, you wicked slave, I forgave you
00:05:51.060 all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have mercy on your fellow slave in
00:05:57.540 the same way that I had mercy on you? And his Lord was moved with anger, handed him over to the
00:06:06.020 torturers until he should repay all that was owed to him. Then Jesus said, my heavenly father will
00:06:12.900 also do the same to you if each of you does not forgive his brother from the heart.
00:06:20.100 Now this is again a parable and our job and our duty as interpreters of scripture is to extract
00:06:28.740 the meaning of a parable, which as parabolic language, and there are some rules for interpreting
00:06:36.860 parables that are different than interpreting, you know, a scripture that's more direct or historical
00:06:43.220 or didactic. But as we know that parables are basically simple stories that typically illustrate
00:06:50.420 one moral truth. In this parable, Jesus doesn't really leave the listeners much room for
00:06:57.400 interpretation. The lesson is pretty clear. Forgive as you have been forgiven. And that said,
00:07:04.360 I believe the reason that so many Christians still struggle with forgiveness, despite knowing
00:07:10.340 our Lord's position on this matter, is because they don't fully understand the reasons behind
00:07:17.380 it and the degree of forgiveness that's been extended to them. And this is really important.
00:07:23.960 We cannot extend forgiveness that we have not understood or experienced ourself.
00:07:31.620 So my aim in this episode is to really look briefly at the parable and extract some of
00:07:36.840 the theological narratives displayed by Jesus and break them down and talk about them a
00:07:41.700 bit.
00:07:41.900 So my first point I want you to notice is our debt to God is so great, it is unable
00:07:50.020 to be repaid.
00:07:52.220 Jesus tells us in this parable that a man owes 10,000 talents.
00:07:57.800 That translates to about $3.4 billion in today's money.
00:08:03.660 And at the average wage during that day, it would have taken about 200,000 years to pay off.
00:08:09.900 In other words, the debt that Jesus is talking about in this parable is so great
00:08:14.760 that it's unable to be paid back.
00:08:18.620 and now the debt we're talking about here is obviously our sin. We have a huge debt of sin
00:08:29.540 against God. I think about the passage that our debt has been nailed to the cross
00:08:35.660 in the sense that Jesus paid for that debt, our sin. And we've sinned so greatly against a holy
00:08:43.220 God that without his forgiveness, there is no possible way that we could ever be reconciled
00:08:51.100 to him.
00:08:52.360 So that's point number one.
00:08:53.180 Point number two is God, the king in this parable, is compassionate and willing to forgive
00:09:00.680 even the greatest debt of sin against him.
00:09:06.700 And we see this in his willingness just to make a path for reconciliation through repentance
00:09:11.280 and belief in Jesus Christ.
00:09:12.420 Romans 5, 8 says, but God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were still sinners,
00:09:20.140 Christ died for us. First John 4, 9 through 10. In this, the love of God was made manifest among us
00:09:26.820 that God sent his only son into the world so that we might believe or that we might live through him.
00:09:33.360 In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the
00:09:40.260 propitiation for our sins. That word propitiation means to appease the wrath of God through blood
00:09:47.940 sacrifice. It's a biblical word that's really important. We are appeasing the wrath of God
00:09:54.580 through blood sacrifice. I should say not we, but Christ is doing that. And so Christ became
00:10:00.160 that sacrificial propitiation for our sins, paying the debt of our sins. Ephesians 2.7 says,
00:10:07.620 so that in the coming ages, he, that is God, he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
00:10:15.820 in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. And I wish that I could read all of Ephesians to kind of give
00:10:22.100 you the context there. But one thing I want to show you is that he basically has elected us and
00:10:27.460 chosen us and redeemed us, according to Ephesians 2, so that in the coming ages, God might show
00:10:34.640 the immeasurable, immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
00:10:43.020 So point number one, our debt to God is so great, it's unable to be repaid. Point number two is that
00:10:48.040 God is compassionate and willing to forgive even the greatest amount of debt in regards to our
00:10:54.340 sins against him. So this is what we're learning from this parable. Point number three, the sins
00:11:00.660 that others committed against us are small in comparison to the sins we commit against a holy
00:11:08.160 God. Now, perspective is vital. Without a clear comprehension of how repulsive and offensive we
00:11:15.980 are to God in our sin, we're not going to be able to comprehend the degree of grace and forgiveness
00:11:21.720 extended to us through Christ. In other words, we can't offer what we have not experienced
00:11:29.560 ourselves. We can't practice what we don't understand. We can't extend what we don't have.
00:11:35.380 And this is why it's vital that we have a clear view of the doctrine of man. When you contrast
00:11:43.580 the doctrine of man, our depravity, our fallenness, our brokenness, our sinfulness,
00:11:50.560 with God's holiness, we begin to see why Jesus used such an enormous number in this parable,
00:11:58.220 like 10,000 talents. You'll also begin to see why the sins of others committed against you or me
00:12:07.700 are comparatively microscopic. And the ratio that Jesus uses in the parable, right? He talks about
00:12:15.120 10,000 talents and 100 denarii. So essentially, this is microscopic in relationship to that one
00:12:25.220 talent would be 1% of that. And we're talking about 100 denarii, not even talent. So
00:12:32.180 what I'm basically trying to get across here is that the grievousness of the sins that we
00:12:38.600 commit against one another are microscopic in comparison to the grievousness of the sins that
00:12:47.080 we commit against a holy God. And that must sink in deeply into your soul. C.S. Lewis says,
00:12:59.040 to be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable in others because God has forgiven the inexcusable
00:13:06.980 in you. I think that was a great way to capture that. But what I would even take further is that
00:13:14.460 To be a Christian means to forgive these relatively small issues because God has forgiven these mountainous, magnitude, giant, enormous, huge, colossal issues in us.
00:13:31.760 So point number four is we learn from this parable, which is, I think, the most vital moral lesson that we get from this.
00:13:40.120 I think this is the central meaning of the parable.
00:13:44.460 our unwillingness to forgive others in light of what we have been forgiven is wicked.
00:13:53.440 The parable actually reads, quote, you wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you
00:14:00.660 pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave in the same way that
00:14:06.420 I had mercy on you? So first, let me point out that it's interesting. This parable isn't teaching
00:14:13.540 that we need to forgive people who haven't repented.
00:14:19.560 Now, we do know that true reconciliation requires both parties.
00:14:24.880 There needs to be repentance for reconciliation to actually take place.
00:14:29.420 That said, the scriptures also teach strongly against bitterness and hate
00:14:36.040 and forgiveness regardless of repentance.
00:14:39.960 Luke 6, 27 through 28 says,
00:14:42.540 but I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse
00:14:50.500 you, pray for those who abuse you. In other words, if someone sins against you as a born-again
00:14:56.420 Christian and this person repents to you and you refuse to forgive them, this is a major deal.
00:15:03.840 Watch out. John Piper says it this way. If you are a merciless person, you will meet a merciless
00:15:10.320 God. And that's really starting to get closer to kind of what Jesus is saying here, the gravity,
00:15:18.180 the weight of having this degree of forgiveness and not extending it to others. So basically,
00:15:26.660 in one sense, you can't have reconciliation without repentance. So it's important that
00:15:31.820 an offense that someone's taken against you, or someone's offended you or sinned against you,
00:15:36.780 it is important that that person repents. And you can have reconciliation between those two
00:15:43.520 parties, especially as brothers or sisters in Christ. Now, the question really becomes,
00:15:50.000 what do we need to forgive somebody if someone doesn't repent? And I'm going to say, yes,
00:15:57.180 we do. We are called to forgive regardless of their apology. We've been extended such a great
00:16:07.940 deal of grace and forgiveness that it should allow us to forgive even the most dark and broken
00:16:14.600 sins that are committed against us. Piper comes at it again for the win when he pointed out,
00:16:20.340 Jesus teaches, you cannot genuinely receive my forgiveness
00:16:26.520 and remain unforgiving.
00:16:29.980 And again, I think that's the central point
00:16:31.620 of what Jesus is teaching in this passage.
00:16:34.180 We really need to work on receiving the forgiveness
00:16:40.580 and not just receiving it
00:16:42.300 because it's already happened to us,
00:16:44.220 but actually comprehending the forgiveness,
00:16:47.460 comprehending the magnitude of forgiveness.
00:16:51.080 It's from that place that we can extend the forgiveness.
00:16:55.140 So if you have bitterness or if you have resentment
00:17:01.140 or revenge or retaliation or hate in your heart
00:17:05.540 from a wound that was inflicted by another,
00:17:09.880 that needs to be let go.
00:17:12.040 And the way that can be let go
00:17:14.800 is through seeing what Christ has done for you
00:17:18.940 and what God has done for you in Christ.
00:17:23.020 So the question is, what does this really mean for your life?
00:17:26.260 What are you to do with this?
00:17:29.840 First, if you're one who struggles with bitterness,
00:17:34.980 I would encourage you to study the doctrine of man.
00:17:40.100 And in tandem with that,
00:17:42.160 study the doctrine of total depravity. The truth is that we think much too highly of ourselves.
00:17:50.280 We are blind to how heinous we are in light of a holy God. Self-love is blinding. And we live
00:18:01.560 in a generation of selfism and self-love. And we often think that we're much greater and much
00:18:10.480 better than we really are. And when we think so highly of ourselves, it alleviates the ability to,
00:18:19.760 I should say it doesn't alleviate, it doesn't allow us to see who we truly are and how much
00:18:29.040 we had to be forgiven. And again, this is at the core of this issue. And when you finally grasp
00:18:34.020 the degree of your own depravity, you will cherish God's grace and forgiveness all the more.
00:18:40.480 It's here at that space when you have clarity that you will become humble and that you will
00:18:47.880 be more easily able to extend that grace and that mercy and that forgiveness that you have
00:18:56.600 received to others. Another great resource to help you really grow the chasm between God and you
00:19:07.480 so that Christ becomes more beautiful is R.C. Sproul's book, The Holiness of God.
00:19:14.960 When you can comprehend the holiness of God and the depravity of man, and that gap widens
00:19:25.220 further and further and further until this point where you go, I cannot believe that I am forgiven.
00:19:32.500 I cannot believe that I am saved. 0.99
00:19:36.820 Oh God, why did you choose me, this gross, nasty sinner? 0.96
00:19:43.800 You think of the man in the Gospels that's pounding his chest. 0.99
00:19:48.120 Oh God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
00:19:51.400 When you can get to that perspective
00:19:53.980 and you realize how much of the debt has been wiped away,
00:19:59.960 you will not turn into that servant who holds people accountable and chokes them and ask for
00:20:07.480 payment and hangs on to the bitterness and resentment and will not forgive others. You
00:20:17.200 won't be that person because you can't. God's love will pierce your heart and extend and pour
00:20:24.280 out of you in grace and mercy and forgiveness. Second, ignorance of scripture doesn't remove
00:20:34.500 our duty to obey it. And that is that we are to obey this truth, even if we don't yet understand
00:20:44.220 it. In fact, in some instances, by doing, we actually learn to understand. But as it pertains
00:20:52.840 of this passage and teaching, forgive others even if you can't understand why at this point.
00:21:01.480 You still need to go and you need to do your study of the doctrine of man. You still need to go look
00:21:05.140 at total depravity. You still need to look at the holiness of God and the Lord will reveal those
00:21:08.980 things in time and grow that revelation in your heart. And it'll get more and more beautiful the
00:21:14.900 older you get and the more you understand and the more you mature in Christ. But until that point,
00:21:19.700 we still need to obey. So seek God's word and seek counsel from other mature believers in that
00:21:26.540 process, but trust the teaching of scripture that forgive as we have been forgiven.
00:21:34.900 We have to remember that God says that vengeance is his and that he will repay.
00:21:41.660 Justice will be served on earth or in eternity, regardless of these matters
00:21:48.660 between us and another, but until then, we need to love and pray for and bless and find peace,
00:21:59.560 at least from our end, with those that have hurt us, and we have to remember if Jesus could forgive
00:22:08.760 and pray for those who were murdering him on the cross, Father, forgive them for they know not what
00:22:14.680 they do. Stephen said the same thing. Many martyrs through church history have said the
00:22:20.060 same thing. What they are doing is they are extending the love and the forgiveness that
00:22:24.260 has been given to them, and it's pouring out through them into others. If people can do that
00:22:31.180 when they see the beauty of God's forgiveness, grace, and mercy, then you can forgive those
00:22:36.500 and pray for those and love those and bless those who have hurt you. And so may the grace of God be
00:22:44.460 upon you in this journey of forgiving other people and letting go of the pain and looking to Christ
00:22:51.400 and placing that hurt and that brokenness at his feet where he can make you whole.
00:22:57.280 I hope this message was helpful for you and edifying for you on your journey
00:23:01.480 of understanding the Bible, understanding Christian theology, and obviously having a
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00:23:59.500 Thank you for listening to this episode.
00:24:02.360 It's been a blessing to share
00:24:03.720 these scriptural truths with you guys.
00:24:05.480 My name is Dale Partridge.
00:24:06.820 This is Real Christianity, and we'll see you next week.
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00:24:47.540 Thanks for joining us on this episode of Real Christianity.
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