Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sin against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Luke 17:3
These are the very words of Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a commandment given to the disciples and unto us. It’s not a choice, it’s required of us to be called as a Christian. We ought to forgive our brother or sister when he or she sins against us. We can see below 2 scenarios in this condition.
Sin against us & Repent
Sin against us & refuse to repent
As per today’s verse, the first thing we should do before forgiving is rebuke. It is our responsibility to correct and restore our fellow brothers or sisters and help them walk in the truth, even if they find themselves responsible for their mistakes or not. It is the divine grace that we experience in our lives that gives us the forgiving spirit and manifests forgiveness for others.
It is easy to forgive others, when one repents, while the opposite is hard. While we are yet sinners Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). May the Lord help us and fill us with his love and grace, that we might extend our forgiveness to our brothers and sisters even when they refuse to repent of their mistakes.
Have a Blessed Day!