From the desk of Pastor Ben

The Example of Forgiveness – Part 1

“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.”     (Matthew 18:23-24)

The immeasurable, unplayable debt in this parable symbolizes the huge debt of sin that every person owes God. When the Holy Spirit convicts someone of his sin (John 16:8), that man or woman realizes their sin is beyond comprehension and humanly impossible to pay for. Like Paul, every sinner under conviction sees the utter sinfulness of sin (Romans 7:13). It is such a realization that caused Job to “repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6). Similarly, it is what caused Ezra, on behalf of himself and his countrymen, to pray, “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen above our heads and our guilt has grown even to the heavens” (Ezra 9:6).

Unbelievers take life from God, but rather than living as wise stewards who invest the gifts of life for His glory, they squander everything on themselves. They’re like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-24) or the slave who buried his talent (Matthew 25:18, 24-30). Both of these wasted their “gospel privilege” from the Lord. As much harm as sin does to humanity, every sin ever committed is primarily against God (Psalm 51:4) and an offense before His heavenly throne.

The slave here is any unbeliever who knows about God (Romans 1:18) has life from Him (Acts 17:25), but wastes the opportunity to repay God His due and instead squanders it in sin — thus manifesting his dire need for forgiveness.

Ask Yourself:
It is not wholly inaccurate (though an extreme underestimation) to consider your sins like a bill in the mail, calling for full and immediate payment of your mortgage. Consider again today the desperation of your sin load, contrasted against God’s all-sufficient forgiveness.