You remember that Jesus Christ restored our special relationship with God. He made it possible for our sins to be forgiven, for without that forgiveness we could not be friends with God.

The same is true with our relationships with our neighbors. Unless we learn to forgive them, and to be forgiven by them, we cannot live in love with them. All the old quarrels, anger, and bitterness stand in the way. That's why the subject of forgiveness is so visible in the teachings of Jesus. He wants us to get those things out of the way so that we can truly live as God's beloved children.

Jesus thought that forgiveness was so important that He included it in the prayer that He taught His disciples. We've prayed The Lord's Prayer so many times that we often don't stop to think about the words we're saying. Turn to Matthew 6:9-13 and read His prayer once again. There it is, there in verse 12! "Forgive us the wrongs that we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done us."

Is the forgiveness we receive from God the only forgiveness talked about in the prayer?  

What other kind of forgiveness is mentioned?  

But Jesus didn't want us to miss this idea! To make sure we heard what He was saying, He makes the point even stronger in verses 14 and 15, after the prayer.

We forgive because God first forgave us and wants us to follow His example. But how much forgiving are we supposed to do? St. Peter had that same question. He thought we might have to forgive as many as SEVEN times! Jesus answered his question by telling him the parable in Matthew 18:21-35. First Jesus makes a very radical demand (verse 22).

How many times does He tell Peter we have to forgive?  

He goes on to describe how forgiveness works. How big was the debt of the servant? (verse 24)  

How did his master want to solve the problem of this debt? (verse 25)  

What did the man have to do to be forgiven?  

Have you ever been forgiven for a very large debt, one you could never be able to repay? Be sure to remember the debt you owed to God because of your sins.a debt you could not repay, but that Jesus paid for you.

How well did the servant follow the example of his master? (verses 28-30)  

In what ways do we often do the same thing with the example Jesus gave to us? Do we always share His forgiveness with those who have wronged us?

What was the result of the servant's action? (verses 32-33)  

What do you think Jesus means in verse 35 when He says, "Forgive your brother, every one of you, from your heart"?

What does it mean to forgive from the heart?  

Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Review

Section 4 Section 1 Section 2 Section 3 Section 5