What does God require of us? He requires us to be fair, be forgiving and remain humble.
Micah 6:8 8
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly, To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?
God cares. With the help of Holy Spirit it is possible to forgive those who have hurt us. He can enable us to do what we cannot. We need to be very careful how we treat others. Only God sees the heart of a person.
At its core, confession is about repentance. Confession requires that we acknowledge we have gone astray and need God's intervention to be saved. Repentance requires that we willingly change direction and return to Him.
Jesus beautifully illustrated this very concept, and how the Father responds to those who return to Him, in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-24). The younger son in this parable made a series of unwise and disrespectful decisions that led him far away from his father and his home. When the consequences of his decisions started to bear down upon him, he could no longer deny his mistakes. He made the decision to return and be honest about what he had done. He knew he didn't deserve reconciliation as a son; he hoped only for a place among his father's servants. And yet, "while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him" (Luke 15:20b). The humbleness of heart that led him home opened wide the door to forgiveness and the loving embrace of the father. First5
You see, God is the King who invites us to come. Who prepares the palace and sets the table and invites his subjects to come in. His invitation for you, however, is not just for a meal – it’s for life! Max Lucado
Luke 17:1.2.3.
17:1 Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” The New King James Version
Forgiving someone who repents is not just an option; it is commanded by Jesus. Seven times suggests the need for abundant forgiveness. Jesus advocates for forgiving as a response to divine forgiveness. Faithlife Study Bible
offend (Gk. skandalizō) (17:2; Matt. 5:29; 13:21; John 6:61; 1 Cor. 8:13) Strong’s #4624: The word is the verb form of a Greek noun that means “stumbling block” or “snare.” The term refers to the trigger which springs a trap. In the NT it means anything that hinders someone from doing what is right or causes one to sin or fall away from the faith. Jesus emphatically warns that stumbling blocks are sure to come our way. Nonetheless, He condemned those who put stumbling blocks in the way of believers. He says that death by drowning would be preferable to offending “one of these little ones” in the faith.
Jesus warned that judgment awaits those who cause others to stumble. The severe form of the warning suggests that false teaching, or leading someone into apostasy, is in view here. A millstone was a heavy stone used in a grinding mill. The NKJV Study Bible.
Faith in God’s pardoning mercy, will enable us to get over the greatest difficulties in the way of forgiving our brethren. As with God nothing is impossible, so all things are possible to him that can believe. Our Lord showed his disciples their need of deep humility. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Matthew 18:6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
Matthew 18:15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Mark 9:42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.
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