Forgive
Forgive in Scripture, in the Greek, means: to send away whole.
Plainly, sin and offenses leave “holes” in our lives; so to forgive, is to make each place healed, and as it never happened.
Matthew 18:21 “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?”
Jesus had been talking about people offending children, and other people. As He said, “it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!” (Mat. 18:7)
In that light, Peter asks the Lord, how many times should he forgive an offending brother?
Jesus then sets down a clear statement about how we are to forgive.
Matthew 18:22 “Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, until seventy times seven.”
I don’t know what Peter thought of this number, but I would have thought, “How am I to keep count? I’ll never remember what number I am at.”
But that was the point: we are to forgive, and to forgive, and to forgive, without trying to count to a certain point, because God forgives us, and our offenses to Him, without measure.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 