Forgiving As God Forgives - Luke 17:3

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. - Luke 17:3

    I once heard someone say that we are only required to forgive those who repent of their offense. Surely, I thought, this isn’t biblical. Doesn’t Jesus tell us to forgive and forgive again and again? “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’” - Matthew 18:21-22. “There,” I said to myself, “That’s the answer!” But what of the offender who, without remorse or apology, continues to offend? What of the dishonest employee, the unfaithful spouse, or the career criminal? Does Scripture command us to become doormats for the sinners in our lives? Is this part of the tribulation we are called to suffer for Christ’s holy name?
    I’m a firm believer in letting Scripture interpret Scripture, so I sought more clarification on this idea of unlimited forgiveness.“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” - Matthew 6:14-15.
    What then is the Biblical criteria for our Heavenly Father’s forgiveness? On what basis does He forgive? “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” - Mark 1:14-15. We know for certain that without repentance God will not forgive us our trespasses. We cannot impugn the name of God or His holiness and expect redemption unless we confess and repent - “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9. The very notion of forgiveness without repentance runs counter to every word of Scripture! And are we to forgive someone if God Himself doesn’t?
    Even within the church, we are told that a brother who sins against us should be expelled from the church and treated as an unbeliever if he refuses to heed the commands of the church - “And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.” - Matthew 18:17.
    And while the sociologists today will tell us that forgiving is more “for our peace of mind” then it is for the sinner’s sake, we must come to the realization that our peace of mind rests in Christ our Savior, not some sociological humanist mantra.
    The Biblical lynchpin of forgiveness is repentance on the part of the offender, as per the very words of Jesus Christ! That being said, may we always be open to forgiving others as God forgives. And should we offend, we must repent and seek forgiveness.