Question about... everything.

[Glorthac]

I've been wondering about Matthew 18:21-35 for awhile now, and I was wondering if yall could help me out.
It begins with Peter asking Jesus about forgiveness, and then Jesus gives a parable.
In the parable, God forgives the man, yet because the man doesn't work right, God unforgives him.

This seems totally contrary to Calvinism in so many ways, I'm not even sure which parts it contradicts. What am I misunderstanding?

 

[AMR]

I've been wondering about Matthew 18:21-35 for awhile now, and I was wondering if yall could help me out.
It begins with Peter asking Jesus about forgiveness, and then Jesus gives a parable.
In the parable, God forgives the man, yet because the man doesn't work right, God unforgives him.

This seems totally contrary to Calvinism in so many ways, I'm not even sure which parts it contradicts. What am I misunderstanding?

This is a teaching that reminds us of the great sum of the forgiveness which we enjoy in our Lord's sacrifice for us. Given the vastness of what was forgiven us, we should be ready to forgive any offense against us, no matter how great the offense, as that offense against us pales by comparison to the debt Christ paid on our behalf (hyperbolically, sixty million day's wages according to the parable!). Failing to forgive in proportion to what we have been forgiven will likely bring a temporal judgment upon us by God the Father.

The passage is not about the doctrine of eternal security although one might mount an argument to show that such behavior may indicate the falseness of one's profession of faith.

AMR

 

[LiturgyInDMinor]

we should be ready to forgive any offense against us, no matter how great the offense, as that offense against us pales by comparison to the debt Christ paid on our behalf

---AMR


Yes...this is the MAIN point of Jesus' teaching in this instance.
Also the the OP....I don't believe GOD unforgives anyone.

 

[mlqurgw]

I've been wondering about Matthew 18:21-35 for awhile now, and I was wondering if yall could help me out.
It begins with Peter asking Jesus about forgiveness, and then Jesus gives a parable.
In the parable, God forgives the man, yet because the man doesn't work right, God unforgives him.

This seems totally contrary to Calvinism in so many ways, I'm not even sure which parts it contradicts. What am I misunderstanding?

First of all it must be remembered that it is a parable given by our Master in response to a question asked by Peter. Parables are intended to illustrate and teach Gospel truth. Properly understanding and applying a parable doesn't mean every part of it must be parsed and interpreted and applied. Each parable has a specific theme and must be understood in the context of that theme. To try and apply it to anything other than that particular theme is to misuse the parable. The parable in question is about the Gospel truth of forgiveness. It is intended to show us how much we have been forgiven, how mercifully we have been forgiven, and our duty to also forgive others. It wasn't intended to teach that we can loose our forgiveness.

 

[heymikey80]

It takes a bit to recognize that parables are not allegories.