“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'” (Matthew 18:21–22, NIV)
Relationships between people can be difficult. The closer the relationship, the greater the challenge. That puts marriage at the top for degree of difficulty. Knowing this, the Lord has instituted forgiveness as the oil that keeps relationships going. Through Christ, God forgives us for our sins and allows us to be in relationship with our Maker.
Forgiveness has a human dimension. It is the gracious act of not holding wrongful acts against another person. In every marriage relationship, husbands and wives do things to wound the other through words, actions, or even silence. All of this hurts. Forgiveness is God’s antidote for this hurt. But how often do we need to forgive? Jesus told Peter that we need to forgive seventy-seven times. In other words, there is no limit.
Forgive your spouse as Christ has forgiven you.
