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Monday, April 17, 2017

Is Jesus being contradictory here?


On the one hand we have Jesus telling us that in some cases it is OK to remove what I call toxic people from our lives.

Matthew 18:15-17(NKJV)
“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. 
But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’  
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.

And yet just 4 verses later we have Jesus telling us that we have to keep forgiving them.

Matthew 18:21-22(NKJV)
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. 

Seems a bit contradictory.  I would suggest that there is no contradiction what so ever.  The two are not mutually exclusive.  Just because someone is toxic and has to be removed from your daily life doesn't mean that you haven't forgiven them.  Or to put it another way, forgiving someone doesn't mean that you have to therefore continue to subject yourself to their abuse. 

Make sense?  

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