Introduction

In the previous session, Jesus taught his disciples about 'forgiveness.' He instructed them to forgive a brother who repents seven times a day. Jesus emphasized the concept of complete forgiveness. Today's passage explores the disciples' response to Jesus' teaching on perfect forgiveness, urging them to "forgive him" (verse 3), using a tense that conveys a decisive command similar to a commander ordering soldiers in battle to "hold the front line."

Therefore, the disciples are challenged to implement perfect forgiveness as taught by Jesus. However, they are aware of their inability to fulfill this command. The solution they find is 'faith.' The disciples go to Jesus and request, "Increase our faith!" They acknowledge their inability to keep Jesus' command and seek to enhance their faith to practice complete forgiveness. Today's message aims to learn what kind of faith is required for 'forgiveness' and how one can forgive a brother through faith.

Therefore, the title  of Today's Message:

 

Increase Your Faith in Forgiveness

 

1. What is Faith for Forgiveness?

"The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!'" (Luke 17:5)

The tense used in "Increase our faith!" is the same as the one Jesus used in his command, conveying a factual sense. The disciples genuinely possess faith, as indicated by the present tense. Faith in this context is not about salvation but rather the trust needed to resolve daily challenges. The disciples must practice forgiveness in various situations, and it will be a significant challenge for them. Just as overcoming a small mountain prepares one for a larger one, practicing forgiveness in small instances paves the way for greater forgiveness. However, letting go of personal feelings and emotions to forgive, even in minor cases, is not easy.

The apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:31, expressed his commitment to a life of dying daily for Christ's sake. Paul faced hardships, suffered loss, yielded, and forgave, demonstrating faith in action. Living a life of daily dying, practicing faith, and challenging oneself to greater faith is the solution to being able to forgive.

A notable example from the Korean church is Pastor Son Yangwon, known as the "Atomic Bomb of Love." He cared for the poor and lepers throughout his life, martyred by the communist forces during the Korean War. Before the war, when he cared for lepers, a rebellion erupted instigated by those influenced by communism. Pastor Son's two sons were captured and killed during the rebellion by none other than their schoolmate.

Despite immense grief over the death of his sons, Pastor Son was concerned about the soul of their killer. He prayed fervently for the faith to adopt the killer as his spiritual son. Sending his daughter, Pastor Son instructed her to convey his desire to the military officer in charge. Just ten minutes before the execution, Pastor Son's daughter arrived. She shared her father's wish, leaving everyone astonished. Touched by God's and Pastor Son's forgiveness, the killer was speechless. Following Pastor Son's earnest prayer and his daughter's obedience, he adopted the enemy as his spiritual son, shared meals with him, and treated him like his own sons. However, the adopted son struggled to accept such forgiveness, tormented by guilt and pain.

Pastor Son practiced forgiveness, adopting the enemy who killed his sons and teaching the gospel. The situation faced by Pastor Son's daughter reflects the reality that we, as disciples, also encounter. Although we intellectually understand the need to forgive, our hearts may struggle to embrace forgiveness. In such moments, like the disciples and Pastor Son, we must go to Jesus and pray for increased faith to forgive.

2. How Can Faith for Forgiveness Increase?

"And the Lord said, 'If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, "Be uprooted and planted in the sea," and it would obey you.'" (Luke 17:6)

The passage combines indicative and subjunctive moods in the use of tenses. "If you had faith" employs the present indicative, suggesting a factual condition. However, the rest of the sentence uses aorist subjunctive, indicating an unreal condition. Jesus blends these tenses to emphasize the factual presence of the disciples' faith while unrealistically suggesting a larger, more potent faith.

In Mark 11:25-26, Jesus teaches about forgiveness in prayer: "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." This passage emphasizes the importance of forgiveness in prayer. When praying about forgiveness issues, God not only reveals what we may not recognize but also imparts the faith to forgive.

Sometimes, while praying about seemingly unforgivable issues, we may wrestle with God. In such instances, God teaches us about our sinful nature, guiding us to acknowledge our need for forgiveness. Through this realization, He helps us willingly forgive others. To increase the faith to forgive, we must pray. In prayer, God reveals our indebtedness and instructs us on the debt of forgiveness.

 

Conclusion

Today, we learned about Jesus' teachings on forgiveness. Forgiveness is undeniably a challenging aspect of life. Forgiving those who hurt us seems impossible, but it is not optional. It is a strict and unequivocal command from Jesus. As disciples of Jesus, we must request an increase in faith to obey this command. Forgiving someone who has caused us distress and pain is a challenge we must face.

In conclusion, let us recognize the disciples' plea, "Increase our faith!" as our own. As disciples, we must seek to obey Jesus' command with faith in action. Practicing forgiveness is essential, and it requires a continuous increase in faith. May we, like Pastor Son Yangwon, adopt the faith to forgive those who have caused us pain, realizing our identity before God and embracing the debt of forgiveness.