Lets deal with
"the obvious" points made IN The text of Matt 18.
#1. The forgiveness shown OTHERS was to be based on the real forgiveness ALREADY received from God.
#2. The REAL forgiveness received from God was regarding the unpayable DEBT that each one owes to God. The debt of sin.
#3. NO one can be SAVED but UNFORGIVEN.
#4. THIS IS an illustration of "THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN" according to Christ.
#5. This is the SAME instruction we see in Matt 6 in the Lord's prayer "FORGIVE us our debts AS WE forgive others".
#6. The DEBT OWED to the King of kings is RETURNED back to the one who OWED the debt as "payment due" and they are put into torment paying that huge debt of sin! This pay-your-own-debt-of-sin idea is never called "The saved relationship with God" in all of scripture.
#7. Christ says to his own followers "So shall My Heavenly Father do to EACH ONE OF YOU IF you do not forgive...". Christ makes the same point that He made in Matt 6 "For IF YOU do not FORGIVE... then neither will..."
Matt 18 is a clear, irrefutable and obvious case of "forgiveness REVOKED".
The response of those what believe in OSAS will often list reasons why this story "should not be in scripture" (as it were) -- but they never actually address the devastating "details" in Matt 18 regarding OSAS.
That is instructive.
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Matthew 18
21 Then Peter came and said to Him, ""Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?''
22 Jesus said to him, ""I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Matt 18:23-35
Forgiveness revoked – as opposed to blaming God for not “preserving us”.
Matt 18
23 ""For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.
24 ""When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.
25 ""But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.
Here we see that the Kingdom of Heaven is the context – and the servant “owes” in that eternal reality – a debt that is far greater than he and all his substance could ever repay. He is judged as owing the debt and payment is demanded.
So it is for all of humanity – the law points to the debt owed (Romans 6) the “Wages of Sin is death.” And Rev 20 – 21 tells us that this is in fact the suffering and torment of the 2nd death – eternal.
26 ""So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, "Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.'
27 ""And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.
Though the slave undervalues his own debt and over-values his own ability to “repay” – the Lord has mercy on him anyway and “Forgives the Debt” – full and complete forgiveness in the scenario regarding “the Kingdom of Heaven”. This is key to the Arminian point.
But (as Christ points out in His model prayer of Matt 6) those who Are forgiven are under obligation to forgive others.
28 ""But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, "Pay back what you owe.'
29 ""So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, "Have patience with me and I will repay you.'
30 ""But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.
Here the case of “the Forgiven” slave is that HE is “unwilling” to show forgiveness to others even though he HAS been forgiven.
Exercising his free-will he is “Unwilling” to give to others that SAME sense of mercy and compassion that HAS been shown him by his Lord.
31 ""So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.
32 ""Then summoning him, his lord said to him, "You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
The Lord does not show any reservation about the full and complete forgiveness that HE gave to His servant.
33 " Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?'
Here is the direct appeal to the same Point we see Christ making in Matt 6
“Forgive us OUR debts AS WE forgive our debtors” and then adds
“For if you do NOT forgive others then…” well you know what He said.
34 ""And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
Clearly – “forgiveness revoked” with FULL payment made now – by the slave!
.
35 "" My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.''
Here many shout
“OH NO He will NOT!”. They think that “once forgiven ALWAYS forgiven” applies even to those in rebellion. (A good 4-point Calvinist POV by the way).
Here Christ charges that the point is valid for Christians. He argues that WE have been forgiven by our heavenly Father – and that HE will revoke Our forgiveness just as we see in this story and just as Christ claimed in Matt 6 If “we” do not persevere in showing the Same kind regard for forgiving our brothers.
Rather than God blaming Himself for our lack of perseverance or God claiming that HE failed to preserve us – HE charges that WE are under obligation to obey as He directs or be faced with “forgiveness revoked” just as it is really described in this chapter.
Is God our Master? –
Ephesians 6:9
And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that
both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
Colossians 4:1
[ Fellow Workers ] Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
Was Christ wrong to cast the People of God in the role of “servants”??
Galatians 1:10
For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men?
If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
Colossians 4:7
As to all my affairs,
Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information.
1 Timothy 4:6
[ A Good Minister's Discipline ] In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will
be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.
2 Timothy 2:24
The Lord's
bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
2 Timothy 2:23-25 (in Context) 2 Timothy 2 (Whole Chapter)
Titus 1:1
[ Salutation ]
Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness,
James 1:1
[ Testing Your Faith ]
James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
2 Peter 1:1
[ Growth in Christian Virtue ] Simon
Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
2 Peter 1:1-3 (in Context) 2 Peter 1 (Whole Chapter)
Jude 1:1
[ The Warnings of History to the Ungodly ]
Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:
Revelation 1:1
[ The Revelation of Jesus Christ ] The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel
to His bond-servant John
Revelation 6:11
And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of
their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
Revelation 15:3
And they sang the
song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, " Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty;Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!
Revelation 15:2-4 (in Context) Revelation 15 (Whole Chapter)
Revelation 19:10
Then I fell at his feet to worship him But he said to me, "Do not do that;
I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
Revelation 22:3
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and
His bond-servants will serve Him;
Revelation 22:6
And he said to me, " These words are faithful and true"; and the
Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
Revelation 22:9
But he said to me, "Do not do that
I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book.
Worship God."
What is the “Kingdom of Heaven” mentioned in Matt 18:23? Is it really the “Gospel”?
"Kingdom of heaven" is a specific reference to the Gospel. (Notice that in MAtt 3:2 and 4:17 Christ and John are both preaching about the Kingdom of heaven.) In fact it is called "The Gospel of the Kingdom" Matt 4:23 the same chapter that we find Christ taking up the message of John the Baptizer - Matt 4:17 from Matt 3:2.
In the Gospel of Matthew it is that same "Gospel of the kingdom" that has to be preached into all the world AND THEN shall the end come Matt 24.
In ALL of Matt - the phrase "Kingdom of heaven" refers to the Gospel, to heaven, to eternal spiritual reality in God's kingdom.
Christ speaks of "entering the Kingdom" of heaven is future (at the 2nd coming) Matt 5:20 7:21 but in a sense it is also at the point of conversion - Matt 23:13.
So then "forgiveness" in the "Kingdom of heaven" is "granted by our great King" whom we serve. (As Paul points out his own servanthood to Christ - repeatedly).
It is out of
that Gospel-based forgiveness first given to us that we forgive others.
This is the ONLY basis for our goodness to others in "the kingdom of heaven" because we are not "naturally good" as sinful humans apart from the new birth and Christ dwelling IN us by faith.