Good morning to you all . I'm reading the book of Luke at the moment and I was struck by the similarity of chapter 5 verses 31+32 and chapter 7 verse 47 . In both chapters ,Jesus seems to me to be having very subtle digs at the scribes and Pharisees . Those that are whole ( none of us are , we are all sinners ) . I came not to call the righteous ( none of us are ) . So Jesus is talking about those people who think that they are whole and righteous and if that's what they think of themselves then they probably won't answer when he comes knocking on their door because they ( or us ) don't recognise that they are sinners . They think that they don't need Jesus and the forgiveness and reconciliation that can only come through him .
In chapter 7 verse 47 Jesus talks about those to whom little is forgiven , does he mean those who haven't sinned very much ? Or does he mean those who THINK that they haven't sinned very much ?
We can never be aware of just how sinful we are because we don't always recognise our own sinfulness on an individual sins basis . We don't always know the full consequences of our words or actions or omissions but God does .
One thing I know for sure is that however sinful I think I am , I should probably multiply that by a thousand . If we cannot at least try to recognise our own sinfulness we can never really appreciate what has been done for us , out of pure love , by God and by Jesus . And if we can't recognise the magnitude of what has been done , out of a pure love , we cannot feel that love on any where near the scale that we should be able to and if we can't feel it we can't hope to be able to respond to it appropriately and proportionately . Recognising our own sinfulness is essential I think . Only when we do that can we hope to appreciate what has been done for us , out of a pure love . Hope you all have a lovely day .
I would like to share my understanding on Luke 7:47. Verses 48-50 can be read also with Verse 47.
This is another instance where God's Spirit worked in a situation to show what faith looks like. Her love did not produce her salvation. She was not saved by works.
What Jesus is saying is that her love proved that she was saved, that she was forgiven. Love is a fruit, a response to Christ, not a work in order to gain salvation. It is a byproduct.
John says in first John Chapter 4, "We love Him because He first loved us." Our relationship with the Lord is a response. Even thanksgiving does not originate with us. We are told to give God thanks for everything.
The word thanksgiving means respond to grace. That is what it means, EUCHARISTHEO CHARIS.
The more I am exposed to God's grace, the more I have a response of thanks. Gratitude! God's pouring out in my life, what I need and I don't deserve, and I thank Him for it. That is what it means. Her love was proof of her faith.
Look at the apostle Paul who was Saul of Tarsus. God saved him and Paul says "I'm not worthy to be an apostle because I persecuted church of God." And he told Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:15, he says "I am the chiefest of sinners!" And that's my message, that if I'm the chiefest of sinners, and God can save me, He can save anybody. What a message to have. But Paul was no celebrity!
How would we like to have the most notorious criminal in the world visit our church? And they come and say "I got a testimony!" It would be like, "Yeah, we don't mind as long as we have two people follow you around!" Just stay away from the offering box!
But you know, the people who are the most sinful, when they get saved, watch out because they're gone. They will leave us in the dust. For the person who is forgiven most will love the most. It gives that much more importance to pray for the people that we know who are not saved.
Hello Dear Brother , I don't disagree with one word that you have replied to me and thank you for them .
In my message , I wasn't really talking about her , I was talking about those people who were forgiven little and therefore loved little in return and those who think that they are whole and righteous . Their response to Christ is different to that of someone who is able to recognise their own sinfulness . A bit like the men who gather around the woman taken in adultery . The older ones put their stones down and move away from her before the younger ones do , their consciences have had longer to mature and they are seemingly wiser to their own faults .
I think we need to be the same as those older men no matter how old or young we are , we need to grow a conscience and try to put it next to the amount of pure love that has , and is being ,shown to us by God every day . If we put our own consciences in one side of the scales and the pure love of God in the other side....imagine how low those scales would go on one side but not the other !
I completely missed your whole point and I do apologize for that. I think I understand your message better now. I re-read your original post and your question asking about Luke 7:47 where Jesus talks about those to whom little is forgiven, and asking if He means those who haven't sinned very much, or those who THINK that they haven't sinned very much?" Unless someone else has an answer to that, the only answer I am able to give is that in that section of scripture, Jesus is showing a contrast between the love of a sinful woman and a self-righteous Pharisee. What you are saying does make sense. The Pharisees had their own righteousness (Self-righteousness). Sorry I didn't have a better answer!
Brother Jesse (and Jaz), I believe Jesus' Words in Luke 7:47 are directly related to His Words to Simon in Luke 7:40-43. In this passage, Jesus asks Simon which of those two debtors would love the kind forgiving creditor more: the one who owed five hundred pence or the one who owed fifty?
I sense that Jesus was showing Simon, via this short parable, that this woman of the night came here with a great weight upon her heart: a weight of much sin maybe over a long period of time & hearing of Jesus, she came to the only One Who could forgive her. Thus she expressed her sorrow & unceasing repentance by this act of utter humility of not only washing the feet of Jesus with her tears & anointment but stooping even further to kiss His feet. So, I see a clear but stern message to Simon that this woman, whom he sorely despised, was showing more love because of her need of much forgiveness, than Simon who gave Jesus little respect & having no inclination to self-examination, apart from inviting Him to his house for a meal, as a kind gesture.
I agree that I do see a message here of a self-righteous Pharisee who believes he has no need of self-introspection bringing on repentance & renewal, when compared to this woman who wept over her sins before the Holy Son of God; yet I see, that Jesus' emphasis here is on the full expression of love & gratitude when one is forgiven for their many sins, whereas those who might 'love little' can include those such as the religiously inclined who offer regular set prayers for forgiveness or even those not giving much regard to the gravity of their sins before God, these would not demonstrate the same tearful emotion that the woman laden with sins displayed. So, I perceive that Jesus is showing us here is the value of true repentance for sins & resulting gratitude, rather than what comes from a heart not so mightily affected by the wretchedness of sin. Forgiveness is the end result, but our response in love may be quite different.
In chapter 7 verse 47 Jesus talks about those to whom little is forgiven , does he mean those who haven't sinned very much ? Or does he mean those who THINK that they haven't sinned very much ?
We can never be aware of just how sinful we are because we don't always recognise our own sinfulness on an individual sins basis . We don't always know the full consequences of our words or actions or omissions but God does .
One thing I know for sure is that however sinful I think I am , I should probably multiply that by a thousand . If we cannot at least try to recognise our own sinfulness we can never really appreciate what has been done for us , out of pure love , by God and by Jesus . And if we can't recognise the magnitude of what has been done , out of a pure love , we cannot feel that love on any where near the scale that we should be able to and if we can't feel it we can't hope to be able to respond to it appropriately and proportionately . Recognising our own sinfulness is essential I think . Only when we do that can we hope to appreciate what has been done for us , out of a pure love . Hope you all have a lovely day .
I would like to share my understanding on Luke 7:47. Verses 48-50 can be read also with Verse 47.
This is another instance where God's Spirit worked in a situation to show what faith looks like. Her love did not produce her salvation. She was not saved by works.
What Jesus is saying is that her love proved that she was saved, that she was forgiven. Love is a fruit, a response to Christ, not a work in order to gain salvation. It is a byproduct.
John says in first John Chapter 4, "We love Him because He first loved us." Our relationship with the Lord is a response. Even thanksgiving does not originate with us. We are told to give God thanks for everything.
The word thanksgiving means respond to grace. That is what it means, EUCHARISTHEO CHARIS.
The more I am exposed to God's grace, the more I have a response of thanks. Gratitude! God's pouring out in my life, what I need and I don't deserve, and I thank Him for it. That is what it means. Her love was proof of her faith.
Look at the apostle Paul who was Saul of Tarsus. God saved him and Paul says "I'm not worthy to be an apostle because I persecuted church of God." And he told Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:15, he says "I am the chiefest of sinners!" And that's my message, that if I'm the chiefest of sinners, and God can save me, He can save anybody. What a message to have. But Paul was no celebrity!
How would we like to have the most notorious criminal in the world visit our church? And they come and say "I got a testimony!" It would be like, "Yeah, we don't mind as long as we have two people follow you around!" Just stay away from the offering box!
But you know, the people who are the most sinful, when they get saved, watch out because they're gone. They will leave us in the dust. For the person who is forgiven most will love the most. It gives that much more importance to pray for the people that we know who are not saved.
God bless!!!
In my message , I wasn't really talking about her , I was talking about those people who were forgiven little and therefore loved little in return and those who think that they are whole and righteous . Their response to Christ is different to that of someone who is able to recognise their own sinfulness . A bit like the men who gather around the woman taken in adultery . The older ones put their stones down and move away from her before the younger ones do , their consciences have had longer to mature and they are seemingly wiser to their own faults .
I think we need to be the same as those older men no matter how old or young we are , we need to grow a conscience and try to put it next to the amount of pure love that has , and is being ,shown to us by God every day . If we put our own consciences in one side of the scales and the pure love of God in the other side....imagine how low those scales would go on one side but not the other !
Hope you have a good day today .
I completely missed your whole point and I do apologize for that. I think I understand your message better now. I re-read your original post and your question asking about Luke 7:47 where Jesus talks about those to whom little is forgiven, and asking if He means those who haven't sinned very much, or those who THINK that they haven't sinned very much?" Unless someone else has an answer to that, the only answer I am able to give is that in that section of scripture, Jesus is showing a contrast between the love of a sinful woman and a self-righteous Pharisee. What you are saying does make sense. The Pharisees had their own righteousness (Self-righteousness). Sorry I didn't have a better answer!
God Bless!!!
I sense that Jesus was showing Simon, via this short parable, that this woman of the night came here with a great weight upon her heart: a weight of much sin maybe over a long period of time & hearing of Jesus, she came to the only One Who could forgive her. Thus she expressed her sorrow & unceasing repentance by this act of utter humility of not only washing the feet of Jesus with her tears & anointment but stooping even further to kiss His feet. So, I see a clear but stern message to Simon that this woman, whom he sorely despised, was showing more love because of her need of much forgiveness, than Simon who gave Jesus little respect & having no inclination to self-examination, apart from inviting Him to his house for a meal, as a kind gesture.
I agree that I do see a message here of a self-righteous Pharisee who believes he has no need of self-introspection bringing on repentance & renewal, when compared to this woman who wept over her sins before the Holy Son of God; yet I see, that Jesus' emphasis here is on the full expression of love & gratitude when one is forgiven for their many sins, whereas those who might 'love little' can include those such as the religiously inclined who offer regular set prayers for forgiveness or even those not giving much regard to the gravity of their sins before God, these would not demonstrate the same tearful emotion that the woman laden with sins displayed. So, I perceive that Jesus is showing us here is the value of true repentance for sins & resulting gratitude, rather than what comes from a heart not so mightily affected by the wretchedness of sin. Forgiveness is the end result, but our response in love may be quite different.
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