I learned something today quite powerful about the nature of God’s love and the forgiveness of sin. Watchman Nee’s daily devotion addressed the forgiveness and love connection, starting with a biblical verse from Luke.
Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. Luke 7.47.
Then Watchman Nee commented:
“How can we love the Lord? If we remember how our sins were forgiven, we cannot help but love the Lord. The day the cross ever fails to move us, that very day we are fallen. Evan Roberts wept greatly when he realized that he was not moved by the cross; and this went on for several months until God moved him again. But there then followed the great Welsh Revival, the greatest spiritual renewal the world has ever seen.
How did it happen that that woman washed the Lord’s feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and kissed them with her lips? It was because she remembered how all her sins had been forgiven her. Let us continually stand at the foot of the cross. And even if later we should become spiritually stronger a hundred times more than what we are today, let us always remember how our sins were forgiven us by the Lord.”
Did I Misunderstand?
I was confused after reading his commentary on the forgiveness and love connection. It would have made more sense to me if Jesus had said, “But he who loves little is forgiven little,” instead of saying “But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” The woman at Jesus’ feet loved him greatly, cleaning his feet with her tears. In return, Jesus forgave her many sins. The Pharisee, on the other hand, was proud and did not offer Jesus love. Therefore he was not forgiven. Thus was my thinking.
So I asked my brainy friend, ChatGPT, the following question:
“In Luke 7:47, Jesus says, “But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Shouldn’t the sentence read, “But he who loves little, is forgiven little?” Help me understand why Jesus said it this way.”
ChatGPT responded:
Great question! To understand Luke 7:47, we need to look at the context of the story and the deeper theological point Jesus is making. The verse occurs in the account of a woman who anoints Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume, washing them with her tears and drying them with her hair. This act of devotion stirs criticism from Simon the Pharisee, who questions how Jesus can accept such extravagant behavior from a “sinful” woman.
Context and Meaning: Forgiveness and Love
Jesus responds with a parable about two debtors, one who owed a large sum and another who owed a smaller amount. Both debts were forgiven by their lender. Jesus asks Simon, “Which of them will love him more?” Simon rightly answers, “The one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” Jesus uses this parable to illustrate why the woman showed such profound love—she had been forgiven much and therefore loved much. This is the key to the forgiveness and love connection.
Why This Order?
When Jesus says, “But he who is forgiven little, loves little,” He is pointing out a cause-and-effect relationship. The depth of love someone expresses toward God correlates with their awareness of the forgiveness they have received.
Forgiveness comes first: In Jesus’ teaching, forgiveness is offered by God’s grace, not earned by our love. The recognition of how much we’ve been forgiven elicits a heartfelt response of gratitude and love. The woman’s lavish love demonstrates her deep awareness of God’s mercy.
Contrast with Simon: Simon, who sees himself as morally superior and in less need of forgiveness, does not show the same love. His self-righteousness blinds him to his own sinfulness, and thus he does not grasp the depth of forgiveness available to him.
Theological Insight
This verse highlights an essential aspect of Christian teaching: our love for God grows out of our recognition of His grace and forgiveness. If we downplay our need for forgiveness, our capacity to love God and others diminishes. In this sense, Jesus’ wording is deliberate. He is not saying forgiveness is limited by our love; rather, our love reflects how deeply we understand and embrace the forgiveness we’ve received.
Reflection
Jesus’ statement invites introspection: Do we grasp the magnitude of God’s grace in our lives? The more we recognize our need for forgiveness and the depth of God’s mercy, the more our hearts overflow with love for Him and others.”
The Forgiveness and Love Connection
This explanation of the forgiveness and love connection makes perfect sense to me. After reading it, I am surprised that I did not figure this out myself. I know this, yet somehow this truth eluded me in the moment. Such is the nature of the world we live in – it blinds us to the truth at every turn.
You probably had no problem understanding this passage. But if you did, I wanted to share my experience so your eyes could be open as mine were this morning. The more I study the Bible, the more I am humbled by its wisdom and my own blindness. I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to nudge me to dig deeper when passages don’t make sense. The truth is right before our eyes. But that does not mean we can easily see it. We must persevere through the fog of this fallen world to see and understand God’s truth.
Watchman Nee’s Daily Devotion
Here is a QR code for Watchman Nee’s Daily Devotion on the forgiveness and love connection:
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Focus Keyphrase: Forgiveness and Love Connection
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