“Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him”
(Luke 17:3 NKJV)

have a forgiving attitude

Any time a passage tells us to “take heed,” we would be wise to do it. This expression occurs forty-nine times in the Bible. The first occurrence records a warning to Moses that he cannot see Pharaoh’s face again without dying (Exodus 10:28). The last occurrence is found in 1 Timothy 4:16— “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”

In Luke 17:3 the Lord warns against an unforgiving attitude. We must “take heed” how we hear this (as in Luke 8:18), that the light in us is not darkness (as Luke 11:35).

We must take heed “to ourselves” (“yourselves”). No one can obey this passage for us. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. It is easy to forget that we are forgiven, and that we must be willing to forgive others in order to remain forgiven. “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mark 11:26). “And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4).

Some people delight in sinning against other people—even their brothers in the Lord. Everyone knows their serious, sinful condition. It is a fatal error, however, to think the brother who is sinned against is not also in danger. If he lets satan make him bitter, fill him with hatred, or move him to seek revenge, he will lose his own soul.

How may we avoid this danger? Rebuke the sinful brother and be willing to forgive the sin. The unforgiving brother burns the bridge over which he must cross to live with God, and harms himself far more than the offending brother ever could.

– Rick Duggin