Topical Studies
What the Bible says about Sin, Impact of
(From Forerunner Commentary)
When parents sin, they provide their children with an opportunity to justify sin. The impact of such sin is devastating to a nation when the sins of kings influence their heirs. Some kings of Judah likely made excuses similar to those parents use today. How often do parents excuse a child's unacceptable behavior by saying, “It's okay, honey. You didn't get your nap.” Or, “You're having a bad day.” Or, “The boy next door is a rotten influence on you.”
Our society has become so adept at self-justification that people who have no plausible excuse for committing terrible crimes commonly plead “temporary insanity.” In most cases, it really is only a justification to get away with abusing one's fellow man. It might succeed in man's court, but not in God's.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Overcoming (Part Two): Self-Justification
"The kingdom of heaven" represents God's government, including His church, so God deals with church members as this king with his servants. The debt of the king's servant was an enormous sum. A talent was a denomination of money, or weight of silver or gold, equaling three thousand shekels. By Roman calculation, if this talent were of silver, then ten thousand talents would be equivalent to several million of today's dollars. By Jewish calculation, ten thousand talents would equal three times more, probably over ten million dollars. If this talent were of gold, ten thousand talents would amount to about fifty times more than the silver talent! Nevertheless, Jesus uses this amount to show that the debt—sin—was immense and humanly unpayable. To us, and those we touch, the impact of our sins is immeasurable, but Jesus' sacrifice is greater, covering all sins.
Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Join 137,990+ readers
A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning
Consistent Bible study is hard to start.
The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.
Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.