Keep The Faith

The Tormentors — What Jesus Really Meant Matthew 18:32–35 Short Description: A clear look at Jesus’ parable in Matthew 18 and what the “tormentors” truly represent — not demons, not people, but the inner prison created by unforgiveness. Introduction — A Parable With a Warning for the Heart In Matthew 18, Jesus tells a story about a servant forgiven of an impossible debt who then refuses to forgive a much smaller one. When the master hears of it, he becomes angry and “delivers him to the tormentors” until the debt is paid. For many believers, this phrase raises fear and confusion. Who are these tormentors? Is God sending people into torture? Is this punishment? But Jesus is not describing God as cruel. He is describing what unforgiveness does to the human soul . The Text Itself Jesus ends the parable with these words: “And his lord being angry delivered him to the tormentors till he paid all that was owing to him.” The Greek word for “...

Repentance — Scripture Study List When I study a theme in Scripture, I like to gather the passages in one place so I can see the pattern of God’s heart more clearly. These verses accompany my post “Forgiveness – Repentance – Restoration.” Old Testament Foundations 2 Chronicles 33:10 — Manasseh’s Repentance And Yahweh spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they would not listen. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Job 42:1 — Job’s Repentance and Restoration Then Job answered Yahweh and said, In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Psalm 38:1 — A Prayer of Repentance O Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger or chastise me in your wrath. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Psalm 51:1 — A Prayer of Repentance and Plea for Mercy Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loyal love... In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Jeremiah 3:11 — A Call for Repentance Apostate Israel ...

Forgiveness — A Scripture Study When I study a specific subject in Scripture, I like to gather all the passages in one place. Seeing them together helps reveal the heart of God and the consistency of His character. This study accompanies my post “Forgiveness – Repentance – Restoration.” Old Testament Foundations Nehemiah 9:17 “But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abundant in loyal love…” In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Psalm 6:1 — An Appeal for Forgiveness and Deliverance O Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger, and do not discipline me in your wrath. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Psalm 25:1 — A Prayer for Guidance, Deliverance, and Forgiveness To you, O Yahweh, I lift up my soul. In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations Psalm 32:1 — Thanksgiving for Forgiveness Happy is he whose transgression is taken away, whose sin is covered. In Context ...

Forgiveness, Repentance, and Reconciliation Lately I've been thinking deeply about forgiveness, repentance, and restoration — or perhaps reconciliation is the better word. These themes keep rising in my heart, and I felt led to study them more intentionally. Not long ago I wrote something on Facebook that made me pause afterward. I said, "Without repentance, there is no forgiveness. There is nothing to forgive, right?" I was thinking about the sinner — the one committing the sinful act. In the sinner's own eyes, he may not recognize the sin at all. He may hide it, deny it, or refuse to see it. But as I reflected, I realized I might be confusing forgiveness with reconciliation. These are not the same thing — and sorting through the difference matters. So here begins my attempt to do that. I expect I'll keep refining this as I learn more. (See also my companion scripture studies: Repentance , Restoration , and my more rec...

Cheap Grace This morning, as I often do, I found myself thinking about something that has been stirring in my heart — and Dietrich Bonhoeffer came to mind. Remembering Bonhoeffer I first learned about Bonhoeffer back in 2016 through a book that, in hindsight, I believe the Spirit placed in my hands at just the right time. I wrote about that experience in my earlier post “ The Prophecies. ” As I revisited his Wikipedia page today, one of his books caught my attention again: The Cost of Discipleship . Reading the summary reminded me how deeply his message aligns with the concerns I’ve been carrying about the modern church. Cheap Grace vs. Costly Grace Cheap grace is forgiveness without repentance, baptism without discipline, communion without confession. It is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. “Of course you’ve sinned, but everything is forgiven — so stay as you are an...

Forgiving Each Other – Part 2 Forgiveness is not only for the one doing the forgiving — it is also for the one being forgiven. When we forgive, we reflect the heart of God, who never gives up on anyone. His love pursues, restores, and rejoices when even one person turns back to Him. God Never Gives Up on the One Who Strays “What man among you… does not leave the ninety‑nine and go after the one that is lost?” (Luke 15:3–7) Jesus paints a picture of a shepherd who refuses to abandon even one lost sheep. He searches until he finds it. He lifts it onto his shoulders. He rejoices. Heaven celebrates when a sinner repents — because God’s love does not quit. “It is not the will of your Father… that one of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18:12–14) If God refuses to give up on people, then we — His children — must learn to reflect that same mercy. Forgiveness is not approval of sin. It is participation in God’s heart. Nothing Can Separate Us From God’...

Forgiving Each Other – Part 1 Forgiveness has been on my mind lately. It’s something Jesus spoke about often, yet it’s not a topic I remember hearing many sermons on. And yet, in the Lord’s Prayer, forgiveness sits right at the center of how we are taught to pray. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” ( Matthew 6:12 ) Jesus doesn’t leave forgiveness optional. He makes it clear: “For if you forgive people their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive people, neither will your Father forgive your sins.” ( Matthew 6:14–15 ) Why is forgiveness so important to God? Why does He command something that can feel so painful, so costly, and sometimes so impossible? A Personal Story Let me explain through a personal story — something unpleasant, but something that helped me understand forgiveness in a deeper way. Back in August, I began experiencing severe pain in my lower body. Sitting hurt. Sleepin...

The Kingdom of God is more than a distant realm—it is a living reality entered through repentance and the door of forgiveness Yeshua opened for us. Here we discover what it means to be born of the Spirit and welcomed into God’s eternal counsel. What Is the Kingdom of God Like? If I were to ask you what the kingdom of God is like, how would you explain it? Scripture tells us that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are the same reality. Yet it is difficult for us to describe, because we have never seen it with our natural eyes. It exists in a realm that is invisible to us. Yeshua—Jesus—knows this realm perfectly. He came from it, lived among us for a short time, and then returned to His place there: “We speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen…” ( John 3:11 ) In John 3 , Jesus explains to Nicodemus how a human being can see and enter the kingdom of God: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are bo...

Sometimes the Lord gives us clarity in the simplest moments — even while mowing the grass. What was once familiar suddenly becomes illuminated, and we see the truth more clearly than before. This reflection is one of those moments: a reminder that our battle is not against people, but against the unseen forces that influence them. A Moment of Clarity I was out mowing my grass this evening, thinking about some of the things I recently posted to the blog. You’ve probably experienced this too — a moment when it feels like a light switches on, and suddenly something becomes clearer than it ever was before. Let me begin with a question: with all the evil happening in the world today, do you look at the individuals committing these acts as evil people ? I think I have done this at times. But I now believe we are looking at it the wrong way. It is not the person himself who is evil — it is the evil working within him , influencing, deceiving, and driving him...

The Fire That Heals When truth reaches the heart, God brings healing — not condemnation. We all see the faults in others. We all hold onto things we should release. And we all fall short of the commandments God has given us. None of us are innocent in these things — not me, not you, not anyone. But there is a path back to peace, and it begins with seeing the truth about our own hearts. When the truth finally reaches us, we feel shame — not because God shames us, but because we suddenly see what our sin has cost. This is what Scripture means by “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” It is not God tormenting us; it is the heart breaking under the weight of truth. Shame is simply the pain of realizing the separation we created, the peace we broke, and the love we resisted. And even then, God’s desire is not to leave us in that pain. Revelation says the leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of the nations. God reveals truth so He can heal us, not destroy us. Jesus didn’...

Why wait until the day Father God lifts the veil and reveals our true selves — the way He sees us and the way others have seen us? Why carry baggage into that moment that we could lay down now? You and I still have time to work on these things while we are here. Ask Father God to soften your heart. Ask Him to reveal the wrongs you’ve done to others, and the wrongs others have done to you. Ask Him for the strength to go — while they are still alive — and seek forgiveness. And ask Him for the grace to forgive those who have wounded you. For those we have wronged who have already passed on, we will have to wait to see whether they forgave us. If not, we will bear that grief and shame ourselves. Better to settle matters now, while mercy is still within reach. Luke 12:57–59 Yeshua (Jesus) spoke directly to this, urging us to settle our accounts before we stand before the Judge. He warns that if we ref...

A dawn‑tone reflection from the Unity Series Some messages arrive gently, and others arrive with the weight of truth. This one carries that weight. If you stay with it to the end, I believe the Holy Spirit will open something in you that may have been closed for years. This word will press on your heart, but if you endure to the end, light will break through. Bring before your mind the face of the one you cannot forgive — the one whose memory still burns like a wound that refuses to close. Now lift your eyes. The Spirit is taking you upward. You stand in the courts of heaven. The air is alive with joy. You see faces you have loved and lost — whole, radiant, laughing with a purity you have never seen on earth. Everywhere, clusters of people rejoice together, free from the shadows that once clung to them. Let your gaze move across the multitude… And then you see him — the one you swore you could never f...