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Forgiven Much is to Love Much

February 4, 2026 at 12:40 PM Leave a comment

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Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,  whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:20-26 NKJV)

I grew up in a home where my mother took us to church nearly every Sunday. It was simply what we did. While I attended church for years, I didn’t officially become a Christian until the age of 13. My outlook in life began to change. But it is because I attended church growing up, I was not like many other kids my age who had not attended church.

In other words, I did not come from a background in which drugs and crime were part of the picture nor did I live the life of a hellion prior to becoming a Christian. I never killed anyone. I wasn’t part of the gangster lifestyle. I didn’t disrespect my parents. I didn’t use drugs or alcohol. I was not a thief. I never even used swear words and still do not today.

However, by God’s own definition and declaration, I was still clearly a sinner (Romans 3:23), and because of that, I needed Jesus as much as the next person. When I think back, I have to sadly admit that it is still at times difficult for me to see my own sin. What was I being saved from exactly? Yes, hell, certainly, but I really wasn’t “that bad,” right? I say all this to my chagrin and embarrassment because God has quite a bit to say not only about my sin, but yours and the full sum of all people’s sin who have come and gone in life.

In Luke 7:36-50, we read the very tender story of a woman who had the audacity to go against public decorum and anoint Jesus with very expensive perfume oil. This was an act of pure love (in preparation for His death as it turns out). The most amazing thing here? She went into the home of a Pharisee to do this! Her very presence in Simon the Pharisee’s home created a huge social problem for him. She would have been considered “unclean” and therefore, his home would have been considered that as well, due to her presence. Imagine the smug, indignant, self-righteous looks from Simon and his friends.

However, Jesus is not the least bit confused, frustrated or upset with her presence. Simon was probably beside himself with self-righteous indignation when he thought, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him—for she is a sinner!” (v39b) Oh, the horror!

It is at this point that Jesus proves to Simon He knew what kind of a woman she was and relays that by telling Simon an interesting short story, followed by a question.

Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more? (v41)

Note that the moneylender did not simply offer forbearance to the two debtors, by giving them time to come up with payment, which would have been kind enough. Jesus’ point was that these two men were actually fully forgiven – freed from! – the debt they owed. Imagine if a bank responded to you that you could not pay your mortgage by saying, “No worries. We will legally consider your home fully paid off.”

Essentially, this is what occurred with the two debtors. Jesus’ point was very clear and He even asked Simon the Pharisee which debtor would appreciate the loan forgiveness more? Self-righteousness does not necessarily mean stupidity, so Simon answered that the one who was forgiven more would love and appreciate more.

Then Jesus tells Simon he had answered correctly. Again, Jesus responded to Simon’s inner thoughts proving who He was, but do you think this changed Simon’s mind about Jesus? Nope.

Then another amazing thing happens, to Simon’s absolute chagrin, I’m sure.

Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give Me water for My feet, but she wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not greet Me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing My feet since I arrived. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she has anointed My feet with perfume. Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven, for she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little. (Luke 7:44-47 NKJV)

Jesus lays things out for Simon noting that His host did not even do the most basic things that hosts of Jesus’ day would have done. Simon did not either give Jesus water to wash His feet or have a servant do that. Neither did Simon offer any oil to anoint Jesus’ head or offer Jesus a kiss of welcome to his home.

My overall impression is that Simon was thoroughly uncomfortable having Jesus in his home and probably did it because the other pharisees may have asked him to do it for the sole purpose of trying to trap Jesus again. This was a business meeting as far as Simon was concerned, nothing more.

The woman, however, overflowed with absolute love and adoration for Jesus by anointing His feet with her own tears and wiping them with her hair, continuing to kiss His feet and anoint His feet with oil. Her heart was so heavy and so appreciative of Jesus that she could not stop shedding tears. To kiss Jesus’ feet was bad enough (as far as Simon was concerned), but in essence, the woman was lowering herself to literally be Jesus’ servant. She didn’t care how that looked to anyone, as her focus was on our Lord only.

These loving acts by this “sinful” woman proved she understood who Jesus was and what He could grant her. She may not have understood all the theological implications, but she understood the basics. She needed Jesus’ love and forgiveness the same way you and I do, and whether she was to be absolved of her sins or not, her acts of loyalty, love and courage were enough for her.

In the end, Jesus pronounced that her “many” sins were forgiven (v47).

Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven, for she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.

The principle is very true. Those who rightly understand the weight of their sin and then find absolute forgiveness for all their sin have a greater love for God in Christ and other people as well. Imagine the weight that lifted from that “sinful” woman’s heart that day. She was made new in Christ.

That woman in Luke 7 had previously carried a huge burden of her known sins. It was likely crushing her. At that meeting with Jesus, she became free, fully forgiven. Of course, this did not set well with the people in Simon’s home, who rightly understood that only God could forgive sins. Yet, it never dawned on them that Jesus was and remains God in the flesh. Ironic. Such is the blindness of the self-righteous.

While the woman in Luke 7 understood the weight of her sin, I too often, find it difficult to grasp the full weight of mine. If I did, I’d have a greater love for God and others because one flows from the other.

If truth be told, I find it much easier to point out the sins of other people than to see my own sin. I apologize if that offends you, but it is the sad truth.

The lack of awareness of the weight of my own sin at times results in a lack of love for God and others. This does not mean I don’t love Him at all (or others). But it does mean that I do not love Him (or others) enough, because my overall view of myself is “I’m not that bad,” when in reality, my sin alone was bad enough to put Jesus on the cross that displayed His love, righteousness and justice in one act. I also realize that this is part of my ongoing process of sanctification and I can only look ahead at what God will bring about within me.

However, at times I find my attitude reprehensible because it produces pride. In one sense then, I am seeing my sin that put Him on the cross, but not enough.

So what can I do to ensure that I gain a better and more accurate understanding of the weight of my own sin? By that I do not mean that God wants me to wallow in my sin or to conclude that I’m unredeemable. That’s not the case clearly, but if I had a greater understanding of my sin, that alone would create more humility within me because it would cause more adoration for God because of what He saved me from, which in turn redirects my focus from me to God and then others. So what can I do?

First, I can deliberately stop minimizing my sin because all sin is reprehensible to God. All of it, mine included. If I start to focus on other people’s sins as though somehow their sin is really sinful, while mine is not so bad, I am no better than Simon the Pharisee. Hell is filled with people like Simon who are self-righteous religious people and see themselves as far better than they are in actuality. God’s absolute justice is seen in hell.

Second, I need to focus on passages like the Romans 3 section noted above. I’m setting out to memorize it. The more I think about, contemplate and allow God’s Spirit to reveal to me the depth of meaning behind those words, the more God will be able to reveal to me just how much my sin actually cost to redeem me. I need to have a more accurate picture. We all do.

Had I come from an absolutely horrible upbringing like many in the world and then came to Jesus for salvation, I would have seen a more clear understanding between the weight of my sin and the freedom to which God has redeemed me. For whatever reason, I did not have that, but I believe it’s not too late for God to create it within me by the power of His Word.

The more I come to appreciate just how much God has forgiven me, the greater my love will be for Him and others. One creates the other. The less I appreciate how much God has forgiven me, the greater my pride and self-righteousness will be.

I’ll be back with more on Romans 3:20-26. Until then may the Lord God help me to see the weight of my own sin and how much it cost Him to redeem me so that I can spend the rest of my days loving Him and others more, as the sinful woman of Luke 7 did from that day onward. I’d appreciate it if you’d all pray for me to that end.

Entry filed under: Atheism and religion, christianity, Religious - Christian - Prophecy. Tags: forgiveness, to love much.