Those Forgiven by God Must Forgive Others

On three separate occasions Jesus indicated that those God has forgiven must extend forgiveness to others. If they don’t, Jesus said, God will not forgive them.

In Matthew 6:7-15 Jesus gave His disciples the model prayer, which includes a request that God would “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (v. 12). But there is more. After the prayer, Jesus stated explicitly, “for if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (vv. 14-15).
In Matthew 18:21-35, Peter came to Jesus and asked how many times he should forgive his brother when the brother repeatedly sins against him. “Up to seven times?” (v. 21). Peter thought he was being extravagant when he suggested seven times, because “the traditional Rabbinic teaching was that an offended person needed to forgive a brother only three times.”¹ Jesus replied responded by essentially saying, “No, Peter, not seven times, but seventy times seven—or 490 times!” Whoa! Who’s going to keep a record of that? Jesus’ clear teaching here is that limits to forgiveness are off limits! He went on to tell the parable of the unforgiving servant. A servant owed his king a massive debt, but the king forgave it all. But when the king learned that this same servant had gone out and demanded payment from someone who owed him a trivial amount, he rightly “was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him” (v. 34). Then Jesus added, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses” (v. 35).
In Mark 11:25-26, Jesus declared, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Note:

¹Louis A. Barbieri, Jr., “Matthew” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament Edition, John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, eds. (Victor Books, 1983), 62.

This page is part of a larger article.

top image credit: This depiction of the parable of the unforgiving servant (see Matthew 18:21-35) on a stained glass window in Scots’ Church, Melbourne shows the initial forgiving of the debt, and the final punishment of the unforgiving servant.