Most people want God’s forgiveness.
We want God to forgive our sins.
We want mercy when we fail.
We want grace when we fall short.
But Jesus repeatedly connected receiving forgiveness with something that can be much more difficult:
OUR WILLINGNESS TO FORGIVE OTHERS.
That raises an important question:
CAN WE ASK GOD TO FORGIVE US WHILE REFUSING TO FORGIVE SOMEONE ELSE?
JESUS CONNECTED OUR FORGIVENESS WITH FORGIVING OTHERS
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His disciples to pray:
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
(Matthew 6:12, KJV)
Notice:
FORGIVE US
↓
AS
↓
WE FORGIVE OTHERS
Immediately after the prayer, Jesus returned to this subject.
He said:
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:”
(Matthew 6:14, KJV)
Then He gave the opposite:
“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
(Matthew 6:15, KJV)
Those words are difficult to misunderstand.
FORGIVE OTHERS
↓
THE FATHER FORGIVES
REFUSE TO FORGIVE OTHERS
↓
THE FATHER WILL NOT FORGIVE
Forgiveness is not optional Christian behavior.
JESUS TAUGHT FORGIVENESS WITHOUT KEEPING SCORE
Peter once asked Jesus:
“Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?”
(Matthew 18:21, KJV)
Perhaps Peter thought seven times was generous.
Jesus answered:
“I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
(Matthew 18:22, KJV)
Jesus was not giving Peter a ledger with 490 spaces.
He was teaching that forgiveness should not be governed by a spirit that constantly keeps score.
The Christian should not be asking:
“HOW MANY MORE TIMES MUST I FORGIVE THIS PERSON?”
The better question is:
“HOW MUCH HAS GOD FORGIVEN ME?”
JESUS THEN TOLD A PARABLE
Jesus described a servant who owed his king an enormous debt.
The servant could not pay.
He pleaded:
“Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.”
(Matthew 18:26, KJV)
What did the lord do?
“Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.”
(Matthew 18:27, KJV)
Notice:
ENORMOUS DEBT
↓
UNABLE TO PAY
↓
PLEADS FOR MERCY
↓
LORD HAS COMPASSION
↓
DEBT FORGIVEN
That should have changed the servant.
But it did not.
THE FORGIVEN SERVANT REFUSED TO FORGIVE
That same servant found another servant who owed him a much smaller debt.
He demanded:
“Pay me that thou owest.”
(Matthew 18:28, KJV)
The fellow servant pleaded with almost the same words:
“Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.”
(Matthew 18:29, KJV)
But the forgiven servant:
“…would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.”
(Matthew 18:30, KJV)
Think about the contrast:
HE RECEIVED MERCY
↓
BUT REFUSED TO SHOW MERCY
HE WAS FORGIVEN
↓
BUT REFUSED TO FORGIVE
The king heard what happened.
He said:
“O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
“Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?”
(Matthew 18:32–33, KJV)
That is the heart of the lesson.
WE FORGIVE BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN.
JESUS APPLIED THE LESSON TO US
Jesus concluded:
“So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”
(Matthew 18:35, KJV)
Notice:
FROM YOUR HEARTS.
Biblical forgiveness is not merely saying:
“I FORGIVE YOU”
while continuing to nurture hatred, bitterness, and revenge.
Forgiveness must reach the heart.
PAUL TAUGHT THE SAME PATTERN
Paul wrote:
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
(Ephesians 4:32, KJV)
Notice the pattern:
GOD FORGAVE US
↓
FOR CHRIST’S SAKE
↓
THEREFORE
↓
WE FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER
Paul told the Colossians:
“…forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any…”
(Colossians 3:13, KJV)
Then:
“…even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
(Colossians 3:13, KJV)
The standard is not:
FORGIVE WHEN THEY DESERVE IT.
The standard points us toward the mercy we ourselves have received.
BITTERNESS MUST BE PUT AWAY
Paul wrote:
“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:”
(Ephesians 4:31, KJV)
Then immediately:
“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…”
(Ephesians 4:32, KJV)
Notice the contrast:
BITTERNESS
↓
WRATH
↓
ANGER
↓
EVIL SPEAKING
↓
MALICE
MUST BE REPLACED WITH:
KINDNESS
↓
TENDERHEARTEDNESS
↓
FORGIVENESS
Holding onto bitterness does not punish only the person who hurt us.
It changes us.
God calls us to put it away.
FORGIVENESS DOES NOT MEAN SIN DOES NOT MATTER
Forgiveness does not mean calling evil good.
It does not mean pretending nothing happened.
It does not mean that every damaged relationship can immediately return to exactly what it was before.
It does not eliminate repentance, accountability, wisdom, or appropriate boundaries.
Jesus Himself taught:
“Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.”
(Luke 17:3, KJV)
Notice:
SIN OCCURS
↓
SIN IS ADDRESSED
↓
REPENTANCE
↓
FORGIVENESS
Christian forgiveness does not require us to deny truth.
It requires us to abandon hatred and personal vengeance and maintain a heart ready to forgive.
WE MUST NOT SEEK REVENGE
Paul wrote:
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves…”
(Romans 12:19, KJV)
Instead:
“…Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
(Romans 12:19, KJV)
Then:
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
(Romans 12:21, KJV)
The Christian does not answer evil by becoming evil.
We trust judgment to God.
THE BIBLICAL PATTERN
WE SIN AGAINST GOD
↓
WE SEEK GOD’S FORGIVENESS
↓
GOD SHOWS MERCY THROUGH CHRIST
↓
OTHERS SIN AGAINST US
↓
WE REFUSE BITTERNESS AND REVENGE
↓
WE MAINTAIN A HEART READY TO FORGIVE
↓
WE FORGIVE AS CHRIST FORGAVE US
↓
WE OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD
THAT IS THE PATTERN.
Forgiveness can be difficult.
Some wounds are deep.
Some betrayals change lives.
Some memories do not disappear simply because we decide to forgive.
But Jesus never said forgiveness would always be easy.
He showed us why it is necessary.
Every Christian stands before God as someone who desperately needed mercy.
Therefore, when we are tempted to say:
“THAT PERSON DOES NOT DESERVE MY FORGIVENESS,”
we should remember:
DID WE DESERVE CHRIST’S SACRIFICE?
Paul wrote:
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
(Romans 5:8, KJV)
The cross should change the way we look at those who have wronged us.
The question is not merely:
“HAS SOMEONE HURT ME?”
The question is:
“WILL I ALLOW THAT HURT TO PRODUCE BITTERNESS, OR WILL I FOLLOW THE PATTERN CHRIST GAVE ME?”
Don’t accept this conclusion merely because it is written here.
Open your Bible.
Read Matthew 6.
Read Matthew 18.
Read Luke 17.
Read Romans 12.
Read Ephesians 4.
Read Colossians 3.
Compare Scripture with Scripture.
Then ask:
IS THERE SOMEONE I REFUSE TO FORGIVE WHILE I CONTINUE ASKING GOD TO FORGIVE ME?
Jesus said:
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:”
(Matthew 6:14, KJV)
RECEIVE MERCY.
SHOW MERCY.
FORGIVE AS CHRIST FORGAVE YOU.
ALLOW SCRIPTURE TO INTERPRET SCRIPTURE.
The Biblical Pattern
Biblical Studies & Books by Kevin L. Walker
TheBiblicalPattern.com
The Biblical Pattern 