Forgive and We will be Forgiven

Matthew 6:14-15

¹⁴ “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 

These phrases imply that if we do not forgive men of their sins, our salvation is at stake. 

This is no laughing matter. 

Why would our salvation be compromised if we do not forgive others? 

If we truly understand that…

• All have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard (Romans 3:23)

• Our own righteousness at best is still like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6)

• We are undeserving and we are saved only by the blood of Christ

Then who are we to say that another person is undeserving of our forgiveness?

Forgiving others reflects how we see ourselves. 

Unwillingness to forgive places us on a pedestal, implying we deserve grace more than someone else does. And such an attitude will disqualify us from God’s grace. 

Regardless of the degree of sin that was done against us, we are expected to forgive. As much as our minds may reason if the person deserves it or not, we must always remember that we are all undeserving sinners who received the mercy of God in the very first place. 

Therefore, if we are able to come to the point where we forgive others of all their sins, it also means that we have fully understood God’s grace and mercy. 

Having said all these, we must also understand that it can take some time for certain situations. Forgiving someone who killed your loved one does not come naturally and may require some time. Forgiving someone who betrayed you may be unthinkable, especially when it just happened. But most importantly, one must be willing to embark on this learning journey of God’s mercy and grace, and eventually forgive others of their sins.