For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins….Matthews 6:14-15
Very plain and straightforward! But how many times do we pray for forgiveness, while still holding offence against a brother or sister? For some of us, it is most times if not all! Then we turn around and wonder – why is God not answering our prayers? It is not about God not answering our prayers. It is about being self-imprisoned in a cage of offence and unforgiveness, creating a barrier that hinders and causes disruption in our communion with God.
But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God. And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear…Isaiah 59;2
Envisage a scenario where your sins are not forgiven, meaning you are technically sinful, meaning your attempt at communion with the God who is Holy, is cut off! When you pray by the Holy Spirit, which should always be the case and allow God, who searches the heart to search yours, He will in all instances, quicken you on causes of such barriers….Psalm 139:23-24, Psalm 26:2, Romans 8:26
The Bible states that the Father forgives; but we also must forgive. The devil knows the power of this revelation and will endeavor to keep us in cages of unforgiveness, by holding meaningless foolish grudges against others, so that our blessings never materialize. The scale of forgiveness has to be balanced for results to manifest.
When Simon Peter asked Jesus, how many times should one surely forgive others before it is enough, seven times? But Jesus responded, nay much more, over and above seven, and used the parable of the King and the heavily indebted servant, to drive the point home……
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. At this the servant fell on his knees before him. “Be patient with me”, he begged, “and I will pay back everything. The servant’s master took pity on him cancelled his debt and let him go. But when the servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. “pay back what you ow me! He demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him “be patient with me and I will pay it back”, But he refused…..Matthew 18:23-30
Like the forgiven servant, we were doomed to life in debt! We were condemned, and could never repay our debt, death being the penalty. But God, by His grace, has forgiven our sins, which had it been dependent on us to work out a forgiveness plan, we would never have paid up even if we worked towards it our entire lives!
But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved…For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast…Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9
And God forgives and counts none of the sins against us as a condition for reconciliation….2 Corinthians 5:19. How generous and humbling! He like the King will cancel the debt, wipe the slate clean and not remind us of the debt nor hold us ransom over it. This good relationship will be maintained as long as we, in appreciation, keep our end of the bargain and forgive others. However, when we remain unforgiving, we are forgetting and are unappreciative of the magnitude of that which has been lifted off of us at no cost, and chasing after the meagre and relatively insignificant sins that others have done against us. [Note in the parable, the Master’s debt is in TENS of THOUSANDS of GOLD while the servant’s is in HUNDREDS of SILVER, for comparison!] Then we become like the forgiven servant, who threw his fellow servant in jail until he could repay his debt. In which case like this unforgiving servant, we are not cognizant of the grace and mercy bestowed upon us and are undeserving of forgiveness of our bigger debt!
“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”….Romans 2:4
Then the master called the servant in. “you wicked servant.” He said, “I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is now my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart”….Matthew 18:32-35
Thrown into prison, given over to the jailers and torturers! That is where satan wants us, unforgiven and therefore in prison under his power and mercy, the jailer and torturer! what unforgiveness does; ruins our relationship and puts a distance between us and the kind and forgiving Master.
Despite our sins, the Father has provided every avenue for our forgiveness and salvation. If God can look at man in his sinful state, but still love him and work out a redemption plan to set him free, through Jesus, to separate the sin (debt) from the man, and reconcile the forgiven man back to Himself, then us, His children, are called upon to do the same. Fine, we are to hate the sin, but love the person enough to see the sin separate from the man, and forgive them.
And when you stand to pray if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well….Mark 11:25
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous….Matthew 5:45
God extended His love and forgiveness to us, even while we were sinners, unrepentant and unrelenting to the wooing of the Holy Spirit. He overlooked our sins by sending us a Savior even when we were undeserving!…Romans 5:8 Who, then, are we not to forgive others? Also, if you do not forgive, meaning your sins too are not forgiven, where do you stand, in terms of Salvation?
Forgiving others is not for their benefit, but ours.
Glory to God!
Jesus is the Centre, Gospel Teaching Life Church 
Leave a comment