As Christians, we enjoy knowing that our sins are forgiven. It is a peace we have with God that could only come through the cross of His Son, Jesus. Speaking about all who are saved by grace, through faith, the Lord said, “…they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Heb 8:11-12. Romans 6:18 says, “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” Likewise, in Pisidian Antioch, Paul declared, “…through Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed. Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:38-39.
Great news! What a relief! Because of the cross, and through faith, we no longer stand condemned, but have received eternal life. Our Lord has prepared a place for us in heaven!
But given what I have just shown you, and what we believe and know in our hearts, what do you make of the following passage? Jesus said,
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your heavenly Father will not forgive your sins.” Matt 6:18-19.
As I begin to answer this question, I am compelled to say that I cannot think of a worse sin for a believer to commit. Before you became a believer, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was the unforgivable sin. It was the only sin that could condemn you to eternity apart from the Presence of God—Hell. Now that faith has come, blasphemy has become an impossibility for you. God has sealed you by His Holy Spirit, guaranteeing your inheritance in heaven! (2 Cor 1:22). Now, the worst sin you can commit is to withhold forgiveness when someone has wronged you, as Jesus declares above.
Why so serious? Because it is the essence of who you are. God left your sins unpunished leading up to the time that He opened your eyes to Jesus as Lord and Savior. The moment faith came, your sins were washed away. He set you free. Free to be loved again, and, just as importantly, free to love others. Forgiveness is how you got to where you are in God’s Kingdom, and it is who you are. If a Christian never learns anything else about Christianity, he knows about forgiveness. From the least to the greatest of us, forgiveness flowing from the cross has become the very air we breathe—and we all know it. To deny forgiveness to others is to deny who we are. It is to turn our backs on our very salvation, and to become useless as witnesses of God’s grace for salvation and the unconditional love we have received. And for what? For the fleshly pleasure of trying to hurt someone who hurt us? By His stripes, we were healed.
Since I am running out of space, I want you to read Matthew 18:21-35. Please do so now, then come back to finish this article.
Verses 33-34 state, “‘Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ In anger his Master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured until he should pay back all he owed.” The torture here is not a reference to hell. It is a reference to the foothold Satan and his demons will get in your life when you refuse to forgive. It will bring much grief and you might not make the connection. God will not abide or work along with your flesh’s desire to hate, so your enemy fills the gap. Know this: God’s grace is more than sufficient for you to stand up against your flesh’s desire to withhold forgiveness. Mercy is unmerited favor: first from God to you, then from God to others through you. The only way to get Satan and his jailers out of your life is to “pay back all that [you] owe.” That means going to the other person and forgiving them, just as in Christ, God forgave you.
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