The Urgency of Forgiveness

So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses. (Matthew 18:35)

Just before this, Jesus presented a parable that showed the urgent need for His disciples to forgive others, especially considering how much God had forgiven them. The parable and its application here end with a warning against failing to forgive.

The principle is clear. God has forgiven us such a great debt, that any debt owed to us by others is insignificant in comparison. No man can possibly offend me to the extent that my sins have offended God.

Jesus here taught an important and often neglected principle regarding forgiveness. There are many sincere Christians who withhold forgiveness from others for mistaken reasons – and they feel entirely justified in doing so.

Their reasoning works like this: We should not forgive another person who sins against us until they properly repent. This is because repentance is mentioned in the context of our command to forgive (such as in Luke 17:4), and because our forgiveness to others is to be modeled after God’s forgiveness of us. Since God does not forgive us apart from repentance, so we should not forgive others unless they properly repent to us. We even have the duty to withhold such forgiveness and to judge their repentance, because it is ultimately in their best interest to do so.

This thinking – even if well-meaning – is wrong and ultimately dangerous. This parable (Matthew 18:23-35) shows one reason why it is incorrect for us to think, “God doesn’t forgive me without my repentance; therefore, I must withhold my forgiveness from others until they properly repent.” That thinking is wrong, because I do not stand in the same place as God in the equation, and I never can. God stands as One who has never been forgiven and never needed forgiveness; I stand as one who has been forgiven and needs continual forgiveness.

Therefore – if it were possible – we should be far quicker to forgive than God is, without precondition of repentance, because we stand as forgiven sinners who must also forgive. We have an even greater obligation to forgive than God does.

It is also important to understand that a distinction can and should be made between forgiveness and reconciliation. True reconciliation of relationship can only happen when both parties are agreeable to it, and this may require repentance on one or both of the parties in the conflict. Yet forgiveness can be one-sided.

Furthermore, forgiveness does not necessarily shield someone from the civil or practical consequences of their sin. On a personal level, forgiveness is required. On a civil and societal level, the man should be punished by the magistrates (Romans 13).

Nevertheless, the principle clearly stands. In context, this parable was given to make us more forgiving, not less forgiving. No one could reasonably read this parable and think the goal was to restrict the forgiveness of His disciples.

Don’t miss the urgency of true forgiveness.

Click here for David’s commentary on Matthew 18