Christian Forgiveness

Christian Forgiveness

Matthew 6.14-15

14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 18.21-27

21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" 22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25Since 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. 26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

What is this Christian business of forgiveness? It is one of the most healing, powerful, and Christ-like acts we can do. I am speaking of a Christian's forgiveness of his fellow man. This is an act we are called by our Lord to do. It is not optional, nor is always convenient, but it is a command from the Lord. The Good Lord tells us to “forgive men when they sin against [us].” Notice there is no degree of wrongdoing involved—He expects ALL sins to be forgiven. There is no limit to forgiveness, either. We are to forgive our neighbor “seventy-seven times” (some translations say the more familiar 'seventy times seven).

With no restrictions on forgiveness, Jesus obviously places it as a top priority in a Christian's life. It is so important that our Father tells us that “if [we] do not forgive men their sins, [our] Father will not forgive [our] sins.” Now, this is a very troubling matter, for it seems that our salvation itself depends upon it. However, as one commentator implies, Christ is actually moving closer towards us when we do not forgive our brother(http://bible.org/article/issue-forgiveness-sermon-mount). He pulls on our hearts, He makes us unable to sleep at night, He makes our stomachs rather upset and our minds always preoccupied. He makes us miserable so that we must forgive our brother. Eventually, we repent our transgressions and release the hostility, forgiving our brother. Sometimes it is a few days, but I have seen it linger on for decades. This is not healthy, beloved. Christ calls us to forgive each other, simply and purely. No strings attached.

When we forgive one another, we are like the rich king who forgave his servant's debt: we pardon the payment and show love to our neighbor, but that does not imply that we forget the servant was unable to pay. And that, I think, is quite a valuable lesson. When we forgive, we learn of each other's weaknesses. Not so that we may hold further grudges, but that we may build one another up in Christ to prevent any further transgressions. We ought take note of our own weaknesses as well, urging our brothers and sisters to forgive us when we know that we ourselves have committed a blunder.

Humans are not perfect, but through Christ we are being made perfect. Nevertheless, if we are to make it through this spinning blue and green rock of temptation, we need to learn to forgive our neighbor. One ought look deeply into his own heart, examining whether there is anyone who needs forgiving, or if we need to be forgiven. Examine your hearts. What is inside? Allow the Lord to mold you into a ministry of forgiveness and peace. Amen.

With love in Christ,


Austin Aldrich