On a Christian chat room there is a forum titled "How do I forgive?" The question was posted by someone struggling with forgiving somebody for a sin they committed against them. No doubt, the subject of forgiveness is a major topic within the Body of Christ. After giving a brief response to the question I discovered the following response written by another individual:
"I too, struggled with forgiveness. It's so crazy, because until you're really faced with having to forgive someone, it seems so easy. What helped me to overcome holding in unforgiveness was realizing that while I didn't forgive them, God wasn't forgiving me.. My youth leader once taught on this and asked the question 'Is this person worth going to hell over?' It was a really good point..."
I was in shock when I read this comment. What kind of fear must a person be in if they believe God won't forgive them unless they forgive others? And add to that their belief that if they don't forgive those who sin against them they will go to hell!
"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' 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 Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:12-15
The belief that forgiveness from God is conditional comes primarily from this passage in Matthew. And I can't deny that Jesus is clearly stating here that forgiveness is conditional based on our forgiving others. However, when did Jesus make this statement? He made it before He died on the cross. One of the biggest mistakes Christians have made is believing that the New Covenant began at the birth of Jesus Christ. Therefore, scriptures like this are mistakenly believed to be part of the New Covenant. However, the New Covenant began after the death of Jesus. Hence, the conditional forgiveness many believe in was actually part of the Old Covenant. If we are to believe that forgiveness of sins is conditional on our ability to forgive those who sin against us, we not only are in jeopardy of never being forgiven, we also have a contradiction in scripture.
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32
It is impossible to reconcile the conditional forgiveness stated in Matthew with the unconditional forgiveness proclaimed in passages like this one in Ephesians. What is the difference? The difference is the cross! Before Jesus died on the cross, forgiveness was conditional. It was based on what we did for God. The Old Testament sacrifices of shedding the blood of bulls and goats served as a temporary covering, atonement, of sins. But, it never took sins away. However, when Jesus died on the cross He purchased eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12) as the propitiating sacrifice (1 John 2:2) that took away our sins forever. Now God is no longer counting our sins against us (2 Corinthians 5:19) because Jesus is the final sacrifice (Hebrews 10:17-18) for our sins. We now forgive others because we have been forgiven not in order to receive forgiveness. It is a continuation of the love of God. He loved us first and now, in Christ, we share the love we have received with those we encounter in life. And forgiving others for their sins against us is the ultimate expression of God's love. Jesus paid a debt He didn't owe for a people who owed a debt they could not pay. We are now free to have a relationship with God, and He with us, because the sin issue that separated us from Him no longer exists. We in turn remove the sin issue that stands between us and others in order to free both parties from the bondage we were held under.
"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11
Ask yourself one question. What is more encouraging, to know that you are not appointed to suffer wrath because of what Christ has done for you or believing that you will suffer wrath, go to hell, if you are unable to forgive everyone who ever sins against you? In believing that your forgiveness, and thus your salvation, is tied to your ability to perform is putting yourself back under the law. You have cursed yourself to a lifetime of fear because you have made forgiveness and salvation conditional on your behavior. You have fallen from grace (Galatians 5:4). Besides, how will you know if you have forgiven everybody, perfectly, that has ever sinned against you? What is your standard? You can't experience the love of God if you believe your sins still come between you and Him. Furthermore, you will find it difficult to mature in your faith because you will not be able to approach God in your time of need. If you are not experiencing the love of God, how can you encourage others in their faith? You cannot. Telling others about the love of God will be impossible because you are not experiencing it yourself. This will ruin your evangelism, your testimony, your walk, your relationships and every aspect of your faith. We forgive others in response to the love and forgiveness God has freely given to us not out of the fear of what He might do to us if we do not forgive.
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