Ephesians 4:30-32: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Last week we focused on the command of Paul found in verse 32 to be kind and compassionate to one another. This week I want to examine Paul's injunction about forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
New Testament teaching explicitly reveals that forgiveness is mandatory in the kingdom of God. It is not an option. The Word of God commands us to forgive one another. To allow unforgiveness to take root in your life can open the door to sickness and disease and can even lead to your premature physical death. For sure it will rob your spiritual life of the vitality of a dynamic walk with God.
Jesus tells a sobering parable in Matthew 18:21-35.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents 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 to be sold to repay the debt. 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, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in, 'You, wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled 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 turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
In this parable Jesus demonstrates the attitude of the Father toward those who have been forgiven, but are unwilling to forgive others for lesser offenses.
A king decides to settle accounts. One servant owes him a huge sum of money. The king ordered that the servant and his entire family to be sold to pay the debt. However, the servant pleads with the king. He tell the king he will repay the debt in full. The king showed great mercy, and canceled the entire debt. But then this servant goes out and finds a servant who owed him a very small amount. The forgiven servant demands repayment from his fellow servant. The forgiven servant shows no mercy. Rather, he throws his fellow servant into prison until the debt can be paid.
This situation greatly distressed the other servants, so they went and told the king what happened. He was enraged at the merciless actions of the servant he had forgiven. The king asks the forgiven servant, "'Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'" The king was so angry that he turned the servant over to the jailers to be tortured until he had paid back all that he had originally owed.
Then chapter 18 concludes with Jesus saying, "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
For some reason I want to just gloss over the last verse of Matthew 18. I want to pretend like Jesus really didn't mean what he said. Is it really the heart of the Father to turn Christians who do not forgive over to the jailers to be tortured. In a spiritual sense it is like Jesus is saying, "Okay, here are your two options. You can forgive your brother with the great mercy with which you have been forgiven and please the Father. Then you will walk in great joy, peace and blessing. Or, you can choose to not forgive, and the Father will choose to allow you to reap the consequences of your actions. He will remove his covering of grace and favor from your life, allow you to be tormented and tortured by the demons of hell because of your disobedience."
Forgiveness is not optional. It is mandatory.
In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus says, "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 then your Father will not forgive your sins."
In Mark 11:25-26 after speaking about faith Jesus once again speaks bluntly about forgiveness. "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Faither who is in heaven forgive your sins.
Forgiveness is not optional, it is mandatory. If you want God to forgive you, then you must forgive your brother. These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you want to be forgiven, then you must forgive.
The epistle of James contains another very sobering verse of Scripture. James 2:13a states, Judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.
Jesus shed his blood to forgive each of us of a tremendous debt of sin and degradation. He expects us to give to others the mercy and the grace, that we have received from him. No matter how greatly you have been hurt, that hurt is still minute compared to depth of your sin in the eyes of God. You have been forgiven, now you must forgive.
You cannot the afford the luxury of unforgiveness. Forgiveness is not optional, it is mandatory.
Wayne L. Williams
wayne@fotwm.org