Jesus was clear that forgiving others is absolutely critical to our own salvation: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15) It is, therefore, essential that we properly understand this important subject.
First, when a problem arises, we must determine if the issue involves sin or not. If there is no sin, then we can and should forgive unilaterally. For example, if someone simply ‘hurt my feelings’ or I felt slighted in some way, there is no sin in that. Perhaps it was an oversight, or maybe a case of bad judgment, but there was no sin. In such cases I don’t even need to address the other person. I can just let that pass. Certainly, I ought not let this linger or cause hard feelings. I can simply ‘let it go’.
Jesus described this type of unilateral forgiveness in Luke 7:41,42: “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?” The Lord’s point is clear – those who are forgiven the most are, or at least should be, the most grateful. But notice the scenario He described. Two men incurred debt. There’s no inherent sin in that. The creditor just waived the debt on his own, and without conditions. We can do the same, and we ought to do so. Often Christians are much too sensitive, even petty, about the issues that they allow to become major problems. When no sin is involved we need to forgive unconditionally.
However, things change when sin is involved. More on that next week . . .
– by Greg Gwin