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14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. ~ Matthew 6:14-15
Today, we continue our study of Matthew 6 which is found in the heart of the Sermon on the Mount. Today's passage comes on the heels of the model prayer known as the Lord's Prayer which contrasts with the meaningless, repetitious, long-winded prayers of the religious. In context, the Lord Jesus was confronting religion which is man's best attempt to earn God's favor. And, of course, man could never be good enough to garner God's forgiveness. In this sermon that the Lord Jesus delivered on that mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee, He highlighted the fact that man cannot measure up to the teachings of the Law of Moses. This is why He came to die on the cross. God's forgiveness had to be based upon and passed onto sinful man through the message that came through the cross. Only through the Lord Jesus could God render our salvation because only He is perfect.
In v.14 of today's passage we read, "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."
The words "For if" points us to the previous words of the Lord Jesus. In the previous verse the He said, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." The word translated "debts" is the word which is also translated "transgressions." We must remember the context the Lord Jesus was speaking into here which was that of an Israelite living under the Law of Moses. The Lord Jesus was preaching law to those who lived under law. As declared through Moses, debts were to be forgiven according to the law. When a debt was not forgiven, it was a violation of the law. As such, if someone were to not forgive a debt in the seventh year as required by Deuteronomy 15:1-6, they could expect that their sacrifice for sin would not be accepted by God. This was stated this way in order to impress on the Jews the utter importance of forgiving others.
In order for a debt to be forgiven, the one owing has to ask the one owed for forgiveness. It cannot be that the debtor is forgiven without the request for forgiveness. When a transgression against another exists, there must be a process that must be followed when someone asks to be forgiven for what he has done. This was one point the Lord Jesus was making here. Withholding forgiveness and holding onto bitterness would render bad things in the soul of the one who was choosing not to forgive. This is why if someone refused to forgive a debt, it would be handled like not forgiving a debt. Someone who would presume to come before God with a sacrificial offering for forgiveness would be treated in the same manner. No forgiveness would result. That was God's teaching to Israel under the Law of Moses.
In v.15 of today's passage we read, "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
When the Lord Jesus died on the cross for our sin, it changed this teaching. In the moment that we believe the gospel, we are forgiven, at that time, for all of our sins, past, present, and future. We must remember that forgiveness is never required unless asked for. There is no biblical example where forgiveness is required without repentance. Repentance means "to change one’s mind." In essence, once we have offended another, when we ask for forgiveness we show that we have changed our mind.
In Ephesians 4:32 we read, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."
After we received Christ as our Savior we were instructed to make it a habit to forgive. It is very difficult to be defined by God's forgiveness when we are holding onto pasts hurts and subsequent grudges. Our forgiveness in Christ was given to us only after we ask for it. The heart must be engaged and this is why God requires of us our request for forgiveness. While God's forgiveness is solely based on our faith in the finished work on the cross, the result should be that we forgive others as God has freely forgiven us. It only makes logical sense that forgiven people forgive people.
Choosing not to forgive another is a form of bondage. It is a denier of grace. If we are unable to release forgiveness to others, we will have trouble experiencing the forgiveness that God has given to us. In fact, it may be a sign that we truly do not understand what He has done for us through His Son's sacrifice on the cross. When we hold onto bitterness, we will be miserable. The flow of grace will be constricted by the bitter root of unbelief. We do well to let go of sin and take hold of God's grace. This is when the grace of God takes hold of us. We must choose to be better, not to be bitter. When we choose grace, we will know freedom from our bondage to the enemy.
