Don’t worry: this column is not about Halloween.
What are the scariest verses in the Bible? Here is one verse you will recognize because it is from the Lord’s Prayer: And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. (Matthew 6:12) A few verses later, Jesus added, For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15) God will not forgive us if we don’t forgive others! Can you see why I call these the scariest verses in the Bible?
I think that forgiving others may be the most difficult thing God has asked us to do, but it seems to be required for our forgiveness!
To illustrate this point, Jesus told a story that I call the Terrible Parable. A man who owed a huge debt to a king requested forgiveness for the debt. The king was merciful and forgave him. But when another person asked that man to forgive him for a smaller debt, he refused. When the king heard of the unmerciful attitude of the man he had forgiven, the king revoked his forgiveness. Jesus said that this is how God will treat us! (Matthew 18:21-35). Scary!
I have a problem in understanding these two passages: they seem to teach that we have to do something in order to be forgiven. But elsewhere the Bible clearly teaches that salvation is a gift which cannot be earned by any good work. Our forgiveness is based solely on God’s love and grace. So why did Jesus seem to say the opposite?
First of all, notice that in the parable the king’s forgiveness came first: the king freely forgave the man with the large debt. He was forgiven not because he did something to deserve it, but because the king showed him mercy. However, that forgiveness was cancelled afterwards when he did not freely forgive someone else. This order of events is significant, and it teaches us an important lesson: our salvation is not just about being forgiven. God’s forgiveness is not a Get-Out-of-Hell free card that benefits me and no one else. God’s mercy is for all—or for none. For us to ask for mercy and not to give it is to defy the character of God, to contradict the values of the Kingdom of God, and to deny the gospel.
In the Terrible Parable the man who received forgiveness but who refused to forgive was motivated by his own selfishness. He showed no compassion for others. He did not learn from the king the lesson of mercy. In a similar way, God wants us to learn to show mercy when we receive mercy. To be godly is to be like God—which includes loving others and showing mercy. God wants heaven to be filled with people who share his loving character.
Jesus taught this principle in other verses: Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy (Matthew 5:7) Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:44-45) Just as we are blessed to enjoy God’s love, so we are to bless others: even our enemies, even strangers, even foreigners, with our love. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our daily life on earth is the training ground for heaven! Just as God’s mercy and forgiveness make heaven possible, we also need to become the kind of people who are ready for heaven.
I do not think that Jesus intended to scare us by saying that anyone who failed to forgive others, even once, might have their forgiveness canceled by God. We are all guilty of failing to forgive! If so, we all might ask—as Jesus’ disciples did—“Who then can be saved?” And Jesus would again reply, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Our salvation is possible based on what God does, not on what we can do.
But Jesus intended to teach us that mercy and forgiveness are the essence of the gospel—both as we receive them and as we give them, thus becoming more like God. And preparing for heaven starts here and now with forgiving others.
But knowing this doesn’t make it easy to forgive. Next week we will consider how to forgive others.
Greg Giles is a published author, who, along with his wife Jean, has embraced the call to serve and teach around the globe. Their life together has included missionary work in Liberia, Bangladesh, teaching in China, and raising a family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Between global travels and local commitments, including serving as superintendent of Corn Bible Academy and their current part-time roles at Corn Heritage Village, the Gileses have found “home” in many places; yet, they now happily reside in retirement in Cordell. Please visit his website at reflections-on-wisdom.com.