17. Forgive
Matthew 6:14
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
This is a conditional promise: if you forgive, then your Father will forgive you. The condition of forgiving does not cause God to forgive, for God unconditionally forgives all people who ever lived on earth. The condition (the “if”) is the death of Christ on the Cross: this guarantees the forgiveness of sins from God. The forgiveness from the Father is not forced on people but all the people do not receive it; God forgives but they don’t have it; and if it is not received or believed then those people are not forgiven.
It is faith that receives; if faith is not present forgiveness is not received. It is not that God would not forgive; it is that the people would not receive it by faith. And one way we can discern whether a person believes and receives: Does he in turn forgive others when he is trespassed against? This is evidence. When we are forgiven such a great and unpayable debt our heart is overwhelmed and changed so much that we are willing and eager to forgive others. The forgiveness one gives is the evidence that he has truly received the forgiveness of the Father; in other words, he believes. It is extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, for an unbeliever who has not appreciated and received forgiveness to genuinely forgive the one who sins against him; for the believer it is possible.
The promise of forgiveness from the Father has a real, not imaginary, power to change lives and hearts and minds. Forgiveness is not mere ritual or form, but it reaches deep into the center of the sinner’s being and turns him around and makes profound changes. Vengeance, getting even, keeping score, wanting justice, not speaking to the offender, avoiding interaction, or even wishing harm are all thoughts, words and actions that the Christian does not entertain. This is change!