The principle is easy for us to understand: What goes around, comes around. Paul said it this way: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7–8).
The thing is, we all want God’s forgiveness. Maybe more than that—we expect His forgiveness. It’s us after all. But God makes it clear in His Word that if we do not show mercy—if we do not forgive, doing so from the heart—then we will not be shown mercy, and we will not be forgiven (Luke 6:37; James 2:12–13; Matthew 18:35).
God is impartial (Romans 2:6, 11; James 2:1). And we are to be like Him (Matthew 5:48). It’s not that we cannot comprehend this characteristic, or that we don’t appreciate this characteristic; it’s that we struggle with it because it truly is a divine trait. “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:17–19; also see 2 Peter 1:3–4).
“Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:4–6).
If we call ourselves Christians—followers of Jesus, Christ-likes, if you will—then we must challenge ourselves to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Genuine, lasting, beneficial growth doesn’t come easily, and hardly ever comes quickly.
For example, after the Lord taught about how to deal with a brother who has sinned against us (Matthew 18:15–20) the apostle Peter then asked, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” (Matthew 18:21)
From this point, Jesus taught a parable about an unforgiving servant who owed the king a mind-blowing amount of money which would be impossible to repay (10,000 talents comes to 200,000 years’ worth of work). The king compassionately forgave him the debt! (Matthew 18:27) The servant’s reaction? He sought someone who owed him a significant debt—obviously nowhere near the amount he was forgiven by the king (about 3 months’ worth of work)—and had his fellow-servant jailed.
What the forgiven servant did was then reported to the king; and the king’s full anger came down upon him: “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (vv. 32–33). Jesus concluded as plainly as could be stated: “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (v. 35).
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3).
Forgiveness is an essential aspect of this. Again, if we want to be forgiven by God, then we must forgive from the heart our brother’s and sister’s sins against us. This isn’t set up as an option—it is a commandment, and God’s commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:2–3).
“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:14–15).
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