“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” – Luke 6:37

How important is forgiveness? Jesus often links our forgiveness of others very closely to God’s forgiveness of us. For instance, in the Lord’s Prayer, he encourages us to pray, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” (Luke 11:4). In Matthew 6:14-15 he challenges whether we can live a life of unforgiveness and truly grasp God’s forgiveness. In speaking on Luke 6:35, Alister Begg says, “Our readiness to forgive is a litmus test of our spiritual status; when we forgive from the heart, we provide evidence that we actually are sons and daughters of the Most High.”

But is forgiveness just for the benefit of the other person? No! God’s command for us to forgive is just as much for our benefit as for the benefit of others. In fact, many instances of our forgiveness will go completely unrecognized by the other person. But acceptance or reciprocity is not really the point. Nothing will free you from anger and bring joy quicker than truly forgiving. And conversely, nothing corrupts your heart and thinking like harboring unforgiveness. If you have truly experienced the life-giving forgiveness of the Gospel, then don’t let an unforgiving heart keep you in slavery any longer. Forgive because you have been forgiven!

Heavenly Father, full of grace and mercy, fill us with your heart of forgiveness. Let our thoughts and actions be motivated by grace, mercy, and love. Free us not only from the sins we have committed, but free us from a heart that is obsessed with the sins of others.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Shane Cannon