Today’s question is, "What does the Bible say about unforgiveness?"
In this video I’ll answer that question from a biblical perspective.
Afterwards, as always, I’ll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the end.
The Bible has quite a bit to say about forgiveness and unforgiveness.
Perhaps the most well-known teaching on unforgiveness is Jesus’ parable of the unmerciful servant,
recorded in . In the parable, a king forgives an enormously large debt (basically one that
could never be repaid) of one of his servants.
Later, however, that same servant refuses to forgive the small debt of another man.
The king hears about this and rescinds his prior forgiveness.
Jesus concludes by saying, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you
unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart” (Matthew 18:35).
Other passages tell us that we will be forgiven as we forgive (see Matthew 6:14; for example).
Do not be confused here; God’s forgiveness is not based on our works.
Forgiveness and salvation are founded completely in the person of God and by Jesus’ redeeming
work on the cross.
However, our actions demonstrate our faith and the extent to which we understand God’s
grace (see Luke 7:47).
We are completely unworthy, yet Jesus chose to pay the price for our sins and to give
us forgiveness (Romans 5:8).
When we truly grasp the greatness of God’s gift to us, we will pass the gift along.
We have been given grace and should give grace to others in return.
In the parable, we are appalled at the servant who would not forgive a minor debt after having
been forgiven his unpayable debt.
Yet, when we are unforgiving, we act just as the servant in the parable.
Unforgiveness also robs us of the full life God intends for us.
Rather than promote justice, our unforgiveness festers into bitterness.
Hebrews 12:14-15 warns, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy;
without holiness no one will see the Lord.
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root rises up to
cause trouble and defile many.”
Similarly, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 warns that unforgiveness can be an opening for Satan
to derail us.
We also know that those who have sinned against us – whom we may not want to forgive – are
held accountable by God (Romans 12:19).
It is important to recognize that to forgive is not to downplay a wrongdoing or necessarily
to reconcile.
When we choose to forgive, we release a person from his indebtedness to us.
We relinquish the right to seek personal revenge.
We choose to say we will not hold his wrongdoing against him.
However, we do not necessarily allow that person back into our trust or even fully release
that person from the consequences of his sin.
We are told that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
While God’s forgiveness relieves us from eternal death, it does not always release
us from the death-like consequences of sin (such as a broken relationship or the penalty
provided by the justice system).
Forgiveness does not mean we act as if no wrong has been done; it does mean we recognize
that grace abundant has been given to us and that we have no right to hold someone else’s
wrongdoing over his head.
Time and again, Scripture calls us to forgive one another.
Ephesians 4:32, for example, says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving
each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
We have been given much in the way of forgiveness, and much is expected from us in response
(Luke 12:48).
Though forgiveness is often difficult, to be unforgiving is to disobey God and to depreciate
the greatness of His gift.
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