But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
God forgives those who forgive others their wrongs, and He does not forgive those who refuse to forgive, and this condition is plain with no excuse for misunderstanding it. He shows mercy in the same manner and measure that mercy is extended to fellow sinners, so asking for pardon while withholding it makes the prayer insincere. Refusing to forgive closes the heart against His mercy and cuts off the channel by which it is received, leaving prayers and gifts unacceptable until reconciliation is made. Forgiveness must be given from the heart with mercy and love, freely and fully as if the wrong had never been done, repeated as often as wrong and repentance are repeated, and not reopened with resentment when a later fault occurs. It is to be shown to the brother who humbles himself and asks for it, and even when no confession is made the injured one is still to refuse bitterness and pardon as pardon is hoped for from God.
Setting in Christ's Teaching
Christ's words belong to His instruction to His disciples on prayer, given in kindness and mercy to correct errors that would lead them astray, especially praying to be seen by men and using vain repetitions, and to show what to pray for since men do not know as they ought. He framed into words what comprehends every human need, including forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Believers are not confined to these exact words, yet even when no more words than these are spoken in sincerity, the prayer is heart-service to God, more acceptable than long tedious prayers offered to be heard of men that exalt supposed good works from desire to be praised of men.
The saying on forgiveness was given immediately after the short prayer full of meaning that Christ taught His disciples, which becomes a blessing when repeated every day in the family circle. Forgiveness was taken up as the point that needed to be impressed forcibly upon their minds.
It belongs to the Sermon on the Mount, where Christ taught the conditions of entrance into God's kingdom and corrected mistaken expectations of worldly greatness. That sermon challenged the self-righteous teachings and practices of the scribes and Pharisees, presenting God as a compassionate, merciful, loving Father rather than the stern judge the religious leaders portrayed. In it Christ revealed that failure to walk in the light given was separating the Jewish people from God, and that darkness was coming upon them in the same proportion as light had been permitted to shine upon their pathway.
It is part of the pure gospel given upon the mount that explains the holy law of God and sets the holy standard of character. It teaches one of the far-reaching principles of the law of God, that the state of the heart regulates the life and character and that the spirit of the law must be in the heart. Instructing new converts in the claims of the law requires impressing this principle upon them, for learning it is the greatest and most difficult lesson, and without this the labor is lost. It requires loving God with the whole heart and loving the neighbor as God requires, which forbids mingling human wisdom with the divine, confusing other minds about right and holy methods, and unjustly acquiring means at the expense of another in business transactions. Those who practice such methods for gain and power prove they have not learned this teaching, and they must repent and be converted and do works worthy of the name of Christian through a cleansing and purging of the soul temple.
Condition for Receiving Forgiveness
Forgiveness from the Father is conditional on forgiving others, for those who forgive the trespasses of others are promised forgiveness, while those who refuse to forgive are not forgiven. This connection between willingness to forgive and receiving forgiveness is the teaching of the verse. The requirement is plainly stated and without flaw, so that at the day of judgment no one can excuse disobedience by saying I did not understand, and it enjoins the duty of dedicating all to God. This warning is given for instruction and safety, so that people may reform and escape the harmful results of transgression.
God measures mercy toward us by the mercy we extend to fellow sinners, forgiving in the same manner and to the same extent that forgiveness is desired from Him. Since pardon is freely given despite human unworthiness, withholding forgiveness from others while seeking that pardon is inconsistent. An unforgiving spirit, including cherished animosity, bitterness, or revenge, conflicts with the daily and hourly need for God's pardoning mercy and makes the prayer for forgiveness insincere, showing no true sense of asking to be forgiven as forgiving. The blessing of pardon is asked upon conditions that the one praying states.
Refusing to forgive shuts the heart against God's mercy and cuts off the channel through which a person receives it, leaving one without the Father's forgiveness. Even when others have deeply wounded us, grievances must not be clung to nor injuries dwelt upon, but everyone who has done wrong must be forgiven as pardon is hoped for from God for our own offenses against Him. An unmerciful spirit toward others closes the heart to God's mercy, while God's love, when it reaches the heart, creates love for fellow believers. Forgiving others is essential to receiving forgiveness from God.
Forgiveness is not earned by forgiving; it is received through Christ, whose death is its ground, with repentance and faith as conditions of salvation. Yet a forgiving spirit is indispensable to receiving it, and those who receive God's mercy must extend it freely, fully, and repeatedly to others who err, so that the forgiven sinner will willingly forgive a brother. Receiving God's forgiveness is joined to forgiving others, and Christians must be as lenient toward others as they wish God and others to be toward them, welcoming forgiving love and banishing retaliation from the heart. The present is a day of grace and repentance in which pardon may be sought, but that opportunity will end when intercession ceases and no further pardon is offered.
Cost of Unforgiving Spirit
Nothing can justify an unforgiving spirit, and refusing mercy to others proves that a person is not a partaker of God's pardoning grace. In God's forgiveness the erring heart is drawn close to the great heart of Infinite Love, and the tide of divine compassion flows into the sinner's soul and from him to the souls of others, so that the tenderness and mercy revealed in Christ's own life will be seen in all who share His grace. Without the Spirit of Christ a person is alienated from God and fitted only for eternal separation from Him. Even one who was once forgiven, if unmerciful, shows present rejection of pardoning love and separation from God, a return to the same condition as before forgiveness, a denial of repentance, with guilt resting as if there had been no repentance.
Refusing to forgive a wrong after confession has been made decides a person's own standing before the heavenly universe and before unbelievers. Such a one becomes double and triple an offender, shows a spirit of hatred, shows the absence of the pure, refined, ennobling spirit of the Master, and shows lack of control by the Spirit of Christ. Whoever gives place to such a temper in life acts out the mind and will of Satan, his service offered to God is not acceptable, and an unforgiving temper will find no place in heaven.
If forgiveness and compassionate help are withheld from a brother who has done wrong, God will withhold help from the unforgiving. When the erring person repents God pardons his transgressions, and those who look on must do the same rather than turn away without feeling for him. Those who refuse will themselves come into distress, not knowing which way to turn, and will be brought over the same hard ground over which they caused their brethren to pass.
Gifts and prayers are not acceptable to God while the duty of reconciliation is left undone, and refusing reconciliation or holding bitter feelings obstructs the peace and blessing sought from God. Receiving forgiveness is bound up with forgiving others, and the prayer for forgiveness is to be lived by doing one's part to answer it. Prayers are hindered by pride of heart, by refusal to confess faults and to remove wrong impressions, and by allowing the poison of envy and evil surmising to destroy union and happiness. Doing one's part means making every effort without delay to remove every stumbling block from a brother's path, to heal every wrong and misunderstanding, to confess faults, to clear misunderstandings, and to restore union and happiness. Even when not to blame, a person must seek explanation and reconciliation by giving an explanation that removes misapprehension, rather than watching for faults, repeating reports to a third person, or letting envy, evil surmising, and pride remain; and if to blame, he is under obligation to do all in his power to remove the wrong impression.
It is painful to be without God's forgiveness, and an unforgiving spirit leaves a person unfit for God's peace. Refusing to forgive leaves one without the Father's forgiveness, and treating others without mercy could bring anyone to hopeless despair. Toward those who repent there must be the pity and compassion of the heavenly Father, rather than reviving healed wrongs through resentful memories. The blessing of pardon is asked upon conditions stated by the one praying, with the mercy extended measured by the mercy extended to others, since all depend on pardoning mercy every day and every hour. Cherishing animosity, revenge, bitterness, and malice while asking to be forgiven as forgiving shows no true sense of the prayer, and indulging an unforgiving spirit is one of the most common sins and brings most pernicious results, yet its terms are little understood or heeded.
How Forgiveness Must Be Given
Forgiveness must be given to a brother who humbles himself, confesses his wrong and asks for pardon, and the one who hopes to be forgiven must take him back with rejoicing and assure him of forgiveness in the same hope of being forgiven. Such a repentant one is to be freely and fully forgiven and treated as if the wrong had never been done. To look indifferently on such a soul or to discourage him in his repentance is to unite with the enemy who seeks to destroy him, and leaves the unforgiving one himself unforgiven. Forgiveness does not wait for the offender first to admit the wrong, for even when there is no confession the injured person is to show compassion, refuse to nurse grievances or dwell on personal injuries, and pardon those who have done evil just as pardon is hoped for from God. It is required even for only a supposed injury or for an injury believed to have been deliberate, remembering one's own need for God's mercy.
To forgive in this way means to become reconciled, to put away resentment, to restore fellowship and remove estrangement, and to extend pity and tenderness even when another has acted wrongly, which brings peace to the soul and helps restore fellowship between believers. Forgiveness must come from the heart with mercy and love and not merely outwardly, and is part of being a Christian, for refusing mercy leaves a person accountable for his own sins. The Holy Spirit leads to recognizing one's own faults, pitying the weakness of others, and forgiving as one wishes to be forgiven, which is a Christlike spirit unlike a harsh, punitive spirit. It calls for making wrongs right and letting go of bitterness before seeking pardon from God. Forgiveness must be repeated as often as trespass and repentance are repeated, seven times in a day and seventy times seven, just as often as Christ forgives.
No one has a right to judge the heart or to refuse forgiveness because the humility or confession does not look sufficient. God's free forgiveness of all sins without any equivalent from man is the rule for treating fellow men, and final overcoming comes not by personal righteousness but through Christ's righteousness and God's long forbearance, mercy and forgiveness. Those who have themselves sinned yet are still retained must therefore compassionately forgive, patiently work for and restore inexperienced, young and fatherless offenders rather than dismiss them to temptation, taking them back, encouraging, loving and educating them with Christlike pity and mercy, even if they err and may err again, never pushing them onto Satan's battleground. True forgiveness does not allow confessed errors and past wrongs to keep returning to mind with resentment, for when a later mistake revives earlier wrongs those wrongs have not truly been forgiven. Jesus passes over transgressions, so forgiving includes not reopening hurt by dwelling on past offenses, but showing compassion and helping the repentant overcome temptation and return to light.
Generous acceptance of confessions is required without dwelling on past mistakes, since doing so hurts both the one who remembers and those who have confessed. When God has received confession and spoken pardon, past wrongs are forgiven and must no more afflict the soul or mind, bringing freedom from holding the past against others. One who has felt deeply over past errors and done all he can to undo them has met the condition for pardon, and his motives are to be judged accordingly rather than by the deception of others or the perplexity surrounding the case. To remain unforgiving is to fail to manifest the same spirit one wishes Christ to manifest toward oneself. Receiving pardon through Christ's sacrifice fills the person with gratitude and tender sympathy for fellow sinners, leaving no room for pride, coldness or revenge, and God's love reaching the heart creates love for fellow believers.
This forgiving spirit is the daily fruit of the Holy Spirit's converting power, so that receiving and appreciating forgiveness of sin bears fruit in forgiving those who injure and harm us. Those whose own sins have been forgiven will show a forgiving spirit toward others, willingly wanting pardon for them and forgiving as they themselves are forgiven. An unmerciful spirit toward others closes the heart to God's mercy, while true faith leads to forgiving as one is forgiven.
Forgiveness in Daily Life
Praying for pardon requires doing one's part to answer the prayer by working to preserve unity and removing without delay every stumbling block from a brother's path. This means healing every wrong, confessing faults, clearing misunderstandings, and curing differences even by conceding one's own rights. If to blame, all possible must be done to remove the wrong impression; if not to blame, explanation must be given to remove misapprehension and every measure taken to gain reconciliation and clear away impressions that grow into alienation over supposed injustice. Gifts and prayers are not acceptable while this duty is left undone and while envy, evil surmising, and pride of heart are allowed to destroy union and happiness, instead of watching for faults or repeating reports to a third person. Those wronged or offended must ever be ready to forgive and must clear the moral atmosphere of the soul.
Those who want to be forgiven must lay aside differences and forgive everyone they believe has wronged them, remembering that they too have harmed themselves and others. This forgiving belongs with humbly seeking the Saviour's pardon and laying down the burden of sin before probation closes. Coming into right relation to God requires putting away all strife for place, position, honor, and recognition, for reaching for these is unconverted self. It means being content, yielding the will to the control of the Holy Spirit, working in just the place assigned where approval can rest, and not elbowing fellow workers aside to make room for personal plans. It means not indulging hasty temper, cruel speech, and unkind thought, not exalting one and condemning another, but revealing righteousness in words that bless and encourage. When sore because another gets ahead, the matter is to be taken to the Father in prayer for His Spirit upon mind and character, and instead of complaining, souls with fewer blessings are to be sought out with words of hope, comfort, and encouragement that make the battle of life easier for associates, so that the Spirit is revealed in word and work.
Those who have themselves sinned yet are retained must compassionately forgive, patiently work for, and restore the inexperienced, young, and fatherless rather than dismiss them and leave them exposed to temptation. They are to take the erring back, encourage, love as a son, link life together, and educate with pity and mercy, even when he has erred and may err again, never pushing him onto the adversary's battleground. Those who have received much forgiveness must show tenderness, sympathy, and grace to the straying and wounded rather than joining the adversary to condemn and destroy them. When an erring person repents, God pardons his transgressions, and onlookers must do the same rather than turn away without feeling; withholding forgiveness and compassionate help causes God to withhold help, bringing the unforgiving into distress not knowing which way to turn, even over the same hard ground they caused brethren to pass. Parents must forgive children who repent of mistakes as freely as they hope to be forgiven, and confessions from those who have done wrong are to be generously accepted without dwelling on past mistakes, which hurts both the one who remembers and those who confessed.
God deals with us as we deal with others who err, including those worked with or worshiped alongside. Receiving the Lord's forgiveness does not excuse refusing to forgive those who hurt us, and dwelling on their wrongs while withholding forgiveness is contrary to His will. Those who seek mercy must not remain hard-hearted, resentful, or retaliatory, for God bears patiently with human sin and is ready to forgive when errors are recognized, repented, and humbled, and receiving and appreciating that mercy should make the heart compassionate and ready to forgive everyone. Christians must be as lenient toward others as they wish God and others to be toward them, welcoming forgiving love and banishing retaliation from the heart. The present is a day of grace and repentance, but that opportunity will end when intercession ceases and no further pardon is offered.
Disciples must not judge but cultivate the forgiving spirit taught in the simple form of prayer. The plea for forgiveness from God and fellow believers properly follows confession of wrong. Carrying out this principle in daily intercourse would bring a blessed change in the church and in the world and would be the most convincing testimony to the reality of Bible religion. The mercy asked from God is measured by the mercy extended to fellow sinners, so cherishing animosity, bitterness, revenge, and malice while asking to be forgiven as forgiving shows no true sense of the prayer, since all depend on pardoning mercy every day and every hour. Indulging an unforgiving spirit is one of the most common sins and brings most pernicious results, and its terms are little understood or heeded. The verse holds lessons not yet learned that call for ordering life by God's truth in His word and for more diligent study of the Scriptures as the truth of the living God, the foundation of faith and the assurance of hope of eternal life in the kingdom, with recognition of every gift as coming from God and gratitude for His goodness filling the heart and surrounding the soul with a heavenly atmosphere.
God forgives those who forgive others their wrongs, and He does not forgive those who refuse to forgive, and this condition is plain with no excuse for misunderstanding it. He shows mercy in the same manner and measure that mercy is extended to fellow sinners, so asking for pardon while withholding it makes the prayer insincere. Refusing to forgive closes the heart against His mercy and cuts off the channel by which it is received, leaving prayers and gifts unacceptable until reconciliation is made. Forgiveness must be given from the heart with mercy and love, freely and fully as if the wrong had never been done, repeated as often as wrong and repentance are repeated, and not reopened with resentment when a later fault occurs. It is to be shown to the brother who humbles himself and asks for it, and even when no confession is made the injured one is still to refuse bitterness and pardon as pardon is hoped for from God.
Setting in Christ's Teaching
Christ's words belong to His instruction to His disciples on prayer, given in kindness and mercy to correct errors that would lead them astray, especially praying to be seen by men and using vain repetitions, and to show what to pray for since men do not know as they ought. He framed into words what comprehends every human need, including forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Believers are not confined to these exact words, yet even when no more words than these are spoken in sincerity, the prayer is heart-service to God, more acceptable than long tedious prayers offered to be heard of men that exalt supposed good works from desire to be praised of men.
The saying on forgiveness was given immediately after the short prayer full of meaning that Christ taught His disciples, which becomes a blessing when repeated every day in the family circle. Forgiveness was taken up as the point that needed to be impressed forcibly upon their minds.
It belongs to the Sermon on the Mount, where Christ taught the conditions of entrance into God's kingdom and corrected mistaken expectations of worldly greatness. That sermon challenged the self-righteous teachings and practices of the scribes and Pharisees, presenting God as a compassionate, merciful, loving Father rather than the stern judge the religious leaders portrayed. In it Christ revealed that failure to walk in the light given was separating the Jewish people from God, and that darkness was coming upon them in the same proportion as light had been permitted to shine upon their pathway.
It is part of the pure gospel given upon the mount that explains the holy law of God and sets the holy standard of character. It teaches one of the far-reaching principles of the law of God, that the state of the heart regulates the life and character and that the spirit of the law must be in the heart. Instructing new converts in the claims of the law requires impressing this principle upon them, for learning it is the greatest and most difficult lesson, and without this the labor is lost. It requires loving God with the whole heart and loving the neighbor as God requires, which forbids mingling human wisdom with the divine, confusing other minds about right and holy methods, and unjustly acquiring means at the expense of another in business transactions. Those who practice such methods for gain and power prove they have not learned this teaching, and they must repent and be converted and do works worthy of the name of Christian through a cleansing and purging of the soul temple.
Condition for Receiving Forgiveness
Forgiveness from the Father is conditional on forgiving others, for those who forgive the trespasses of others are promised forgiveness, while those who refuse to forgive are not forgiven. This connection between willingness to forgive and receiving forgiveness is the teaching of the verse. The requirement is plainly stated and without flaw, so that at the day of judgment no one can excuse disobedience by saying I did not understand, and it enjoins the duty of dedicating all to God. This warning is given for instruction and safety, so that people may reform and escape the harmful results of transgression.
God measures mercy toward us by the mercy we extend to fellow sinners, forgiving in the same manner and to the same extent that forgiveness is desired from Him. Since pardon is freely given despite human unworthiness, withholding forgiveness from others while seeking that pardon is inconsistent. An unforgiving spirit, including cherished animosity, bitterness, or revenge, conflicts with the daily and hourly need for God's pardoning mercy and makes the prayer for forgiveness insincere, showing no true sense of asking to be forgiven as forgiving. The blessing of pardon is asked upon conditions that the one praying states.
Refusing to forgive shuts the heart against God's mercy and cuts off the channel through which a person receives it, leaving one without the Father's forgiveness. Even when others have deeply wounded us, grievances must not be clung to nor injuries dwelt upon, but everyone who has done wrong must be forgiven as pardon is hoped for from God for our own offenses against Him. An unmerciful spirit toward others closes the heart to God's mercy, while God's love, when it reaches the heart, creates love for fellow believers. Forgiving others is essential to receiving forgiveness from God.
Forgiveness is not earned by forgiving; it is received through Christ, whose death is its ground, with repentance and faith as conditions of salvation. Yet a forgiving spirit is indispensable to receiving it, and those who receive God's mercy must extend it freely, fully, and repeatedly to others who err, so that the forgiven sinner will willingly forgive a brother. Receiving God's forgiveness is joined to forgiving others, and Christians must be as lenient toward others as they wish God and others to be toward them, welcoming forgiving love and banishing retaliation from the heart. The present is a day of grace and repentance in which pardon may be sought, but that opportunity will end when intercession ceases and no further pardon is offered.
Cost of Unforgiving Spirit
Nothing can justify an unforgiving spirit, and refusing mercy to others proves that a person is not a partaker of God's pardoning grace. In God's forgiveness the erring heart is drawn close to the great heart of Infinite Love, and the tide of divine compassion flows into the sinner's soul and from him to the souls of others, so that the tenderness and mercy revealed in Christ's own life will be seen in all who share His grace. Without the Spirit of Christ a person is alienated from God and fitted only for eternal separation from Him. Even one who was once forgiven, if unmerciful, shows present rejection of pardoning love and separation from God, a return to the same condition as before forgiveness, a denial of repentance, with guilt resting as if there had been no repentance.
Refusing to forgive a wrong after confession has been made decides a person's own standing before the heavenly universe and before unbelievers. Such a one becomes double and triple an offender, shows a spirit of hatred, shows the absence of the pure, refined, ennobling spirit of the Master, and shows lack of control by the Spirit of Christ. Whoever gives place to such a temper in life acts out the mind and will of Satan, his service offered to God is not acceptable, and an unforgiving temper will find no place in heaven.
If forgiveness and compassionate help are withheld from a brother who has done wrong, God will withhold help from the unforgiving. When the erring person repents God pardons his transgressions, and those who look on must do the same rather than turn away without feeling for him. Those who refuse will themselves come into distress, not knowing which way to turn, and will be brought over the same hard ground over which they caused their brethren to pass.
Gifts and prayers are not acceptable to God while the duty of reconciliation is left undone, and refusing reconciliation or holding bitter feelings obstructs the peace and blessing sought from God. Receiving forgiveness is bound up with forgiving others, and the prayer for forgiveness is to be lived by doing one's part to answer it. Prayers are hindered by pride of heart, by refusal to confess faults and to remove wrong impressions, and by allowing the poison of envy and evil surmising to destroy union and happiness. Doing one's part means making every effort without delay to remove every stumbling block from a brother's path, to heal every wrong and misunderstanding, to confess faults, to clear misunderstandings, and to restore union and happiness. Even when not to blame, a person must seek explanation and reconciliation by giving an explanation that removes misapprehension, rather than watching for faults, repeating reports to a third person, or letting envy, evil surmising, and pride remain; and if to blame, he is under obligation to do all in his power to remove the wrong impression.
It is painful to be without God's forgiveness, and an unforgiving spirit leaves a person unfit for God's peace. Refusing to forgive leaves one without the Father's forgiveness, and treating others without mercy could bring anyone to hopeless despair. Toward those who repent there must be the pity and compassion of the heavenly Father, rather than reviving healed wrongs through resentful memories. The blessing of pardon is asked upon conditions stated by the one praying, with the mercy extended measured by the mercy extended to others, since all depend on pardoning mercy every day and every hour. Cherishing animosity, revenge, bitterness, and malice while asking to be forgiven as forgiving shows no true sense of the prayer, and indulging an unforgiving spirit is one of the most common sins and brings most pernicious results, yet its terms are little understood or heeded.
How Forgiveness Must Be Given
Forgiveness must be given to a brother who humbles himself, confesses his wrong and asks for pardon, and the one who hopes to be forgiven must take him back with rejoicing and assure him of forgiveness in the same hope of being forgiven. Such a repentant one is to be freely and fully forgiven and treated as if the wrong had never been done. To look indifferently on such a soul or to discourage him in his repentance is to unite with the enemy who seeks to destroy him, and leaves the unforgiving one himself unforgiven. Forgiveness does not wait for the offender first to admit the wrong, for even when there is no confession the injured person is to show compassion, refuse to nurse grievances or dwell on personal injuries, and pardon those who have done evil just as pardon is hoped for from God. It is required even for only a supposed injury or for an injury believed to have been deliberate, remembering one's own need for God's mercy.
To forgive in this way means to become reconciled, to put away resentment, to restore fellowship and remove estrangement, and to extend pity and tenderness even when another has acted wrongly, which brings peace to the soul and helps restore fellowship between believers. Forgiveness must come from the heart with mercy and love and not merely outwardly, and is part of being a Christian, for refusing mercy leaves a person accountable for his own sins. The Holy Spirit leads to recognizing one's own faults, pitying the weakness of others, and forgiving as one wishes to be forgiven, which is a Christlike spirit unlike a harsh, punitive spirit. It calls for making wrongs right and letting go of bitterness before seeking pardon from God. Forgiveness must be repeated as often as trespass and repentance are repeated, seven times in a day and seventy times seven, just as often as Christ forgives.
No one has a right to judge the heart or to refuse forgiveness because the humility or confession does not look sufficient. God's free forgiveness of all sins without any equivalent from man is the rule for treating fellow men, and final overcoming comes not by personal righteousness but through Christ's righteousness and God's long forbearance, mercy and forgiveness. Those who have themselves sinned yet are still retained must therefore compassionately forgive, patiently work for and restore inexperienced, young and fatherless offenders rather than dismiss them to temptation, taking them back, encouraging, loving and educating them with Christlike pity and mercy, even if they err and may err again, never pushing them onto Satan's battleground. True forgiveness does not allow confessed errors and past wrongs to keep returning to mind with resentment, for when a later mistake revives earlier wrongs those wrongs have not truly been forgiven. Jesus passes over transgressions, so forgiving includes not reopening hurt by dwelling on past offenses, but showing compassion and helping the repentant overcome temptation and return to light.
Generous acceptance of confessions is required without dwelling on past mistakes, since doing so hurts both the one who remembers and those who have confessed. When God has received confession and spoken pardon, past wrongs are forgiven and must no more afflict the soul or mind, bringing freedom from holding the past against others. One who has felt deeply over past errors and done all he can to undo them has met the condition for pardon, and his motives are to be judged accordingly rather than by the deception of others or the perplexity surrounding the case. To remain unforgiving is to fail to manifest the same spirit one wishes Christ to manifest toward oneself. Receiving pardon through Christ's sacrifice fills the person with gratitude and tender sympathy for fellow sinners, leaving no room for pride, coldness or revenge, and God's love reaching the heart creates love for fellow believers.
This forgiving spirit is the daily fruit of the Holy Spirit's converting power, so that receiving and appreciating forgiveness of sin bears fruit in forgiving those who injure and harm us. Those whose own sins have been forgiven will show a forgiving spirit toward others, willingly wanting pardon for them and forgiving as they themselves are forgiven. An unmerciful spirit toward others closes the heart to God's mercy, while true faith leads to forgiving as one is forgiven.
Forgiveness in Daily Life
Praying for pardon requires doing one's part to answer the prayer by working to preserve unity and removing without delay every stumbling block from a brother's path. This means healing every wrong, confessing faults, clearing misunderstandings, and curing differences even by conceding one's own rights. If to blame, all possible must be done to remove the wrong impression; if not to blame, explanation must be given to remove misapprehension and every measure taken to gain reconciliation and clear away impressions that grow into alienation over supposed injustice. Gifts and prayers are not acceptable while this duty is left undone and while envy, evil surmising, and pride of heart are allowed to destroy union and happiness, instead of watching for faults or repeating reports to a third person. Those wronged or offended must ever be ready to forgive and must clear the moral atmosphere of the soul.
Those who want to be forgiven must lay aside differences and forgive everyone they believe has wronged them, remembering that they too have harmed themselves and others. This forgiving belongs with humbly seeking the Saviour's pardon and laying down the burden of sin before probation closes. Coming into right relation to God requires putting away all strife for place, position, honor, and recognition, for reaching for these is unconverted self. It means being content, yielding the will to the control of the Holy Spirit, working in just the place assigned where approval can rest, and not elbowing fellow workers aside to make room for personal plans. It means not indulging hasty temper, cruel speech, and unkind thought, not exalting one and condemning another, but revealing righteousness in words that bless and encourage. When sore because another gets ahead, the matter is to be taken to the Father in prayer for His Spirit upon mind and character, and instead of complaining, souls with fewer blessings are to be sought out with words of hope, comfort, and encouragement that make the battle of life easier for associates, so that the Spirit is revealed in word and work.
Those who have themselves sinned yet are retained must compassionately forgive, patiently work for, and restore the inexperienced, young, and fatherless rather than dismiss them and leave them exposed to temptation. They are to take the erring back, encourage, love as a son, link life together, and educate with pity and mercy, even when he has erred and may err again, never pushing him onto the adversary's battleground. Those who have received much forgiveness must show tenderness, sympathy, and grace to the straying and wounded rather than joining the adversary to condemn and destroy them. When an erring person repents, God pardons his transgressions, and onlookers must do the same rather than turn away without feeling; withholding forgiveness and compassionate help causes God to withhold help, bringing the unforgiving into distress not knowing which way to turn, even over the same hard ground they caused brethren to pass. Parents must forgive children who repent of mistakes as freely as they hope to be forgiven, and confessions from those who have done wrong are to be generously accepted without dwelling on past mistakes, which hurts both the one who remembers and those who confessed.
God deals with us as we deal with others who err, including those worked with or worshiped alongside. Receiving the Lord's forgiveness does not excuse refusing to forgive those who hurt us, and dwelling on their wrongs while withholding forgiveness is contrary to His will. Those who seek mercy must not remain hard-hearted, resentful, or retaliatory, for God bears patiently with human sin and is ready to forgive when errors are recognized, repented, and humbled, and receiving and appreciating that mercy should make the heart compassionate and ready to forgive everyone. Christians must be as lenient toward others as they wish God and others to be toward them, welcoming forgiving love and banishing retaliation from the heart. The present is a day of grace and repentance, but that opportunity will end when intercession ceases and no further pardon is offered.
Disciples must not judge but cultivate the forgiving spirit taught in the simple form of prayer. The plea for forgiveness from God and fellow believers properly follows confession of wrong. Carrying out this principle in daily intercourse would bring a blessed change in the church and in the world and would be the most convincing testimony to the reality of Bible religion. The mercy asked from God is measured by the mercy extended to fellow sinners, so cherishing animosity, bitterness, revenge, and malice while asking to be forgiven as forgiving shows no true sense of the prayer, since all depend on pardoning mercy every day and every hour. Indulging an unforgiving spirit is one of the most common sins and brings most pernicious results, and its terms are little understood or heeded. The verse holds lessons not yet learned that call for ordering life by God's truth in His word and for more diligent study of the Scriptures as the truth of the living God, the foundation of faith and the assurance of hope of eternal life in the kingdom, with recognition of every gift as coming from God and gratitude for His goodness filling the heart and surrounding the soul with a heavenly atmosphere.