By Mary Carothers

Forgiveness is one of the most important precepts of Christianity. Our very salvation is purchased for us by the forgiveness of God – through the precious blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:22). If Jesus had not been the sinless sacrifice for our sins, if He had not shed His blood on Calvary, then how could God have forgiven us our sins? And without His forgiveness, we can never hope to come into His presence, for He is Holy. There would be no hope for us at all.

Thank goodness we have a loving, patient, forgiving God! How blessed we are that He wants to forgive us! Because of Calvary, ALL our sins are forgiven – past, present, and future. I John 1:7 tells us how we can daily be cleansed of our sins.

However, there is something we must do to remain under the protection of His forgiveness – we must forgive others.  When Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s prayer, one of the petitions was for forgiveness on the basis of having forgiven others. He went on to say in Matthew 6:14-15 For if you forgive…your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

In Mark 11:25-26, Jesus tells us, When you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father who is in Heaven will forgive you. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.

Not long ago, a friend of mine told me of something her mother had done when she was a young child. The manner in which she told me, the expression on her face, and her tone of voice all indicated that she had never faced the need to forgive her mother. How tragic! She has spent nearly 55 years resenting her mother. This resentment has blinded her to her need to forgive others.

Jesus told the story in Matthew 18:23-35 of the two debtors. The King – who is our Heavenly Father – forgave one man his very great debt. He, in turn, refused to forgive a fellowman a small debt. When the King became aware of his unforgiving attitude, He cast him away from His presence. Verse 35 says, So shall My Heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother (or mother, father, sister, friend, etc.) from your heart.

It is necessary that we learn to forgive others. We may need to cry out to the Lord to help us do this. He understands our weaknesses. He is always ready to heal our wounded hearts, and to give us the grace necessary to do His will to forgive. If we harbor any unforgiveness in our hearts, it is imperative that we cast ourselves on Jesus, that we plead with Him to help us to cast off the old unforgiving nature. He will never turn away from us when we are truly contrite. He will help us to “put off” the old carnal nature and to “put on” the nature of Christ. (Reprint from February 1990)