Ephesians 1:7-8a – In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.

A few years ago, I wrote a blog post about my grandmother, entitled When Mamaw Forgave. I just went back and read it, and you should too! It’s an amazing story.

Forgiveness is one of the hallmarks of a true follower of Jesus. We have received forgiveness, and therefore, we can be people who are willing to forgive others. In fact, if you haven’t experienced the forgiveness Jesus offers and paid for on the cross, you are not God’s child.

Salvation is a call to repentance – a turning away from sin and receiving God’s forgiveness for that sin. When God saves, He forgives. He wipes our “sin debt” account clean, marks it “paid in full,” and credits us with Christ’s righteousness. How amazing and precious is the gift of forgiveness!

Matthew 26:27-28 – And when He [Jesus] had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

Luke 24:46-47 – And He [Jesus] said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 

Just like grace and mercy and all the other spiritual blessings God bestows on us in Christ, forgiveness is a gift that keeps on giving. When God forgives us on the basis of Jesus’ death on the cross, He forgives ALL our sin – past, present, and future. In Christ, we are declared justified; we are made righteous and holy in God’s sight. We are saints!

This kind of forgiveness is our example. We are commanded to forgive one another just as God in Christ also has forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32). Jesus gave us two principles about forgiveness.

First, there’s no limit to forgiveness.

Matthew 18:21-22 – Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

One Bible commentator explains, By saying we are to forgive those who sin against us seventy times seven, Jesus was not limiting forgiveness to 490 times, a number that is, for all practical purposes, beyond counting. Christians with forgiving hearts not only do not limit the number of times they forgive; they continue to forgive with as much grace the thousandth time as they do the first time. Christians are only capable of this type of forgiving spirit because the Spirit of God lives within us, and it is He who provides the ability to offer forgiveness over and over, just as God forgives us over and over.

Second, Jesus warns us that if we do not forgive others, God will not forgive us.

Matthew 6:14-15 – For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Mark 11:24-26 – Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

Does this mean we can lose our salvation, for if our sins are not forgiven, aren’t we unredeemed? In light of the whole of scripture, I don’t believe this is what Jesus is teaching. Consider His words in Matthew 18, a chapter devoted to how His disciples were to handle disagreements and offenses. At the end of the chapter, He tells a parable about a servant whose Master forgave him much – a debt that was huge. Later, however, that same servant turns around and refuses to forgive a very small debt, choosing instead to throw his friend in jail. The Master hears of this and punishes the unforgiving servant by turning him over “to the torturers” until his debt was paid.

Then He makes this sobering statement:

Matthew 18:35 – My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.

Jesus is not saying God is fickle and will take back the forgiveness that took away our sins. He is saying that our willing obedience to forgive others is evidence that we truly repented of our own sins, and therefore we have been forgiven. God’s children forgive, because we are deeply conscious of our own sins that Christ forgave.

As Matthew Henry says, “Those that do not forgive their brother’s trespasses, did never truly repent of their own, nor ever truly believe the gospel; and therefore that which is taken away is only what they seemed to have.”

Luke 8:17-18 – For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.

Those verses in Luke come as the conclusion to Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seeds. Not all who hear the gospel, and even “appear” to respond to it, truly repent and believe. A forgiving heart toward others is one “tell” that followers of Jesus cannot hide, nor can it be imitated for long, because what is in our heart will eventually come to light.

Wow. When I set out to write in gratitude for the forgiveness God has extended toward us, I didn’t know scripture would take us down this convicting path! But perhaps we needed a reminder at this Christmas season, when we gather with family members who may have hurt us in the past. Are you still nursing a grudge or holding onto an offense from years ago? Do you say, “I just can’t get past it; the hurt is too big and too deep.”

Whether or not the offender is sorry, if you truly know Jesus, you have the power to restore the relationship and really celebrate this year. Maybe it’s time to give them the gift He gave you.

Forgiveness.