“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32
The word forgive means “to cease to feel resentment against an offender; to pardon one’s enemies; to stop blaming or being mad at someone for something that person has done.”
It is our sins that keep us out of Heaven. And unless we get forgiven for our sins, we cannot receive eternal life. Jesus died for our sins, so that no longer do we need to offer up sacrifices for our sins, we merely need to come forward and say, I repent, please forgive me, and turn away from misdeeds. Jesus’ forgiveness is completely free to all those who come forward and confess their sins and repent.
There are many false teachings online that claim that when someone sins and repents, that you don’t need to be reconciled with that person again. This is completely false.
The word “reconcile” means “to restore friendly relations between; cause to coexist in harmony.”
Say for example, two children are playing with some toys at one of their houses. They have been best friends for years, and play with each other often. But one day one of the children breaks their friend’s favorite toy. Feeling sad and remorseful, they tell their friend that they are sorry and ask for forgiveness. Now, if the other friend tells them that they forgive them, but they don’t want to play with them anymore, did they really forgive them? No, they didn’t. If they truly forgave them then they would continue to play with them, and forget about what happened.
So, what if when we come forward and repent for our sins, and ask for forgiveness, but God told us, “Ok, I’ll forgive you, but I don’t want you to be with me in Heaven. I’m still upset for what you have done.”
But that is not what God does. God forgives our sins, and remembers them no more. He forgives us so that we can become reconciled back to Him. It is by this that we know that forgiveness and reconciliation go together and are inseparable.
Now as I said earlier, it is sin that keeps us all out of Heaven. In order to be reconciled back to God, we need to confess our sins and repent. When we do this, God will forgive us.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
If we couldn’t attain salvation when we repent of our sins and get forgiven, then why would we need forgiveness in the first place? If, once we confess and repent from our sins and are forgiven, weren’t able to be reconciled with God in Heaven someday, why would we need to turn away from our sins?
We are supposed to be reconciled back to God, as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians.
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20
If someone refuses to forgive someone else for their sins or misdeeds, then they should have no expectation that God will forgive them when they come forward for forgiveness when they sin.
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15
“And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25
I encourage you to read Matthew 18:21-35. In this passage it shows us what happens when we don’t forgive someone who repents. They might sin against you several times in a day, but you need to be forgiving with them, because that is what Jesus shows us. Obviously we do not want to sin, but we are not perfect creatures. No one on earth is perfect. We try to perfect our lives everyday, but we are all the same: sinners. Some have sinned more than others, but we are all the same: sinners who need forgiveness.
If someone refuses to forgive another person who comes forward and repents, not only are they not showing love to the person repenting and coming forward for forgiveness, but they are also not showing Jesus and His apostles love by refusing to obey the commands they left for us in the Bible.
“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” Colossians 3:13
Do you love Jesus? Then do what He commands: be forgiving with each other.
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 