God's Forgiveness

The notion that God's forgiveness of us is inextricably linked to our readiness/willingness to forgive those who have offended us is firmly fixed in Scripture. Indeed, Jesus thought the principle so important that he included it in the Lord's Prayer (see Matthew 6). Later, he gave a parable about a wicked servant who had been released from a great debt, but who was unable to see his way clear to forgive a much smaller debt that one of his associates owed to him (see Matthew 18).

In similar fashion, the Apostle Paul reiterated this principle in his epistles to First Century Christians. Paul told the saints at Ephesus to "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Likewise, he told the Colossians to "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."