Do I have to forgive Everyone?

FireDragon76 said:

Of course it would be problematic since forgiveness is a matter of Gospel rather than Law. Societies depend on lawful order to survive.

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But were not supposed to be under law. Society is what you make it.

cobblestone said:

But were not supposed to be under law.

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Specifically the Law of Moses.
That says nothing about civil laws of your local jurisdiction.

FIRESTORM314 said:

Matthew 6:14
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Ok - this verse came up in a home group recently. It was stated that we had to forgive everyone of their sins. Some said that you had to forgive everyone even if they don't repent or admit being sorry for the trespass - some said that it means that you forgive the people who apologies and admit their trespass.

If you don't forgive then your Father will not forgive your sins. What does this mean exactly? - does it mean you will lose your salvation or just hinder your walk with god?

I've also created a poll on this thread.

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Forgiving is for all. It's not about calculation. A Christian heart is unable to save hate. Christ's thought even goes beyond this in saying, "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also."

When doing a study on forgiveness in the Bible, one must take into account the whole of Scripture, so that we might have a harmonization on what it is & how to give it & receive it. This is one way we can avoid the one verse theology method of interpretation or quoting verses out of their context.

In the whole topic of forgiveness, there is only one sin that is not forgivable in this age & in the next one: blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Just something to keep in mind. All other sins are forgivable.

Forgiveness plays a key role in affecting how we are able to express love. (Luke 7:36-50; I Cor 13). "Love...keeps no account of wrongs."

We are to forgive others JUST AS CHRIST HAS FORGIVEN US. Each time we come to the Lord & confess our sins, He is faithful & just, to forgive us our sins & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9). Notice that Christ not only forgives us of our sins but ALSO cleanses us from all unrighteousness, all uncleanness. He forgives every time.

We may have residue from the incident: emotional, physical, spiritual, psychogical--yet God can deliver & heal us. Other passages talk about God forgiving the GUILT of our sins, which can cripple some.

Also if we forget we have been cleansed of our past sins, it can keep us from being fruitful & effective in our lives, as the Apostle Peter warns us.

2 Pet 1:3-9 His divine power has given us everything we need for life & godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory & excellence. 4Through these He has given us His precious & magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue & to virtue, knowledge & to knowledge, self-control & to self-control, perseverance & to perseverance, godliness & to godliness, brotherly kindness & to brotherly kindness, love.

8For if you possess these qualities & continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective & unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having FORGOTTEN that he has been cleansed from his PAST SINS.

But back to the OP's questions on Matt 6:14.

"What does this mean exactly? - Does it mean you will lose your salvation or just hinder your walk with God?"

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To quickly answer your questions: no and yes. The incident in I Cor chapter 5 shows the sin could have led to physical death but that his spirit would be saved at the day of Jesus Christ. He did repent (2 Cor 1) & so didn't face death right away. Even though Saul in the OT sinned against the commandment of God & led to his being removed as king & also led to his death, he did go to Abraham's Bosom with Samuel.

Yet there are consequences for unrepentant sin in our lives on this earth. A person's physical, mental health & spiritual health is directly affected.

The appearance of the prophet Samuel (God allowed this as a unique incident) from Sheol reiterated God's judgment on the earth of removing his kingship & prophesied of Saul's death the following day. However, he said that Saul would be WITH SAMUEL in Sheol after he & his son were killed.

Samuel was in the believers' compartment in Sheol called Abraham's Bosom or Side or Paradise as Jesus called it also & also called the garden of Eden (you probably wondered where it went) in the prophets (Jeremiah, Ezekiel). The Jews called it Gan Eden or the Abode of Bliss & were familiar with the other title of Abraham's Bosom in Jesus' day.

This verse has an immediate context & is found in the Sermon on the Mount. This is commands for kingdom living where the King is reigning. This is holy living in the Presence of the One Who is holy, dwelling among us.

The wilderness church or congregation was a symbolic picture of the NT church & served as a warning to us. (I Cor 10:1-13) One person's sin affects the whole congregation because we are one body, one assembly.

Josh 7:1-26 This refers to Achan hiding some of the devoted things & lying about it. There was sin in the camp & Israel was being defeated before its enemies. God cannot tolerate sin in the camp nor the kingdom where He is reigning in holiness. It affects the whole congregation & assembly.

Josh 22:9-30 (especially vs 17,18,20: Was not the sin of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day? It even brought a plague upon the congregation of the LORD. 18And now, would you turn away from the LORD? If you rebel today against the LORD, tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. Was not Achan son of Zerah unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, bringing wrath upon the whole congregation of Israel? Yet it was not only Achan who perished because of his sin!’”)

Deut 17:1 "You will not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any defect, for that is a detestable thing to YHWH your God.

The reason the animal sacrifices had to be without blemish was that they represented, though imperfectly, the Lord Jesus. As Jesus was without blemish, so too, the OT sacrifices had to be without blemish.

Mt 6:1-18 Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues & on the streets, to be praised by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

5And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues & on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. 6But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door & pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

7And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9So then, this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, 10Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’

14For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.

16When you fast, do not be somber like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting will not be obvious to men, but only to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Mt 7:2 For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged & with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Mt 18:35 That is how My Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Mk 11:25 And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well."

Lk 6:37 Do not judge & you will not be judged. Do not condemn & you will not be condemned. Forgive & you will be forgiven.

Eph 4:32 Be kind & tender-hearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

Col 3:13 Bear with each other & forgive any complaint you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (to be continued)

Mt 6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. To be in debt is to be in bondage until the debt has been paid. Keep that in mind as you think about forgiveness.

Mt 18:7 Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!

Mt 18:15-20 If your brother sins against you,b go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’c 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

19Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. 20For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”

Mt 18:21-35 If your brother sins against you,b go and confront him privately. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of 2 or 3 witnesses.’c 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven & whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. 20For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”

In the body of Christ, when sin is not dealt with, it acts like leaven in dough. Paul made this point in I Cor 5:1- This person was caught in a trespass (fornication) & apparently had not repented & stopped. Paul was treating him as Jesus taught to do in Matthew 18, as a last resort. This person was excommunicated & dis-fellowshipped until repentance occurred or physical death (destruction of the body).

This person did eventually repent (see 2 Cor 1) & was restored to fellowship. This is also a fulfillment of the picture or type used in the OT congregation when people were cut off from the people due to their sin. This cutting off could either be from the people or could refer to being put to death. Here Paul did the first one & without repentance, the second one would have come true.

"To be cut off from the community is to be cut off from the ordinary means of grace & God’s promises (Eph. 2:11–12). This is why excommunication is to be feared in the new covenant. Those cut off from the church have testified through flagrant sin that they lack faith." R.C. Sproul

I Cor 5:1-13 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. 2And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief & removed from your fellowship the man who did this?

3Although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit & I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. 4When you are gathered in the name of our Lord Jesus & I am with you in spirit, along with the power of the Lord Jesus, 5hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? 7Get rid of the old yeast, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth.

9I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.

12What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” (Deut 13:5; 17:7,12; 21:21; 22:21; Judges 20:13) This last verse Paul refers to the OT references using the same phrase & it meant put to death.

Lk 17:4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day & seven times returns to say, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

Lk 17:1-9 Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

3Watch yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4Even if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” 5The apostles said to the Lord, “INCREASE OUR FAITH!”

6And the Lord answered, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted & planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

7Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? 8Instead, won’t he tell him, ‘Prepare my meal and dress yourself to serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? 9Does he thank the servant because he did what he was told? 10So you also, when you have done everything commanded of you, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Lk 17:11-19 While Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria & Galilee. 12As He entered one of the villages, He was met by ten lepers. They stood at a distance & raised their voices, shouting, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us! 14When Jesus saw them, He said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were on their way, they were cleansed.

15When one of them saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He fell facedown at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving to Him—& he was a Samaritan.

17“Were not all ten cleansed?” Jesus asked. “Where then are the other nine? 18Was no one found except this foreigner to return and give glory to God?” 19Then Jesus said to him, “Rise & go; your faith has made you well!”

Though this is long, harmonizing the Scripture on this topic makes it worth it to see the big picture of forgiveness. And I didn't cover a lot more that could have been covered. I hope this helps.

This has been an interesting topic to talk about, and I did a little research on my own, to define what forgiveness means. I personally, wondered if it's an emotional feeling or something you have think of. I found this definition

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/forgiveness/definition

So, thinking about what Jesus was saying. I think you would try to find happiness after something horrible happened. Such as, a breakup, you don't talk to that person anymore; but, you will still remember everything, especially the things you're hurt about. I think forgiveness is when you realized you've hadn't thought about it for a long time and you've moved on from thinking about that person. Even with bigger situations than a breakup up, I think we do tend to try to make our lives better afterwards, instead of having pity on ourselves.
I think people who are stuck thinking about the past and suffer depression, eventually we will ask God for help. Possibly, born again as well, if we choose, and there is repentance. So maybe that's what Jesus is talking about when God forgives you. Although, I don't know if that's how it works.

I hope, I 'm not teaching something different from the Bible. I didn't open my Bible to speculate what forgiveness is. These were just critical thinking about my experience 's.

Tokitee said:

This has been an interesting topic to talk about, and I did a little research on my own, to define what forgiveness means. I personally, wondered if it's an emotional feeling or something you have think of. I found this definition

Forgiveness Definition | What Is Forgiveness

So, thinking about what Jesus was saying. I think you would try to find happiness after something horrible happened. Such as, a breakup, you don't talk to that person anymore; but, you will still remember everything, especially the things you're hurt about. I think forgiveness is when you realized you've hadn't thought about it for a long time and you've moved on from thinking about that person. Even with bigger situations than a breakup up, I think we do tend to try to make our lives better afterwards, instead of having pity on ourselves.
I think people who are stuck thinking about the past and suffer depression, eventually we will ask God for help. Possibly, born again as well, if we choose, and there is repentance. So maybe that's what Jesus is talking about when God forgives you. Although, I don't know if that's how it works.

I hope, I 'm not teaching something different from the Bible. I didn't open my Bible to speculate what forgiveness is. These were just critical thinking about my experience 's.

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You are right in the sense that if you are continually thinking about something that happened, it can mean you haven't forgiven. Especially if you are always thinking in your mind about how the person who wronged you should be punished or should suffer in some way for what they did to you.

But some things we suffer we may never forget, so forgiveness does not mean we MUST forget, nor that we MUST be happy (though those can be good clues that maybe we have forgiven).

God never requires a certain emotion, because sometimes we can't make ourselves feel happy about something. Forgiveness is a decision, which is something we all can make. We must decide to let go of the desire to see that person punished and put everything in God's hands. God may indeed allow them to suffer consequences for what they did to you, especially if it is for their own good. But it needs to be something we leave with Him and no longer hold in our hearts. Then we have forgiven, even if we are still hurt for the rest of our lives.

The command to love is similar. God never requires us to drum up sentimental or "warm fuzzy" feelings for anyone. Some people we may never like. But if we can desire whatever is best for them in spite of that, and be willing that they get it, especially if we are willing to do something ourselves or sacrifice something for their sake, then we are actively loving them, even if they don't inspire any particular sentimental emotion in us (though usually we will feel compassion at least if we are pursuing this). But we may never actually "like" who they are.

Thank you Firestorm! Forgiveness is one of the most powerful forces on earth, to bring freedom from bondage & God's peace that passes all understanding, when one understands it, as God has revealed revelation in His Word about it. And lack of forgiveness can be one of the most destructive bondages known to mankind.

Too often, people don't harmonize the whole of Scripture on a topic like this, or take a verse out of its context, so it might seem confusing.

A few simple summary points on my post may help.

#1 The verse of this thread was in a larger context: the Sermon on the Mount about kingdom living with the King reigning in His kingdom. That is how this verse should fit in.

#2 The context of debts & forgiving another of their debts against us IN THE BODY OF CHRIST has specific commands on how to deal with it. Christ gave us specifics on how to deal with this as the church. And looking at it as a 'debt' gives another perspective on forgiveness.

#3 We are to forgive, JUST LIKE God the Father, in Christ, has forgiven us. Meditate on that one for awhile & allow the Lord to give you wonderful wisdom & insight in what true forgiveness is.

#4 Others have shown this as well: we may not forget what someone has done to us, but we don't have to 'give them rent space in our head' or not experience the healing & peace God gives when we forgive someone from 'the bottom of our heart.'

A good summary of this is the story of Corrie ten Boom (book 'Tramp For The Lord'). She and her family were hiding Jews from the Nazi's in WWII. They were caught and sent to concentration camps. Corrie & her sister went to the same camp. Over time, there was a German guard at the camp that treated them inhumanly & her sister died in the camp. Corrie was eventually one of the few that survived it. However, she blamed this guard for her sister's death.

Many years later, she was speaking at a meeting about her experiences in the concentration camp. After the meeting, this very guard appeared & walked up to her. He genuinely sought her forgiveness, as he had become a spiritually born again follower of Christ. He didn't see how she could forgive him, but he knew he had to come & genuinely confess his sins against her & her sister & others as well. He extended his hands to her in gentleness.

Corrie relates that all that hatred for him & unforgiveness flooded back to her, causing her to shake all over. She at that moment said she truly hated this man passionately. She prayed to the Lord, saying with all my being I hate this man, but Lord YOU FORGAVE HIM for these things & called him to be one of your children. Please help me to forgive him as You have forgiven him. I cannot. Please help me to put my hands in his. She shook with such emotion, but in faith she prayed despite how she felt & God enabled her by His grace & mercy, to lift her hands and put them in his.

At that moment, God flooded her with His comfort, mercy, peace & love, so that she could genuinely forgive this man for the atrocities he had done against her & her sister. God is able to empower us to forgive & to be healed & find true peace in situations like this. I cannot imagine what pain she must have went through--but I can understand the power & love of God that brings true forgiveness from the heart & healing to our whole being: body, soul & spirit.

And I can relate to the disciples, who after hearing Jesus's teaching that we are to not only forgive someone up to 7 times (Peter's generous offer) but up to 70 times 7--they then asked the Lord: INCREASE OUR FAITH! That if a brother comes up to us 7 times in a day & repents & asks forgiveness, we are to forgive them...every time...just as God in Christ forgives us every time. Read also the parable after they asked the Lord to increase their faith about forgiving others, to gain further insights into this topic.

Lord Jesus, by your mercy to us & your forgiveness of our sins & debts, please empower us by Your grace to forgives others from the heart as you have forgiven us. Please heal our wounds of those who have trespassed against us--'for by Your stripes we are healed.' May you bring healing in Your body & may we be lights in a darkened world & may our love for one another as you have given us Your new commandment, show the world that we are true followers of You. Amen!

1 John 2:2 says: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

If God the Father has forgiven us our sins and also the sins of the whole world, should we not, as believers, forgive those who do us wrong whether the person is a believer or not. God has extended us Grace. I say forgive them all, even if they don't repent.