I hear all of the time that we must forgive others. People say that the Bible says that we should forgive. I have read the Bible over and over many times and from what I have read, the Bible is speaking something different to me. Yes, we are to forgive others but, that forgiveness follows repentance. Repentance is a word that is often left out of the dialog by many of these individuals. Many times, they have no intention of repenting for what they have done, they just want you to shut up. They shut you up by telling you that the Bible says to forgive people even if they don’t seek forgiveness. Society tells us that forgiveness is for the individual, not the other person. Somehow forgiving someone releases you from the burden.
How are we supposed to forgive others? Anytime I respond to questions, I always ask myself what does the Bible say? I want to make sure that my words first align with the word of God before I speak. It is easier to gather my thoughts and confirm my position by first seeking the word of God. If I don’t first seek the word of God, then perspective comes into play and can manipulate and change the argument. When I sought out what the Bible says about forgiveness, I was led to Luke 17. In this chapter titled Instructions in my Bible tells us what Jesus instructs our behavior to be towards forgiveness. Here is what verses 3 and 4 say.
Luke 17:3-4 New American Standard Bible
3 Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
Why we must repent before someone can forgive us.
Before you start point out other verses that don’t speak to repentance before forgiveness, let me show you a couple other verses in the Bible. If you look at the following verse found in 1 John 1:9, the first part of the verse says, “If we confess our sins”, meaning repent by acknowledging what we have done wrong. Repent is the act of acknowledging sin and seeking forgiveness for the trespass. If you look at the second part of the verse it says, “so that he will forgive us our sins”. Through confession of our sins, we will be forgiven. This verse just like Luke above does not say that we get automatic forgiveness. We must repent, confess our sins and seek forgiveness if we want to be forgiven.
1 John 1:9 New American Standard Bible
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Here is another verse that ties into how we must repent before we are forgiven. If we want Jesus to forgive us, we must forgive others like he forgave us. In 1 John 1:9 we are told how Jesus forgives us. In Luke 17:3-4 we are told how we are to forgive. In Colossians 3:13 we are again instructed to forgive as the Lord forgives us.
Colossians 3:13 New American Standard Bible
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also.
Act 2:38 again calls us to repent so that we can be forgiven.
Acts 2:38 New American Standard Bible
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
There is a general theme with all of these verses and many others throughout the Bible. Repentance equals forgiveness. We cannot get into heaven if we do not repent and seek Jesus. It is not going to happen. Grace alone will not get you into heaven. Repentance will open the door to being forgiven from our sins. Talk of grace is cheap if we do not turn our path towards Jesus. Grace is what we are given and do not deserve from our Lord Jesus. Through his sacrifice and love for us, grace is his blood shed on the cross for our sins. Only when we accept the gift of grace through repentance will God forgive us. There is only one unforgivable sin and that is an unrepentant heart and rejection of Jesus.