Matthew 6:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,

NIV: For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

NASB: For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

CSB: "For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.

NLT: If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.

KJV: For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

NKJV: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Jesus has concluded a model prayer to God the Father (Matthew 6:9–13). Famously referred to as the Lord's Prayer, this is meant as an example—not a mantra—for His disciples and followers. Here, Jesus returns to a key point in that prayer. As part of the way believers are to pray, Jesus mentioned asking God to "forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). That can be understood fairly easily. It means asking God for forgiveness, as well as declaring our forgiveness of those who have wronged us.

What Christ teaches here is that forgiveness is conditional, but only in a very specific sense. If you forgive the sins of others against you, Jesus says your heavenly Father will also forgive you. If you don't forgive, you won't be forgiven (Matthew 6:15). Of all the instructions Jesus gives in the Sermon on the Mount, this is among the most challenging. It is also extremely easy to misunderstand, if not considered carefully. Taken with no other context, Jesus seems to be saying we earn God's forgiveness after we forgive the sins of others against us, and we lose forgiveness when we refuse to forgive others. Difficult or not, Jesus is speaking with the authority of God, and He always means what He says. We should never dismiss Jesus' teaching because it is hard to understand or to reconcile with other teachings. We should also not leap to conclusions which don't make sense of His other words.

In His other messages, Jesus repeatedly emphasized that God is displeased by those who refuse to forgive others despite being forgiven for much greater wrongs by God (Matthew 18:23–35). There is a clear sense in Christian teaching that unforgiving attitudes are inherently sinful. At the same time, Jesus is speaking before His own death as the final sacrifice for human sin. His blood, His loss of life, is the payment for sin, including the sin of unforgiveness (John 3:16–17). God takes Jesus' death as payment for the sins of those who trust in Christ and gives to them credit for Jesus' sinless life. None of us will be accepted into eternity by God based on our ability to forgive others (Titus 3:5), but on the basis of Jesus' perfect righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Paul describes it this way in Colossians 2:13–14, "And you, who were dead in your trespasses…God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."

Taken together with the rest of the Bible, we see that salvation—forgiveness from God—is based on faith, and it is permanent (Romans 3:20; John 10:28). However, there are signs and "symptoms" one would expect to see in a person who is truly born again (James 2:14–17; John 14:15; 1 John 4:19–21). It makes sense that appreciating all God has forgiven in us ought to make us willing to forgive what others might have done to us (Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:32). Forgiveness towards others is a common-sense, expected indicator of someone who's been saved.

Matthew 6:7–16 follows Jesus' instruction about praying behind closed doors; He now teaches how to pray. Christ denounces the use of mindless repetition or meaningless jargon. God doesn't need filler words, and He doesn't need us to repeat ourselves in order to be heard. Jesus then models a simple, authentic prayer, now famously referred to as the Lord's Prayer. It is addressed to God the Father and begins by declaring His holiness and asking for His will to be accomplished on earth. This model prayer also makes personal requests for daily food, forgiveness of sin, and deliverance from temptation and evil. Jesus then underscores part of that prayer by saying those who want God's forgiveness must forgive others.

The Sermon on the Mount continues in chapter 6, which is entirely composed of the words of Christ. Jesus teaches that God rewards deeds motivated by sincere devotion to Him, not by approval from other people. He teaches a simple and authentic model prayer. Christ warns against stockpiling money and possessions on earth. Instead, believers should make choices that store up treasure in heaven. A person's top priority can either be God, or money, but cannot be both. Along with that, Jesus says believers should fight against anxiety about daily needs. The heavenly Father knows what we need. All we need to do is pursue His kingdom and righteousness; He will take care of our needs, one day at a time.

Chapter 5 began Matthew's telling of the Sermon on the Mount. In that passage, Jesus pointed out that thoughts and attitudes are part of righteousness, just as much as actions. In Chapter 6, He explains how good deeds are only righteous when done out of sincere devotion to God, rather than for other people's approval. He also provides a model for prayer. Jesus explains how excessive worry, such as over money, interferes with faith in God. Knowing that God loves us should lead believers to trust Him, not to be anxious. Chapter 6 is one of the few chapters of the New Testament entirely composed of the words of Christ. In chapter 7 Jesus will introduce additional themes such as appropriate judgment, trust in God, and treatment of others.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.