It seems strange to question whether or not someone is worthy of forgiveness. I mean pretty much every Christian church teaches that all people are worthy of salvation. No matter who they are or what they may have done in their past. We have even written many articles that teach those very things. Yet, there is still more that needs to be discussed.
You see the Bible is clear on the fact that anyone can receive salvation. But that salvation does come with some requirements. If you want to receive forgiveness then you must be willing to forgive others. In fact, if you want to receive grace and mercy you are expected to extend them to others.
Matthew 6:14-15
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Luke 6:38
38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
Matthew 5:7
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
James 2:13
13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Notice that almost all those verses were spoken by Jesus himself. Jesus even took forgiveness so serious that He gave a whole parable to explain it. In which a servant owed a large debt to his master. After the servant pleaded for forgiveness, the master mercifully forgave the man his debt.
Yet when the servant was faced with the same situation he chose not to forgive. Instead he had the man who owed him placed in prison until the debt could be repaid. The servant master quickly heard of this and called the man back into his presence.
Matthew 18:32-34
32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
That is a rough but deserved ending for the servant to meet. Because he was not willing to forgive those who owed him. He was not worthy of being forgiven by his master. While most parables would end at this point. Jesus wanted to be sure that everyone would understand the point He was making.
Matthew 18:35
35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
It is not always easy to forgive others. But as you have seen, the Bible makes it clear. To be forgiven we must be willing to forgive. Even if that means forgiving the same person time and time again.
Luke 17:4
4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Here’s what so great about the God we serve. He knows our nature and knows how foreign the concept of forgiveness often is to us. So in a way He is willing to accept an IOU from us. God will forgive those who come to Him immediately. With the expectation they will go back after their conversion and forgive others.
So are you worthy of being forgiven by God? Don’t simply brush this question off. You can see how important this is according to the scripture. If you find you need to forgive someone then don’t wait but do it now. Let go of the things you have been holding on to. Chances are they don’t matter anyway. And nothing is worth missing out on heaven.
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