Sermon on the Mount Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (6:15)
Immediately following the Lords Prayer (also called the model prayer and the
disciples prayer), Jesus expounds only on one statement of the prayer: Forgive us our
debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (6:12)
Luke uses sins (11:4) whereas Matthew uses debts, but the meaning is the same for sin
is a moral debt (as taught in the parable of the unmerciful servant, Matthew 18:22-35)
This concept may be troublesome at first, for it seems to imply that Gods forgiveness is
conditional if we forgive others, then He forgives us; if we do not, then He does not
This would mean that Gods forgiveness is earned (by merit of forgiving), rather than
forgiveness being based on Gods grace given to us through the atoning death of Christ
Jesus did not say, Forgive us our debts because we forgive our debtors they will be
back on legal ground (Martin Lloyd Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 347)
It is important to emphasize that this prayer is NOT for unbelievers in need of salvation, but
for the followers of Jesus for those who have received his mercy, forgiveness, and grace
and now are adopted into the family of God (Romans 8:17, Ephesians 1:5)
Salvation is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), we become a child of God when we
receive Him (John 1:12), we are forgiven and have the righteousness of Christ (II Cor 5:21)
Here Jesus speaks of the ongoing experience of forgiveness not for salvation, but for
sanctification being set apart and becoming conformed to the image of His son (Rom
8:29)
Now that we are in Christ (Romans 8:1), we can ask the question which is the title of a
book by Francis Schaeffer: How Should We Then Live?
Perhaps a human analogy would be helpful: a child who harbors resentment toward his
brother and refuses to forgive him must realize that this impacts his relationship with his dad
who loves them both the barrier he puts up for his brother becomes a barrier with his father
If I resent my brother and refuse to forgive him, my hardness of heart toward my brother is
the same hardness of heart that blocks Gods ongoing forgiveness of my sin
A recurring theme in the scripture is that we cannot compartmentalize life we cannot
separate our relationship with God from our relationship with others
As John teaches: Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in
darkness; whoever loves his brother lives in the light (I John 2:9-10)
Paul teaches that a man should examine himself before taking the Lords Supper (I Cor
11:28)
Jesus teaches that we cannot offer a gift to God when we have conflict with a brother (5:23)
Believers who have had their sins forgiven and now are adopted into the family of God
should consider the importance of living a life consistent with their standing with God
since we have been forgiven then we freely forgive, and can pray forgive us as we forgive
others
Jesus provides a powerful illustration of this principle when asked how many times shall I
forgive my brother? His answer is the story of a servant who was forgiven an
insurmountable debt by his master, but later refused to forgive a small debt owed to him by
another servant
Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant just I had mercy on you? (Mat
18:33)