Our sinful human nature motivates us to treat others badly. From deeply depraved acts that cause pain, suffering, and death, down to small acts of neglect, thoughtlessness, and even unkind jokes—humans are constantly hurting one another. Even in the church, we suffer from words spoken in haste or anger, from judgments spoken with cruelty, from promises made and not kept.^[1]

Because this is part of the human condition, we must forgive one another. We know that we are supposed to be like Jesus. He forgave his enemies; he forgave those who hurt him. We know that the Bible consistently and repeatedly calls us to extend forgiveness to those who cause us pain and sorrow.

Yet forgiving others is likely one of the most difficult responsibilities of the Christian life. Our sinful tendency is to hold on to those feelings of hurt and disappointment. Our tendency is to repay others for what they did to us.

The Christian life should be characterized by both repentance and forgiveness. When we sin, we must repent. When we are sinned against, we must forgive.

Many texts in the Bible remind us about the importance of forgiveness.

Exodus 34:6–7 … “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, ⁷ keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, …

Matthew 6:12  And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.

Luke 6:37  … Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Luke 23:34  Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” …

Ephesians 4:32  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Colossians 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

We could spend a long time studying what the Bible says about God’s forgiveness of a sinner. But today I want to consider the sinner’s forgiveness of another sinner. Because of human sinfulness, we have many opportunities to extend grace, mercy, and forgiveness to others. We should understand what the Bible says about this important responsibility.

^[1] Dan Doriani, “Forgiveness: Jesus’ Plan For Healing And Reconciliation In The Church (Matthew 18:15–35),” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology Volume 13 13, no. 3 (2009): 23.