“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 NIV
The apostle Paul writing in the New Testament book of Ephesians lays out the pattern believers in Christ are to follow. As members of Christ’s church we are to adhere to the new requirements of every child of God. Paul writes we are to walk in unity, each of us is to administer their gift God has given for the building up of the saints. We are not to grieve the Holy Spirit by walking in our former worldly conduct, and we are to have compassion for one another, willing to forgive as God, in Christ, forgave us. Paul most likely had Matthew’s account of Jesus’s instruction about forgiveness in mind. It is possible Paul was familiar with Matthew’s writing as Ephesians was written some ten years after the gospel of Matthew.
Jesus had been teaching His disciples that forgiveness should be always be granted to those who repent. Peter questioned Jesus by asking if there were any limits to forgiveness. Jesus simply answered forgiveness was limitless and then went on to explain why a follower of Jesus would always forgive over and over again.
Jesus used the illustration of an earthly king who began settling accounts with governors who owed the king money through taxation. A certain governor owed a tremendous about of money he would never be able to pay back in a lifetime. The king demanded he be sold along with his wife and children, and all he possessed to make payment. The debtor begged for mercy and the king had compassion and forgave him his debt. It is an example of Jesus, the king, forgiving each of us our debt of sin which we could never pay. Being released from so great a debt should encourage every Christian to forgive others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Unfortunately the forgiven debtor did not show the same mercy and compassion afforded him when he demanded payment from one who owed him money, a very small amount at that. When the king discovered the forgiven debtor’s actions he was angry and handed him over to the jailers. Although his debt was already paid, the king put him in the hands of the jailers to suffer severe discipline until he was willing to forgive others.
Jesus paid the ultimate price for our salvation. When we, as Christians, consider the forgiveness shown to us by our Lord, how is it possible that we find it hard to forgive others? Let not our ingratitude come to the surface by not forgiving fellow believers for the little debt against us in relation to our great debt we have been forgiven by the Lord. Let us forgive each other as God forgave us.
Read the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2018%3A21-35&version=NIV
Word for the Soul 