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All bitterness and bad temper and anger, the loud voice and the slanderous tongue must be removed from your lives, and so must all maliciousness. You must be kind to one another; you must be compassionate; you must forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4: 31,32

Forgive us for our failures in our duty to you, as we have forgiven those who have failed in their duty to us. For if you forgive your fellow men For the wrongs they have done to you, your Father will forgive you; but if you do not forgive your fellow men, then your Father will not forgive you either for the wrongs you have done to him, Matthew 6:12, 14-15

(A Translation by William Barclay)

The emphasis on forgiving others in the Scriptures is unmistakable. It is not optional behavior, but rather a reality to be taken seriously at all times. Some readers are already reminded of Jesus’ answer to Peter’s question about forgiving another as many as seven times. After stating that one should forgive another not just seven times, but as many as seventy times seven, Jesus proceeded to illustrate the solemnity of the importance of forgiving others with a parable.

A servant, unable to pay a huge debt, was going to be sold along with his family and his possessions. He begged for mercy, and his master compassionately forgave him the enormous amount that he could never have mustered. That same servant later dealt with a fellow-servant who owed him a miniscule amount (in comparison with the vast sum that he had previously owed to the master.) He refused to be merciful; he had that fellow-servant thrown into jail instead of listening to his plea for patience.

The master sent for the servant. “You utter scoundrel! he said. “I remitted that whole debt of yours, because you pleaded with me to do so. Surely you should have had the same pity for your fellow-servant as I had for you.” The master was furious, and handed him over to the torturers until he should repay the whole debt in full. My heavenly Father will do the same to you, if you do not, each one of you, genuinely forgive your fellow man. Matthew18: 32-34

Among those who profess to be believers, any reluctance to forgive others freely from the heart is the sheer, hypocritical blindness of ignoring that God’s forgiveness toward believers is of a vastly greater amount than any failures between people. Believers are to take great care in this responsibility. The earlier context of chapter 18 in Matthew speaks of extreme care not to cause a humble believer to stumble, extreme determination to eliminate activities that could draw one into sin, extreme diligence to seek the lost as a caring shepherd, and the extreme resolve to help one who struggles to be able to make amends.

Practicing forgiveness might involve diligent, loving prayers for those who demonstrate hostility toward us. It might mean “leaving our gift at the altar” (Matthew 5: 24) regarding our approach to God until a full loving effort to solve any conflicts has been truly attempted. Having a forgiving heart definitely involves a daily commitment not to hold grudges or make slanderous comments. Believers should never become indifferent to the opportunities to joyfully manifest God’s forgiving nature: giving water to a thirsty enemy, etc. Jesus and Stephen had a commitment to pray for their murderous persecutors for God’s forgiveness while they were dying. Of course it is God Himself who pours this ability into our lives through his spirit. In light of God’s powerful willingness to forgive us for so much, our efforts to actively forgive others should be fervent and zealous, never reluctant.