Is Forgiveness mandatory and what does the bible say about it?

I was thinking about the issue of unforgiveness, how it destroys everything it touches. How it causes damage each time it is used. Thing is, it’s another tool of our enemy to keep us from doing what God would have us do, to Love and to heal. You can’t share the love of God when you harbor unforgiveness. We think that we have a right to not forgive another, but that is no where near the truth. Jesus went to a cross that He didn’t deserve, to pay for the penalty of sin, that He didn’t commit, to die for people that didn’t deserve His forgiveness. It’s said that to not forgive someone is like taking poison and expecting the person to get sick. Unforgiveness only hurts ourselves. Christ had the right to not forgive but chose to do the opposite, so who are we to think that we have the right to not forgive, even though God Himself did. God states that if we don’t forgive others, then He will not forgive us. If we are not forgiven, then how can we expect to inherit the kingdom of God……we can’t (Matthew 6:15-But if you do not forgive others of their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins).

Just a thought

Below are on the C.A.R.M. website

Forgiveness is the act of releasing someone from a debt or obligation. There are seven words in Scripture that denote the idea of forgiveness: three in Hebrew and four in Greek. No book of religion except Christianity teaches that God completely forgives sins. God remembers our sins no more (Heb. 10:17). God is the initiator of forgiveness (Col. 2:13).

There is only one sin for which the Father does not promise forgiveness: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:28, Matt. 12:32). The contexts suggest this to be the sin of attributing to unclean spirits the work of the Holy Spirit.

For man to receive forgiveness, repentance is necessary (Luke 17:3-4). For the holy God to extend forgiveness, the shedding of blood is necessary (Heb. 9:22, Lev. 17:11). Forgiveness is based upon the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

  1. Commanded of God
    1. Matthew 6:9-13, “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And ;forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. “
    2. Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”
    3. Mark 11:25, “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.”
  2. How much to forgive
    1. Without limit
      1. Matthew 18:22, “Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
      2. Luke 17:3-4, “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.””
  3. The Basis of Forgiveness
    1. Christ’s work
      1. Colossians 3:13, “bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.”
    2. God’s goodness
      1. Psalm 86:5, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.”
  4. Reasons for Forgiving
    1. Because God has forgiven us
      1. Matthew 6:14, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
      2. Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
      3. Colossians 3:13, “bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.”
  5. Received
    1. From God
      1. Colossians 2:13, “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.”
      2. 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
  6. Synonyms of Forgiveness
    1. Pardons
      1. Luke 6:37, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.
    2. Remembers no more
      1. Heb 10:17, “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
    3. Wipes away
      1. Acts 3:19, “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
      2. Rev 21:4, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
  7. We need forgiveness
    1. Mark 11:25, “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.”