To Be Or Not To Be … Forgiven

Jesus said to His disciples in John 20:28, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” How can we reconcile this passage of scripture with Matthew 6:14&15 and Matthew 18:21-35 where we are told we must forgive?

Q. Jesus said to His disciples in John 20:28, “If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” How can we reconcile this passage of scripture with Matthew 6:14&15 and Matthew 18:21-35 where we are told we must forgive? The verse in John appears to imply that we have the option to not forgive, thereby causing these ones to experience unforgiveness. What is your understanding of this? Thanks and God bless.

A. Having just received the Holy Spirit, the disciples had become the first members of the Church. As such they would soon receive the Great Commission to preach the Gospel. No one else could do it.

Since it’s only through hearing and accepting the Gospel message that sinners can be saved, being faithful to their calling would result in many being forgiven, since through them and their followers the whole world would eventually hear the Gospel. But if they didn’t preach the Gospel many would not be forgiven, for the Gospel message would not be shared.

The passages in Matthew refer to our individual responsibility to one another.