“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” John 20:23
Of course, this verse is the basis of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and forgiveness by the Catholic Church. This is the moment and phrase from which Jesus Himself instituted this great mercy Sacrament, and gave the priests of His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church the permission AND authority to forgive sins in His Name.
Today, praying over this verse, God gave me a different viewpoint of His words.
Right after the Lord taught His disciples how to pray, He said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15
The Spirit spoke to my heart, convicting me on these verses.
We have the power and responsibility to forgive those who have sinned against us. We can’t forgive the sin as God but we can forgive the person of their sin against us.
If we fail to do this, Jesus is quite clear that if don’t do this, the Father will not also forgive us. The level of forgiveness that we offer will be measured back to us. In the same sense, unforgiveness is heaped back upon us as well. To paraphrase an old quote, ““unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
Not forgiving a person who has sinned against us makes us as culpable for the sin as they are. In a sense, it makes us conspirators of the sin. I’m no lawyer, but, I believe the sentence for the conspirator of a crime is the same as the person convicted of the crime.
That means in the Father’s eyes, not forgiving is as bad as committing the sin yourself. Maybe in a sense it is worse. For mercy is given freely to to the repentant sinner, “but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
“So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24
In the same sense, if someone has sinned against you, first seek the person out and forgive them before seeking the mercy of the Father.
Go out seeking to give forgiveness to those who have wronged you. It doesn’t matter if they accept it, only that you give it. Let mercy and forgiveness flow from your heart.