Forgive as You Have Been Forgiven

From the series “The Commands of Christ — Love in Action”

Love doesn’t keep score.
It doesn’t hold grudges, demand repayment, or wait for the apology it thinks it deserves.
Love forgives—completely, freely, and sacrificially.

“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
— Luke 6:37, NASB 1995

This is not a gentle suggestion. It is a command from the lips of the One who would be betrayed, denied, beaten, and crucified—and who still cried out, “Father, forgive them.”

Forgiveness is not weakness.
It is not forgetting.
It is not denying the pain.
It is the power to cancel a debt out of reverence for the mercy we’ve been shown.

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“Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
— Ephesians 4:32

If you have been forgiven by Christ, then forgiveness is no longer optional—it is the overflow of new life.

When we withhold it, we are not just clinging to hurt—we are denying the very gospel we claim to believe.

“If you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses.”
— Matthew 6:15

These are sobering words. Not because forgiveness earns salvation—but because refusal to forgive proves we have not truly received the mercy of God.

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The early Church knew this. They were slandered, persecuted, imprisoned—and yet they forgave.

The Martyrdom of Polycarp (AD 155):
“He prayed for all… even those who were about to execute him, remembering the words of his Lord.”
— Chapter 14

Tertullian (c. AD 200):
“We repay injuries with kindness… and when we are cursed, we bless. We follow our Lord in this, and forgive so that we may be forgiven.”
— Apology, Chapter 39

They forgave—not because it was easy, but because the cross had made it possible.

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Forgiveness is not something we wait to feel.
It is a choice made in obedience to Christ.
It is not the same as reconciliation—but it is always the first step.

Some wounds run deep.
But the cross goes deeper.
And where Christ reigns, bitterness cannot remain.

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You cannot carry the cross and a grudge at the same time.
You must choose.

To walk in love is to walk in forgiveness—
Even if they never say they’re sorry.
Even if they don’t understand what they did.
Even if the pain is still fresh.

Because Christ forgave you.
And He commands you to do the same.

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📚 Sources & References

Forgive as You Have Been Forgiven

Scripture (NASB 1995):

• Luke 6:37 – “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
• Ephesians 4:32 – “Forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
• Matthew 6:15 – “If you do not forgive… your Father will not forgive…”

Ante-Nicene Sources:

• The Martyrdom of Polycarp, Chapter 14.
  “He prayed for all… even those who were about to execute him.”
  [Available at: EarlyChristianWritings.com or NewAdvent.org]
• Tertullian, Apology, Chapter 39.
  “We repay injuries with kindness… we follow our Lord in this.”
  [Available at: NewAdvent.org]