Another major hindrance to our faith is unforgiveness. In Mark 11:24, after Jesus taught on how we are to use faith in prayer to receive from God, He immediately followed that by saying “And whenever you stand praying, forgive…” (Mark 11:25). “And” is a conjunction which connects words or ideas that are to be taken jointly. So we see Jesus, in Mark 11:24-25, combining prayer, faith and forgiveness together. If Jesus tells us to forgive when we release our faith and pray, then we are deceived to think that we can get our faith to work without first obeying His word to forgive. The Bible teaches that it is when we pray in accordance with God’s will that He hears us and by that we can be confident that we shall receive from God (1 John 5:14). Even so, if God tells us to forgive (Ephesians 4:32, Mark 11:25-26) then unforgiveness is clearly not His will. And if we pray to Him with unforgiveness in our hearts, then we have no guarantee that even our prayers will be heard.
The issue of unforgiveness is far more serious than we just hindering ourselves form receiving from God. In His teaching on prayer, faith, and forgiveness (Mark 11:23-25) Jesus continued to say that “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. “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.” (Mark 11:25-26). Did Jesus really mean this? Before we are tempted to think that this admonition is only for Jews who lived under the law, James essentially repeats this admonition to the church in His letter to the church (cf. James 5:14): “For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).
When we choose not to forgive others, we choose to withhold mercy from them, and and for those who choose to show no mercy the Bible warns that they will also have no mercy when they stand before God in judgement (James 2:12-13). This, again, is a repetition of what Jesus said in the beatitudes: “Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). Now, mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13); it is by God’s mercy alone that any one of us can survive God’s judgement since we all stumble in many ways (James 3:2 ) and there is no one who does not sin (1 John 1:8-10). Should God therefore withhold His mercy, how then could anyone have their sins blotted out and be guiltless before God should they sin? And indeed God says He will withhold His mercy from anyone who shows no mercy (James 2:13). It is the same truth Jesus shared when He said, “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. “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.” (Mark 11:25-26). Even so, should God withhold His mercy from us, then our sins will remain, our spirits even though born again will be defiled (2 Corinthians 7:1), and we shall be unclean. And nothing unclean shall ever enter the city of God (cf. Revelation 21:27). Unforgiveness is far more costly than we realize. It does not only hinder our faith but puts us in eternal jeopardy. Stay completely away from it.
Now we learn from the Scriptures that God is rich in mercy (Ephesians 4:2) and His mercies, which are new every morning never come to an end (Lamentations 3:21-22). Yet, the church is told in the New Testament that judgement will be without mercy for everyone who does not show mercy. With this, I believe that when we choose not to show others mercy through unforgiveness or any other means, we actively reject the mercy God freely provides us and declare to Him that we have no need for His mercy. Why should anyone ever make such a choice?
If God instructs His church to forgive just as God in Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:32), then it only means that He has given us the ability to forgive just as He lovingly and completely forgives us, otherwise He will be unjust to tell us do what we cannot do. But God is not unjust (Hebrews 6:10 ); righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne (Psalm 89:14). Therefore, go ahead and be quick to forgive. It is really for your own benefit.
Dr. K. Omari
July 7, 2021
A Very Important Message
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Therefore, If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, I invite you to put your faith in Him. Pray the prayer below to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour: “I come to you God in Jesus’ name and surrender my life unto you. I repent of my sins and I ask You to forgive me all my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with my heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. I thank you God for saving me, in Jesus name, Amen”. If you sincerely prayed this prayer, believe and be assured that you are saved, for the Bible says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13, Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31). Find a Bible believing church to attend so that you can be discipled to grow in the ways of God. You can also email me ([email protected]) and I will be happy to grow together with you in Christ.