The forth scriptural truth, which exposes the deception of once saved forever saved is the issue of unforgiveness. Jesus made this solemn statement in Mathew 6:14-15, “if you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. This is the very same truth Jesus revealed about the Father, when He taught His disciples to pray “And forgive our sins as we forgive others” (Matthew 6:12), i.e., we are forgiven by God when we forgive others. Lest we think these are “Old Testament”, as some attempt to do with teachings of Jesus, we find the church being told the same thing: “For the one who has shown no mercy will be judged without mercy”(James 2:13). To refuse to forgive others is to choose to show no mercy, and for those who choose to show no mercy God declares that His judgement will be without mercy towards them. We all stumble in many ways (James 3:2) but mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). Even so, when God withdraws His mercy from you, your sin will remain and you will become unclean and defiled not just in flesh but in your spirit (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:1). And nothing unclean will ever enter His kingdom (Revelation 21:27).
Therefore, there is no reason why anyone should subscribe to the error of perpetual forgiveness before God no matter what you do as a Christian, when the Scriptures emphatically teach that to refuse to forgive is for God to also not forgive your sins. The notion of God’s love and forgiveness being so great and not like man’s to such an extent that God will still forgive us even when we don’t forgive is in stark contrast to what His word says and contrary to the character of God revealed to us in the Scriptures. We do not come to God by how we think He ought to be. We know Him by the revelation of Himself given to us in His word.
For the unbeliever, it is not merely their refusal to forgive, which makes them stand condemned before God. Their unforgiveness is a natural consequence of their unregenerate spirit and sinful nature. But for the believer, the Bible says God’s very love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) so that we are able and have been commanded to forgive just as God has forgiven us in Christ (Colossians 3:13). If we could not forgive just as God Himself forgives us, then God would have been unjust to expect us to do what we could not. But as the Bible teaches, righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (Psalm 89:14). Therefore, to refuse to forgive, as a child of God, is a deliberate choice of your will to hold unto offence rather than obey God’s word and exercise His love in your heart to forgive. This is a place you should never want to be because unforgiveness will cost you your place in the kingdom of heaven and send you to hell.
Kwadwo Omari, PhD
June 4, 2019