Forgiveness Without Conditions

The command to forgive is absolute, yet we build walls of conditions around it. Colossians 3:13 and Matthew 6:14-15 leave no apology clause — you are to forgive as the Lord forgave you.

The command to forgive is absolute, yet people constantly build walls of “conditions” to avoid obeying it. The most frequent excuse is, “They haven’t apologized, so I don’t have to forgive.” This is a human invention, not a biblical requirement. Scripture is clear: “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossians 3:13). Jesus makes the stakes clear in Matthew 6:14-15: “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” There is no “apology clause” in the command of Christ. You may argue that your feelings of hurt are too deep or that their lack of repentance makes forgiveness impossible. But you are not called to wait until you “feel” like forgiving, nor are you authorized to withhold grace until the offender meets your criteria. You are commanded to forgive because while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. If the Creator of the universe could forgive you while you were His enemy, who are you to withhold that same grace from another? When you withhold forgiveness, you are not protecting yourself; you are nursing bitterness and setting yourself up for judgment.

Scriptures Referenced (KJV)

4 key passages from the King James Version (KJV).

“Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

Colossians 3:13 KJV — The Refiner's Fire — Who Can Endure? Read Colossians chapter 3 →

“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:”

Matthew 6:14 KJV Read Matthew chapter 6 →

“But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Matthew 6:15 KJV Read Matthew chapter 6 →

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

Romans 5:10 KJV — He Has Shown You What Is Good Read Romans chapter 5 →