Forgive

[drfuss]

Matthew 6:14&15 - 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

I am interested in how the various security of the believer beliefs interpret Matthew 6:14&15. Please don't turn this thread into a debate on eternal security; I am only interested in listing the various interpretations of Matthew 6:14&15,

The most popular eternal security intrepretation (Jeremiah, Stanley, etc.) says this means Christians having unforgiveness are still saved, but are living out of fellowship with Christ.

Most Arminian beliefs says this unforgiveness only applies to unforgiveness retained by the Christian a significant time after the issue has passed, i.e. unforgiveness during the issue is not the unforgiveness being addressed here.

A possible Wesleyan Arminian interpretation is that if a Christian retains unforegiveness after the issue is settled and then resists (over a long period of time) the conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning that unforegiveness, that Christian is in danger of losing their salvation even if they still believe.

A possible Classic Arminian interpretation is the same as the Wesleyan Arminian interpretation except that the resisting Christian under conviction of the Holy Spirit, will be under such conviction that he will chose to stop trusting Christ, thereby forfeiting his salvation, or he will forgive the other person and continue believing.

Are there any other interpretation out there?

 

[billwald]

>Matthew 6:14&15 - 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

If one is elect, regenerate, and converted then one will conform to the verse as one understands it.

 

[Johnv]

The OP attempts to make this verse an issue of salvation. I submit that this is an issue of righteousness, not salvation, and therefore not an issue of calvinism vs arminianism.

 

[drfuss]

One would expect those who believe in eternal security to not consider Matthew 6:14&15 to be involving salvation.

I am interested in any other Matthew 6:14&15 interpretations of non-eternal security Christians. For instance, how do Christians interpret this scripture from churches such as: Church of Christ, Nazarene, Seven Day Adventists, Methodist, etc.

 

[BobRyan]

Matt 18 makes it clear that one must be fully forgiven first - before they even have a basis for forgiving others out of gratitude for having first experienced full forgiveness of their own sins.

Thus the Matt 6 example must apply to the saved - those who are already forgiven.

As one of the options points out -- the "neither will my Father forgive you" scenario is applicable only if the saved person persists in holding to a feeling of revenge and hatred - instead of letting go and forgiving.

One reason for that is the Lev 19:18 law "Love your neighbor as yourself". The person who is not forgiving his brother is in fact persisting in sin.

in Christ,

Bob

 

[Robert Snow]

One would expect those who believe in eternal security to not consider Matthew 6:14&15 to be involving salvation.

I believe this Scripture cannot be referring to eternal salvation. If it does, then all a person needs to do to be saved is to forgive those who sin against them. After all, if we forgive those who sin against us then God must forgive our sin. This leaves no room for the Gospel concerning salvation.

 

[Johnv]

I concur. Forgiving is not what is required for salvation. Allowing Christ to pay for one's transgressions is what is required. Forgiveness is an issue of righteousness, not salvation, and therefore not an issue of calvinism vs arminianism.