Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

– Apostle Paul, 2 Cor 5:17 (NKJV)

Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

– Apostle Paul, Romans 12:17–21 (NKJV)

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

– Apostle Paul, 2 Cor 5:18–21 (NKJV)

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 

– Apostle Paul, Gal 3:13–14 (NKJV)

For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 

– Apostle Paul, Titus 3:3–7 (NKJV)

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

– Apostle Paul, Romans 5:6–8 (NKJV)

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

– Apostle Paul, Romans 5:1–2 (NKJV)

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 

– Apostle Paul, 1 Cor 6:9–11 (NKJV)

If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 

– Apostle John, 1 John 1:7 (NKJV)

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. 

– Apostle Paul, Titus 2:11–14 (NKJV)

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

– Jesus Christ, Mat 6:14–15 (NKJV)

In Matthew 18:21-35, we find an eternal promise of judgment upon unmerciful, unforgiving believers. Here’s an excerpt:

“Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Jesus’ lesson is about a servant who was in debt to His master to the point of bankruptcy. The master was about to collect and it meant he would lose everything. But the servant begs the master for mercy and the master erases the servants massive debt. The servant in this parable is you and I. Our debts are the many sins we have committed against God and others. We can’t ever do enough to remove our sins and escape the penalty of death on our own. But when we come to Jesus and ask forgiveness, He immediately forgives us (wipes away our debt), restores us (gives us a perfect credit score), and gives us grace and the Holy Spirit (money in the bank). He wants us to prosper, spiritually speaking.

But what happens next in the parable is unexpected. The servant who received extravagant mercy from his master turned around and dealt cruelly with someone you owed him a few hundred dollars. This could be someone who has sinned against in the slightest compared the mountain of sin God forgave us of. How easy it is to hold others in unforgiveness when they sin against us just a little bit, but how much we ask God to keep forgiving us. How often did Jesus say to forgive others? Once? Seven times? No, He told us to forgive seventy times seven. Not literally “490 times and that’s it!”, but figuratively as if to say “be merciful and don’t stop forgiving one another!”

Can you see yourself as the first servant, who’s debt (of sin) was incomprehensible? If we’re not careful, we can forget just how much we’ve been forgiven by our Heavenly Father. Therefore, forgive freely and frequently, just as He has forgiven you.

King David understood the blessing and peace of being forgiven by the Lord. Here is an excerpt from Psalm 32:

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer.
Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah” (Psalms 32:1-5)

In David’s time, the only way to receive atonement for sins was to sacrifice lambs and other animals, sprinkling the blood on the people and on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. The blood of those lambs pointed to the efficacious blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, shed on the cross to atone for the sins of the whole world. But in order for your sin to be forgiven, you must cover or hide yourself in the blood of Jesus by confessing, repenting of your sins and asking for His forgiveness. And when you confess, Jesus is quick to forgive you because the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses you from all unrighteousness.

The problem is when we wait and keep “silent” about our sin, like David did for a short time. He was miserable. Only when he confessed to the Lord did he find forgiveness and a renewal of joy! But don’t stop there. Don’t just confess you sin. If you are a Christian, God has given you the power to overcome the power of sin. You can be free! Just trust God, talk to Him regularly, and read His Word. Remember what Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery? He was merciful, but He also said “Go and sin no more.”

Don’t wait another minute. Confess you sins to the Lord. Ask Him to forgive you and cleanse you. After all, forgiveness by the blood of Jesus is one of God’s eternal promises.