The Cost of Forgiveness

What price would you be willing to pay to have your sins forgiven?

What if God promised to forgive you for your sins if you agreed to stand on your head for five minutes, then do ten jumping jacks? What if God required you to pay $10,000? Or $10,000,000? What if He asked you to give up your PlayStation, new car, or big house?

At what point would you walk away and say, “Thanks, but no thanks”?

God has actually put a price tag on forgiveness, but it is different than a lot of people think. In fact, after finding out God’s price, many walk away sorrowful, unwilling to make the payment.

In Luke 6:36 Jesus says to “be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” The imperative command to be merciful means to forgive, and the conjunction “even as” means in the same way. So Jesus is saying that we need to forgive each other in the same way that God forgives us.

When His disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, Jesus included the line, “and forgive us our debts (sins) as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12).” The word “as” also means “how,” or “forgive us how (or in the same way) we forgive.”

Jesus is teaching us that our measure of forgiveness from God is dependent upon the measure with which we forgive.

In case you think I am stretching that verse, Jesus made Himself even plainer in the following verses. In Matthew 6:14-15 He plainly said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive you.”

So what do you think? Is the price too high to pay to have your sins forgiven? What person in your life do you need to forgive today? Forgive them, then apologize to your Heavenly Father and ask for His forgiveness.