There are many Bible verses about unforgiveness. The word itself is full of tears, bitterness, hatred, pride, and sorrow. Perhaps the most well-known teaching about unforgiveness in the Bible is when Jesus told the parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-25). It is a story about a king forgiving one of his servants who owed him an enormous or unpayable debt. Instead of punishing the servant, the king forgave him. However, after the servant was forgiven, he found another servant who owed him some money. Instead of forgiving his fellow servant, he grabbed him and imprisoned him. The man was angry because his neighbor could not pay. The king heard about this and rescinded or canceled his forgiveness. Jesus concluded, “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
It is also mentioned in the Bible several times that we will be forgiven if we forgive others (Matthew 6:14; 7:2; Luke 6:37). However, let us be clear; the forgiveness of the Lord is not based on our works. Forgiveness can only be obtained by completely putting our faith in Jesus Christ. However, our acts of forgiveness demonstrate our faith and the extent to which we understand the Lord’s grace (Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. Luke 7:47; James 2:14-26).
Bible Verses About Unforgiveness
We do not deserve the forgiveness of God, yet Jesus chose to pay the price for our sins and gave us forgiveness (But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8).
Bible Verses About Unforgiveness
If we truly understand the grace and forgiveness coming from God, we will be able to pass such gifts to other people. How can we be unforgiving if we ourselves have already been forgiven by the Lord? If the King of kings has forgiven our unpayable debt, how can we not forget the minor debts and trespasses of our neighbors? Unforgiveness is basically an unbecoming of Christ.
Remember that unforgiveness robs us of the full life God intends for His children. We are encouraged by the Apostle Paul to “work at living in peace with everyone and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fail to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many (Hebrews 12:14-15). Paul also said in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NET, “when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.” Unforgiveness can be very dangerous for our Christian walk since it gives Satan an opportunity to derail us.
Christians should relinquish unforgiveness and revenge. Forgiveness brings life, but unforgiveness brings death. Pondering Bible verses about unforgiveness should open our eyes to what the Lord has commanded us. Forgiveness can be very difficult, but it leads to life and demonstrates that we truly love God. Keep in mind that unforgiveness is an act of disobedience to God. If we truly fear and love the Lord, then unforgiveness should not be part of our Christian lives.