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Forgiveness a Condition of Forgiveness - Mark 11
Forgiveness a Condition of Forgiveness - Mark 11
Mark 11:26 "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."
We have had so many years of denominational teaching that says we are saved by faith alone and with that they exclude consideration of any and all actions / works / responses on our part.
Many things that God commands of us are not tied directly to forgiveness of sins and salvation. We are to remember the Lord by taking the Lord’s supper, we are to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, we are to be devoted unto good works, pay our taxes, honor the king, love our spouse, teach our children, etc. None of these is given as a condition for forgiveness. To DISOBEY such is rebellion, unfaithfulness, and sin – and THAT condition requires forgiveness.
That being said, some things ARE linked our being forgiven. God says so! Note:
Of course, we learned that faith is so linked: unless you believe you will die IN your sins (John 8:24). To NOT believe is to be damned (Mark 16:16).
Confession of Jesus as LORD is ‘unto salvation’ (and salvation involves our being forgiven). Paul states in Romans 10:9-10: “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
Repentance is ‘for the remission of sins’, as is baptism – Acts 2:38, 22:16; Mark 16:16.
Here in Mark 11, we learn that forgiving others is also a condition to being forgiven.
While these are conditions that God himself put in place, they are not the cause of nor the basis of our salvation. It is God that forgives, and God states the conditions upon which He will forgive. Such conditions are few in number and can be done by all who hear, but many fail to comply with them.
Has God forgiven you?
Hugh DeLong
