To forgive is to choose not to hold an offence against someone who has sinned against you. Jesus likens forgiveness to a benefactor choosing not to demand repayment of a debt (Matthew 18:32). The Bible says that when we confess to God that we have sinned ‘He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9). In the Old Testament law, forgiveness was often tied to the sacrifice system. An individual (or an entire people) would confess their sins to God and then that sin would be placed onto an animal that would die in their place. The individual would then be forgiven (Leviticus 4); their sin would be ‘taken away’ by the sacrifice. In the New Testament, we see the fulfilment of the sacrificial system in the death of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10 1-18). Jesus Himself becomes the great sacrifice for sins once and for all, so that forgiveness is available for all who believe in Him (Acts 10:43).
God’s forgiveness of all those who trust in Jesus has another implication - that those who have received it should forgive others. Colossians 3:13 tells us to ‘Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.’ Jesus speaks even more strongly than this, warning the believer about the danger of holding on to bitterness and anger rather than forgiving. In teaching us how to pray, He tells us to say: ‘Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ He goes on to explain: ‘For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.’ (Matthew 6:12b-15). The forgiveness that the believer receives both enables them to forgive others who have sinned against them, and acts as motivation to do so. You have no right to hold on to the sins that have been committed against you if you have received forgiveness for your sins from God. God will hold accountable anyone who refuses to forgive.