The Danger of Being Imprisoned Through Unforgiveness

Jesus spoke a parable about a servant who owed his master a considerable amount of money that he could never repay. Out of mercy, the master forgave him entirely.  Yet, that same servant refused to forgive a fellow servant who owed him a far, far smaller debt. When the master heard of this, he was angry and declared:

 ‘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 pitied you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  “So shall My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.””(Matthew 18:32–35)

This parable should cut deeply into the heart of every person, irrespective of whether they are among the saved or the unsaved. Jesus Christ has revealed a spiritual danger that cannot be ignored: unforgiveness opens the door to bondage.

Amazingly, this servant had been set free, but he returned to imprisonment because he refused to extend to others what had been so freely given to him. Although the enormous debt had been wiped away, the blatant lack of mercy in this man’s life brought judgment upon himself..

 Forgiveness Received Demands Forgiveness Given.

Every disciple must remember this important truth: the forgiveness that we have received from the Father is immeasurable. When you consider that every sin, every trespass, and of all of the offences that we have committed against the Father were a debt far beyond our ability in ourselves to ever meet the repayment.

This is the amazing grace of the Father through the voluntary sacrifice of Jesus Christ; the Father has granted to us total forgiveness. Jesus Himself taught: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”(Matthew 6:12)

Immediately after teaching His disciples what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus issued a solemn warning: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye do not forgive men their trespasses, then neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”(Matthew 6:14–15)

This is a Kingdom law. If infinite mercy has been poured out upon us by the Father through the redemptive ministry of Jesus Christ, how dare we withhold mercy from another person? How can we have any excuse?

Herein lies a vital truth that we as believers must fully understand: if we refuse to offer forgiveness to anyone who has hurt or offended us in any way, we are guilty of despising the grace of the Father that has saved us.

Jesus warned elsewhere: “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37) Therefore, those who have been forgiven must also become forgivers towards others.

Unforgiveness Becomes a Prison.

Jesus declared: “Agree with thine adversary quickly… lest the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily… thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.” (Matthew 5:25–26)

“I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I pitied thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.” (Matthew 18:32–34)

This is so important; a person must understand exactly why Jesus gave these exhortations:   Jesus Christ described the unforgiving servant as being delivered to the tormentors.

This is no light matter; this is no little thing. There is a tendency to try to read over or skirt around the difficult or hard sayings of Jesus Christ, but to do so is to do a disservice to the words of our Lord.

What Jesus was teaching is that unresolved offence leads to spiritual imprisonment. Holding onto unforgiveness in a person’s life grants the enemy a legal foothold; it gives the adversary of our souls an entry point to torment the heart with accusations, hatred, and despair.

By refusing to forgive anyone who has caused hurt or anguish against us, then through our refusal to forgive in a real spiritual sense, we are wrapping ourselves in chains of iron.

Mercy Denied Invites Judgment

The master’s wrath fell on the unforgiving servant because he refused to walk in the same mercy he had received from his master.. Jesus concluded this parable with a warning: “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts do not forgive every one his brother their trespasses.” (Matthew 18:35)

Forgiveness is not optional; it is never left to our own discretion, as to think that we can pick or choose whether to forgive or not to forgive anyone who has offended us.

It is a command from the King of kings and a condition for living under His mercy. Jesus taught the seriousness of mercy when He declared:“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

This principle must be understood:  When mercy is withheld from others, mercy will be withheld in your own hour of need. When forgiveness is refused, forgiveness will likewise be refused.
This is the righteous justice of God, who measures to each person as they measure to others.

Forgiveness Sets Both the Offender and the Offended Free

When we forgive, we release others from their debt, and in return, we also release ourselves from the prison of torment.

Jesus taught this vital principle to Peter: Then Peter came to Jesus and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22)

The cross is where justice and mercy meet. The blood of Jesus Christ paid the highest price for our forgiveness. Therefore, to withhold forgiveness is to deny the work of the cross in our daily walk.

This principle was clearly taught by Jesus when He declared:“If ye have ought against any one forgive them, that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)

Forgiveness is the pathway to freedom. It is the way of liberty that has been laid down by the Father. It is the God-ordained doorway through which the prisoner steps out of bondage, then health and healing can spring forth as hurts and offences that have been held long in the heart are dealt with.

To forgive is not to deny the wrong done, but it is to refuse to let that wrong hold power over the heart any longer. Unforgiveness binds, restricts, and has its consequences in a person’s life, but forgiveness opens the way for the Father’s grace to flow unhindered.

As believers, it is so important to beware of the snare of unforgiveness. This is extremely important; no heart can walk in the life of Christ while chained to bitterness.

Because through Jesus Christ, the Father has shown us mercy that is far beyond measure; therefore, every believer has to extend that same mercy to others.

To live the life that the Father desires for us through being in Jesus Christ, then we have to at all times fully release those who have wronged us; it has to be done deliberately, swiftly and without holding anything back, and once those offences are forgiven, there should be no remembrance of them.

This is so important for everyone to understand:  we have to purposely lay down every offence at Jesus’ feet, we must not hold onto anything that would hinder the moving of the Holy Spirit of the Lord in our lives.

Forgiveness cannot be accomplished successfully through our human strength, but through the power of the One who forgave us at the cost of His own blood. Those who have been forgiven must become forgivers.

To refuse forgiveness is to step into dangerous rebellion against the very mercy that saved you. Choose freedom today.  Choose forgiveness.