Conditional Forgiveness | Lesson 7

In this lesson, Pastor-Teacher Josh Strelecki revisits the topic of forgiveness, using Matthew 6 and Ephesians 4:32 to challenge a common dispensational chart-style contrast between “conditional” forgiveness in Israel’s program and “complete” forgiveness in the dispensation of grace. He argues from Romans 3–4 that justification has always been by grace through faith apart from works, citing Abraham and David as examples of men who were forgiven all their iniquities without any requirement that they first forgive others. He further shows from various Old Testament passages, the Gospels, and especially the ministry of Christ (e.g., the paralytic in Matthew 9, the thief on the cross, and multiple texts in John) that God’s forgiveness is granted on the basis of faith, not on a prior performance of forgiving others, thus ruling out Matthew 6 as a statement about how a sinner is justified judicially before God.

Josh then turns back to Matthew 6 to explain the “conditional” language in its proper context. He presents it not as a salvation formula but as instruction to a remnant being taught how to live and pray in contrast to the self-righteous Pharisees, who trusted in themselves, despised others, and did not see their own need for forgiveness. The condition—“forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”—functions in the realm of relational life and reward, not judicial standing, paralleling Paul’s principle in Galatians 6 that we reap what we sow. Likewise today, under grace, since we have already been fully forgiven in Christ, our call to forgive others (Ephesians 4:32) is part of sowing to the Spirit; failures to forgive will not jeopardize our salvation but will affect our reward at the judgment seat of Christ.