05 · Words of Jesus

Forgiveness and God's Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14–15

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Jesus teaches about forgiveness while two people nearby face the possibility of reconciliation.

Jesus directly connects our forgiveness of others with the Father's forgiveness of us.

How are human and divine forgiveness related?

Choose a perspective

There is no score – choose the perspective you find closest and discuss why.

Discuss: Must you forgive someone even if that person does not repent?

After your discussion: compare with our assessment

Our assessment

We consider options A and C together to be closest to the main sense of the passage. A takes Jesus' explicit connection seriously. Receiving forgiveness from God and being willing to forgive others are not presented as completely unrelated matters. C also recognizes that the passage is framed as a severe warning. Jesus treats unforgiveness as something deeply serious. This does not automatically mean, however, that forgiveness functions as a payment or achievement by which a person purchases God's grace. Together, A and C preserve both the force of Jesus' warning and the distinction between forgiveness having real significance and human beings earning God's grace through a work.

05 · Matthew 6:14–15

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Text & context

Full translation

14 For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive people, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Translated from the Greek text – SBLGNT

What is happening here?
Matthew 6:14–15 comes immediately after the Lord's Prayer. There Jesus has taught his hearers to ask for forgiveness while connecting that prayer with their own forgiveness of others. When the prayer ends, Jesus returns specifically to this point. He makes the connection sharp: those who forgive others will be forgiven by the Father, while those who do not forgive others are warned that their trespasses will not be forgiven either. The passage therefore makes the way people respond to the wrongs of others a serious matter in relation to God's forgiveness.
Notice this

Matthew 6:14–15 comes immediately after the Lord's Prayer. Of all the parts of the prayer, forgiveness is the one Jesus immediately returns to and expands upon. In the prayer he has taught: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Verses 14–15 then make the connection even more explicit. This shows how central both receiving and extending forgiveness are in the immediate context.

Language & translation

From the Greek

ἀφῆτε – aphēte

forgive / release The form comes from aphiēmi, a verb that can mean release, let go, leave, remit, or forgive. In this context it concerns forgiving people's trespasses.

παραπτώματα – paraptōmata

trespasses / transgressions The word can describe a trespass, transgression, or false step. We use “trespasses” while preserving the distinction from other Greek terms that may also be translated as “sin.”

ἀφήσει – aphēsei

will forgive The same verb family, aphiēmi, is used for the Father's forgiveness. This verbal parallel strengthens the connection between human forgiveness of others and God's forgiveness of human beings.

Translation note

Independent English translation from the Greek text, using SBLGNT as the primary Greek edition.

Compare for yourself

Read Matthew 6:12 and 6:14–15 in another Bible translation. Pay particular attention to how these expressions are rendered:

  • aphiēmi
  • paraptōmata
  • “if you forgive”
  • “if you do not forgive”
  • the relationship between verse 12 and verses 14–15

Consider whether words such as “debts,” “sins,” “trespasses,” or “offenses” affect how you understand Jesus' teaching.

Continue the conversation

Discuss further
  1. What does it concretely mean to forgive someone?
  2. Must forgiveness mean that trust is restored?
  3. Can you forgive someone while still allowing that person to face consequences for what they have done?
  4. How should Jesus' severe warning be understood when forgiveness feels extremely difficult or when the other person does not repent?
Parallel passages
  • Matthew 6:9–13
  • Matthew 18:21–35
  • Mark 11:25
  • Luke 6:37
Sources
  • The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (SBLGNT), Matthew 6:14–15
  • Matthew 6:9–13
  • Standard Greek lexical resources for aphiēmi and paraptōma