Forgive to be Forgiven

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

SUMMARY: Forgive so that you may be forgiven, Clement of Rome. If we ask the Lord to forgive us, we should also forgive, Polycarp. Let no one hold on to any grudge against his neighbor, Ignatius. The Lord will hand over to death all those whom he finds still remembering offenses. Hermas, only God has the power to grant the forgiveness of sins. And the Lord also commands us each day to forgive the repenting brothers and sisters, Clement of Alexandria. What kind of act is it to come near the peace of God without peace, and how can you come asking for the canceling of debts while you still hold on to them? Tertullian, we should ask that our debts be forgiven in the same way that we forgive our debtors. Cyprian, just as you want him to forgive your sins, also forgive others their sins. Theonas of Alexandria, see also the commentary above on Matthew 6:12. CLEMENT OF ROME: Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us be humble. Let us put aside all arrogance, pride, foolishness, and angry feelings. Let us act according to what is written. For the Holy Spirit says, "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, neither let the rich man glory in his riches, but let him that glories glory in the Lord, in diligently seeking him and doing judgment and righteousness." Let us especially remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he spoke, teaching us gentleness and patient endurance. For he said, "Be merciful that you may obtain mercy; forgive that it may be forgiven to you; as you do, so shall it be done to you; as you judge, so shall you be judged; as you are kind, so shall kindness be shown to you; with what measure you mete, with the same it shall be measured to you." By this command and by these rules, let us make ourselves firm so that we walk with complete humility in obedience to his holy words. For the holy word says, "On whom shall I look? But on him that is meek and peaceable, and that trembles at my words."

POLYCARP: If we ask the Lord to forgive us, we should also forgive others. We live in front of the eyes of our Lord and God, and we must all appear at the judgment seat of Christ, and must everyone give an account of himself. So let us serve him with fear and with deep respect, just as he himself has commanded us. Let us also do what the apostles taught, who preached the gospel to us. And let us do what the prophets taught, who announced ahead of time the coming of the Lord. Let us be eager to do what is good. Let us keep ourselves away from things that cause offense. Let us keep away from false brothers and sisters. Let us also keep away from those who, in hypocrisy, carry the name of the Lord and lead empty-minded people into error.

IGNATIUS: it is not that I know there is anything like this among you, but I warn you because I love you very much, and I see ahead the devil's traps. Therefore, clothe yourselves with gentleness; renew yourselves in faith, that is, the flesh of the Lord, and in love, that is, the blood of Jesus Christ. Let no one among you hold on to any grudge against your neighbor.

HERMAS: if our God and Lord, who rules over all things and has power over all His creation, does not hold evil against those who confess their sins, but is merciful, should a person who can die and is full of sins hold evil against another person, as if He were able to destroy him or save him?

HERMAS: The Lord lives in people who love peace because He loved peace, but He stays far away from people who are argumentative and completely wicked. Therefore, give Him back a sound spirit, just as you received it. Think about this example: you give a new piece of clothing to a cleaner, and you want to get it back in one piece at the end. If the cleaner brings it back to you torn, would you accept it? Would you not be angry and speak against him, saying, "I gave you a piece of clothing that was whole. Why did you tear it and make it useless so that it cannot be used because of the tear you made in it?" Would you not say all this to the cleaner about the tear you found in your clothing? So, if you are upset about your clothing and you complain because you did not get it back whole, what do you think the Lord will do to you? He gave you a sound spirit, but you have made it completely useless so that it cannot help the one who has it. Its use began to be worthless because you ruined it. So will not the Lord, because of what you have done with His spirit, act the same way and hand you over to death? Truly, I say, He will do the same to all those He finds still holding on to the memory of wrongs done to them. Do not trample His mercy under your feet, He says. Instead, honor Him, because He is so patient with your sins and is not like you. Repent, because it is useful for you.

TATIAN: If you forgive people for their wrongdoing, your Father who is in heaven will forgive you. But if you do not forgive people, your Father will not pardon your wrongdoing either.

CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: For only God has the power to grant forgiveness of sins and not count our wrongs against us. The Lord also commands us each day to forgive brothers and sisters who repent. And if we, being evil, know to give good gifts, how much more is it the nature of the Father of Mercies, the Good Father of all comfort, full of pity and very merciful, to be patient and to wait for those who have turned back. To turn back really means to stop our sins and to stop looking behind us. God gives forgiveness for past sins, but for future sins, each person gives it to himself. This means repent, condemn your past deeds, and ask the Father to let them be forgotten. He alone is able to undo what has been done by mercy that comes from Him. He can wipe out former sins by the dew of the Spirit. For by the state in which I find you will I judge. Also says what the end of every case cries out. So even if someone has done the greatest good deeds in his life but in the end has rushed into wickedness, all his earlier efforts are useless to him. At the disaster at the end of the drama, he has given up his part. But a man who once lived a bad and wild life can later repent. Then, in the time after repentance, he can overcome the evil behavior of a long time. But this takes great carefulness. It is like bodies that have suffered from a long disease; they need a plan and special attention. Thief, do you want forgiveness? Steal no more. Adulterer, burn no more. Fornicator, live chastely from now on. You who have robbed, give back and give back more than you took. False witness, practice truth. Perjurer, swear no more. Completely destroy the rest of the passions too: anger, lust, grief, and fear. Then you may be found at the end to have already in this world been reconciled to the adversary. It is probably impossible to pull out deep, inborn passions all at once, but by God's power and human intercession and the help of brothers and sisters and sincere repentance and constant care, they are corrected.

TERTULLIAN: He commands you to forgive your brother if he sins against you even seven times, but that is surely a small matter. With the Creator, there is a greater grace. He sets no limits on forgiveness. He tells you not to bear any malice against your brother, and to give not only to the one who asks, but even to the one who does not ask. For His will is not that you should forgive an offense, but that you should forget it.

TERTULLIAN: What kind of act is it to come near to the peace of God when you do not have peace? Is it forgiveness of debts while you still hold on to them?

CYPRIAN: In the same way, when he gave the law about prayer, he added this: "And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." He also calls back from the altar a person who comes to the sacrifice while in conflict. He tells him to first make peace with his brother, and then return in peace, and offer his gift to God. God did not accept Cain's offerings. Cain could not have God at peace with him because, through jealous division, he did not have peace with his brother. So what peace do the enemies of the brothers and sisters promise themselves? What sacrifices do those who oppose the priests think they are celebrating? Do they think they have Christ with them when they gather together, even though they are gathered outside the Church of Christ?

CYPRIAN: He has clearly connected this and added the law. He has bound us with a certain condition and commitment: we should ask that our debts be forgiven in the same way that we forgive our debtors. We know that what we ask for our sins cannot be received unless we ourselves have acted the same way toward our debtors. Therefore, he also says in another place, "With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again." And the servant who, after his master had forgiven him all his debt, would not forgive his fellow servant, is thrown back into prison. Because he would not forgive his fellow servant, he lost the mercy that his Lord had shown to him. And Christ sets these things out even more strongly in His commands, with even greater power in His rebuke. When you stand praying, he says, "Forgive if you have anything at all against anyone, that your Father who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive you your trespasses." There is no excuse left on the day of judgment. You will be judged by your own sentence, and whatever you have done, you also will suffer.

CYPRIAN: Love those you used to hate. Show kindness to those you envied and spoke against unfairly. Copy good people if you are able to follow their example. But if you are not able to follow them, at least be glad with them. Congratulate those who are better than you. Make yourself a partner with them in shared love. Make yourself their companion in the agreement of love and the bond of brothers and sisters. Your debts will be forgiven when you yourself have forgiven. Your sacrifices will be accepted when you come to God in peace. Your thoughts and actions will be guided from above when you think about what is divine and right as it is written. Let the heart of a man consider righteous things, that his steps may be directed by the Lord.

THEONAS OF ALEXANDRIA: Never hurt anyone at any time, and do not make anyone angry. If someone hurts you, look to Jesus Christ, and just as you want him to forgive your sins, you should also forgive their sins against you.