Matthew 6:14

Jesus draws a direct connection between forgiving others and being forgiven by God: if you forgive people their wrongs against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Coming right after the Lord's Prayer, this verse expands on the petition to forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, showing how seriously Jesus treats the link between the two.

The point is not that we earn God's forgiveness by forgiving others, as though our mercy purchased His. Rather, a forgiving heart is the natural fruit and evidence of one that has truly received God's mercy. Those who have grasped the depth of their own forgiveness cannot hold tightly to grudges against others. To refuse forgiveness while expecting to receive it reveals a heart that has not understood grace at all. Jesus makes this so plain that the very next verse states the sober reverse: if we will not forgive others, neither will our Father forgive us. Forgiveness here is releasing a wrong, letting go of the debt someone owes us. It does not mean pretending the wrong never happened, but choosing not to hold it against the person. This is among the most practical and searching teachings of the sermon, for it touches the everyday hurts we all carry. The mercy we have received from God is meant to flow freely through us to others.