For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just about getting our sins forgiven; it highlights that the word Jesus uses for "trespasses" points to willful, reckless falling away from right, not just accidental mistakes. So, our willingness to forgive these serious wrongdoings in others directly reflects whether we're operating in the same spirit of forgiveness God offers us.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray, and in the Lord's Prayer, he includes the line "forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." This verse directly explains that crucial part of the prayer, emphasizing that our own forgiveness from God is directly tied to how we extend forgiveness to others who have wronged us.
Ever wondered if God's forgiveness for us depends on anything we do? Jesus directly links it to how we treat others. What does this powerful connection mean?
Jesus isn't saying our forgiveness from God is earned by our good deeds. Instead, He's revealing a profound spiritual principle: the way we extend mercy to others mirrors the mercy God extends to us.
A Reflection of God's Grace
When Jesus teaches us to pray, "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us," He's setting up a dynamic exchange. Our willingness to let go of wrongs done to us is presented as the condition or the way God's forgiveness flows to us. It's not that our forgiveness earns God's, but that our hearts, when truly touched by God's grace, naturally reflect that grace outwards.
The Incompatible Heart
If our hearts are closed off, unwilling to forgive others, it signals that we haven't truly grasped or experienced the depth of God's own forgiveness. It’s like trying to receive water from a full cup that’s been deliberately tipped over – nothing can be poured in. Our unforgiving spirit acts as a barrier to the very forgiveness we've been offered and prayed for.
Jesus uses a specific word for 'trespasses' here. It's not just about minor slip-ups. Understanding this word helps us grasp the seriousness of what we're forgiving and being forgiven for.
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The Greek word Jesus uses, paraptōmata, is more than just a casual mistake. It signifies a falling beside, a deviation, or a serious error that involves guilt.
More Than an Accident
This word often points to wilful or reckless wrongdoing – a conscious violation of what is right. It’s not a minor stumble, but a significant miss, carrying a sense of culpability. When we forgive these kinds of 'trespasses' in others, we are engaging in a profound act of releasing someone from their serious offense against us.
The Weight of Forgiveness
Understanding paraptōmata underscores the depth of the forgiveness Christ calls us to. It’s not about overlooking petty annoyances, but about releasing others from significant wrongs that have impacted us. This is the same gravity of sin that God, in His infinite mercy, forgives us for through Christ.
Understand the original words
paraptōma · Greek Noun
Literally a 'stepping aside' or a falling away. It denotes a violation of divine law or a lapse into sin, signifying a breach of the relationship between God and man.
patēr · Greek Noun
Refers to God as the Creator and Sustainer who maintains a personal, paternal relationship with the believer. It denotes authority, intimacy, and the promise of His providential care.
This passage directly echoes Jesus' teaching, stating that when you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins.
Colossians 3:13Paul reminds believers to bear with each other and forgive, just as the Lord has forgiven them, highlighting that forgiveness is a reflection of God's own mercy towards us.
Ephesians 4:32This verse emphasizes God's forgiveness of believers in Christ and calls them to be kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving toward one another as a result.
1 John 1:9This verse offers the assurance that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us, underscoring the foundational reality of God's forgiveness that should motivate our own.
Matthew 18:21-22Jesus tells Peter to forgive not just seven times, but seventy-seven times, illustrating the boundless nature of the forgiveness God extends and expects from us.
barnesMatthew 6:14: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:"
For if ye forgive men their trespasses - If ye forgive others when they offend or injure you. Your heavenly Father will also forgive you - This is constantly required in the Bible. See the notes at Matthew 6:12. Our Saviour says we should forgive even if the offence be committed seventy times seven times, Matthew 18:22. By this is meant, that when a man asks forgiveness, we are cordially and fore…
vincentMatthew 6:14: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:"
Trespasses (παραπτώματα)The Lord here uses another word for sins, and still another (ἁμαρτιας) appears in Luke's version of the prayer, though he also says, "every one that is indebted to us." There is no difficulty in supposing that Christ, contemplating sins in general, should represent them by different terms expressive of different aspects of wrong-doing (see on Matthew 1:21). This word is…
This verse isn't just about getting our sins forgiven; it highlights that the word Jesus uses for "trespasses" points to willful, reckless falling away from right, not just accidental mistakes. So, our willingness to forgive these serious wrongdoings in others directly reflects whether we're operating in the same spirit of forgiveness God offers us.
Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray, and in the Lord's Prayer, he includes the line "forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." This verse directly explains that crucial part of the prayer, emphasizing that our own forgiveness from God is directly tied to how we extend forgiveness to others who have wronged us.
Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray, and in the Lord's Prayer, he includes the line "forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." This verse directly explains that crucial part of the prayer, emphasizing that our own forgiveness from God is directly tied to how we extend forgiveness to others who have wronged us.
"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you," — This verse isn't just about getting our sins forgiven; it highlights that the word Jesus uses for "trespasses" points to willful, reckless falling away from right, not just accidental mistakes. So,…
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Last reviewed October 2026