Mat 6:14, Col 3:13 | Barnes | STEP | Verse 14. If ye forgive If ye pardon. Trespasses . Offences, faults. If ye forgive others when they offend or injure you. This is constantly required in the Bible. Our Saviour says we should forgive even if the offence be committed seventy times seven times, . By this is meant, that when a man asks forgiveness, we are cordially and for ever to pardon the offence; we are to declare our willingness to forgive him. If he does not ask forgiveness, yet we are still to treat him kindly; not to harbour malice; not to speak ill of him; to be ready to do him good; and be always prepared to declare him forgiven when he asks it.

Matthew 6:14

Verse 14. If ye forgive If ye pardon.

Trespasses. Offences, faults. If ye forgive others when they offend or injure you. This is constantly required in the Bible. Our Saviour says we should forgive even if the offence be committed seventy times seven times, Mt 18:22. By this is meant, that when a man asks forgiveness, we are cordially and for ever to pardon the offence; we are to declare our willingness to forgive him. If he does not ask forgiveness, yet we are still to treat him kindly; not to harbour malice; not to speak ill of him; to be ready to do him good; and be always prepared to declare him forgiven when he asks it.

Colossians 3:13

Verse 13. Forbearing one another. Eph 4:2.

And forgiving one another. Mt 6:12, Mt 6:14.

If any man have a quarrel against any. Marg., "or complaint." The word here used μομφη occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means, fault found, blame, censure; and here denotes occasion of complaint. The idea is, that if another one has given us just occasion of complaint, we are to forgive him; that is, we are

(1.) to harbour no malice against him;

(2.) we are to be ready to do him good as if he had not given us occasion of complaint;

(3.) we are to be willing to declare that we forgive him when he asks it; and

(4.) we are always afterwards to treat him as kindly as if he had not injured us--- a God treats us when he forgives us. Mt 18:21.

Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Learn here that Christ has power to forgive sin. Comp. Mt 9:6; Acts 5:31. Christ forgave us

(1.) freely---he did not hesitate or delay when we asked him;

(2.) entirely--he pardoned all our offences;

(3.)for ever---he did it so as to remember our sins no more, and to treat us ever onward as if we had not sinned. So we should forgive an offending brother.

(g) "Forbearing" Mk 11:25, Eph 4:2,32 (h) "forgiving" Mt 6:14,15 (1) "quarrel" "complaint"