ABSTRACT: The forgiveness God displays towards sinners is conditioned upon repentance. In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus seems to teach his disciples to follow the same paradigm of conditional forgiveness. A close reading of the relevant passages reveals this paradigm is theologically consistent, hermeneutically reasonable, and exegetically satisfactory. Through both direct instruction and parables, Jesus taught his disciples to be like his heavenly Father by forgiving those who repent.
For our ongoing series of feature articles for pastors and Christian leaders, we asked Matt Ferguson (ThM, Bethlehem College & Seminary), lead pastor of Hunters Ridge Community Church in Hutchinson, MN, to make a case for conditional forgiveness in the teaching of Jesus.
