What is the relationship between love and forgiveness? Do you have to love someone to forgive them? Can you love someone and not forgive them?
There is a very direct correlation between love and forgiveness according to Scripture. Jesus states:“For if you forgive brothers for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others then your Father will not forgive your transgression.” (Matt 6:14–15 NASB)
As recipients of God’s grace and forgiveness, we are called by Christ to forgive our brothers and sisters just as the Father forgave us. Moreover, Jesus doesn’t just call us to forgive, but also to love those brothers and sisters: “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:38 NASB)
These are the two greatest teachings Jesus left us with in terms of treatment of others: to love and to forgive. In both passages, Jesus is referencing the same group of people, the neighbors that we are called to forgive are the same neighbors we are called to love. We don’t get to pick and choose who we show love to and who we forgive. Biblical forgiveness and love are both unconditional and for all.
Biblical forgiveness is predicated upon love, and this relationship between the two was fully displayed on the cross. Forgiveness was the act and love the reason behind the act. If not for love, there would be no reason at all for a perfect God to sacrifice His own to redeem an undeserving and broken world. If not for love, there would be no cross. If not for love there would be no forgiveness for the world.
The relationship between love and forgiveness is strong, one being the impetus for the other. I believe that love is needed in order to truly forgive somebody. I also believe that we cannot truly love somebody if we cannot forgive them. We are called to do both, not just one or the other, to love is to forgive and to forgive is to love. God gave us these two commands, Christ epitomized it on the cross proclaiming the good news that through him there is true love and forgiveness.
