All Aspects of ForgivenessSample

Day 6: Forgiveness Isn’t Conditional

Have you ever thought, “I’ll forgive them when they apologize” or “They don’t deserve my forgiveness”? It’s easy to believe that forgiveness should be earned—but that’s not what God calls us to.

Colossians 3:13 says:
"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

That last part is key—forgive as the Lord forgave you.

When Jesus forgave us, He didn’t wait for us to get our act together first. Romans 5:8 reminds us: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He didn’t make His forgiveness conditional on our apology, our improvement, or our worthiness. He forgave because of grace.

And He calls us to do the same.

That doesn’t mean forgiveness is easy. It doesn’t mean we ignore pain or pretend things never happened. But it does mean we release the right to hold onto bitterness. It means we don’t wait for the other person to make the first move—because Jesus didn’t wait for us.

Maybe today, God is calling you to forgive someone who hasn’t apologized. Maybe they never will. But forgiveness isn’t about them—it’s about setting your heart free.

Forgiveness isn’t a reward for good behavior—it’s a gift of grace. And when you give it, you’ll find that you’re the truly free one.