Matthew 6:15 teaches that God’s forgiveness toward us is connected to how we forgive other people. Jesus says that a person who refuses to forgive others should not expect to receive forgiveness from the Father in return. The words come from the Sermon on the Mount, spoken by Jesus to a crowd of disciples and listeners gathered on a hillside in Galilee.
But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:15 (WEB)
What Matthew 6:15 Means
The verse opens with “if,” which marks a condition. Jesus is not saying that God forgives people because they forgive others, since forgiveness in the New Testament rests on God’s grace. He is describing what it looks like when a person’s heart has truly received mercy. Someone who has been forgiven by God and yet holds onto bitterness toward others shows that the mercy has not taken root in them.
The phrase “their trespasses” refers to specific wrongs that people have done against us, the offenses that sting and leave a mark. Jesus treats these as real and serious, not as minor irritations to be brushed aside. The verse does not promise that forgiveness will come easily, and it does not say that forgiving someone means pretending the harm never happened. It asks that our hearts release the debt we feel others owe us.
The Context of Matthew 6:15
Matthew, traditionally identified as the tax collector who became one of the twelve disciples, wrote this Gospel for a community of Jewish Christians who needed to understand Jesus as the teacher who fulfilled the law. The Sermon on the Mount, which runs through chapters 5 to 7, sets out the character of life in God’s kingdom. Jesus is teaching his followers how to live with their hearts turned toward God rather than toward appearances.
The verses just before and after Matthew 6:15 help explain it. Verse 12 contains the petition “Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors,” and verse 14 states the positive side of the same principle. Verse 16 then turns to fasting and warns against doing spiritual practices to be seen by others. Placed in this setting, forgiveness is one more expression of a heart that is honest before God, not a performance meant to impress anyone.
Key Phrases in Matthew 6:15
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
(WEB)
Paul’s exhortation to be kind and tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you, gives the reason behind Jesus’ warning. Forgiveness flows from a received gift rather than a demand we earn.
Colossians 3:13
Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
(WEB)
This verse repeats the pattern of bearing with one another and forgiving as the Lord has forgiven us. It helps readers see that forgiveness is a continuing practice within the life of the church.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 6:15
Father, you have forgiven me more than I can repay, and I thank you for your patience with my failures. I confess the people I have not yet forgiven, and I bring the hurts I keep returning to in my mind. Soften my heart where it has grown hard, and help me to release the debts I feel others owe me. Let your mercy move through me so that my life reflects the grace I have received from you. Amen.
