ALERT! UNFORGIVENESS WILL SEND YOU TO HELL!!

Each and every person ever born onto this earth will also, one day, exit this earth.

Many Christians have been lulled into the false assurance that just because they have professed Jesus as Lord, that they are Heaven-bound upon this exit.

However, if they harbor unforgiveness or any form of resentment to any degree; they may be shocked and horrified when they one day pass into eternity and instead find themselves falling headlong into the abyss of Hell.


The Lord Jesus clarified many times to us that a state of unforgiveness will bar us from entering Heaven. Thus, there will be no excuse for any of us not to have known.

Unforgiveness may be thought to include the emotional states of "holding a grudge" or having a noted dislike for someone.

It can also be extended to include negative feelings, irritation or anger towards another. These types of emotions are all displays of unforgiveness towards our "neighbor".

Scripture forewarns us that entrance to Heaven is impossible when one has an unforgiving heart. It is a Kingdom principle that cannot be altered; inasmuch as gravity on this planet cannot be altered.  

That is why Jesus consistently warned us of the eternal consequences of unforgiveness. 

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in the Book of Matthew conveys our relationship with both God and with others. It portrays how Jesus paid our debt that He didn't owe and that we ourselves, could never pay. 

This unmerited pardon of the insurmountable debt of our sins by the Father is illustrated by the "certain king" who forgave the debt of the servant who owed much.

In this parable, the debtor to the king who was forgiven such a vast amount refused to forgive a fellow servant, who owed to him only a small amount.

So are our actions when as Believers, who desire God's compete forgiveness, choose instead, not to forgive others.

Just as the king's response to the unforgiving servant was to then completely revoke the cancellation of the massive debt that the servant owed the king, so too will we be treated if we do not forgive our "brother from" our "heart":
 
"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

 "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.  He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

 "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

 "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.

When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?'

In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." Matthew 18 :21-35

Preceding the above Parable, note that Peter had asked of Jesus: 

  "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Matthew 18:20

Note Jesus's response:

"Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times". Matthew 12:21

As such, even when we encounter a repeat offender we are to repeatedly forgive, with sincerity from our heart.

In the Lord's Prayer, when Jesus instructed us exactly how and what to pray, He reiterated how imperative it is for us to forgive:

"And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. " ^{Matthew 6:12}

This model prayer given to us by our Lord and Savior charges us to both examine and address the matter of forgiveness in our hearts, on a daily basis.
 

No matter what the offense perpetrated against us... whether real or imagined, purposeful or by accident, we are to not only offer but also bear true heartfelt forgiveness.

Holding on to feelings of unforgiveness never harms the source/perpetrator. It only harms the one harboring it. 

In fact, the object of the unforgiving attitude is often virtually unaware and totally unaffected. Meanwhile. the one holding the unforgiveness in their heart is not only emotionally and spiritually miserable, but actually in the danger of the fires of Hell.

In conclusion, harboring unforgiveness only hurts us during this earthly life by removing our peace and joy.

As such, it can actually cause an emotional "hell on earth" as well as the terrifyingly real potential of literally sending one to Hell for eternity.

Jesus made it perfectly clear that our sins are not forgiven us if we do not forgive others. If our sins are not forgiven, we cannot enter into the presence of God.

The holy and righteous God cannot tolerate sin in His presence. Therefore, if we choose to retain unforgiveness, then we also retain our sins.

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." ^{Matthew 6: 14-15}

To reiterate, forgiving others is not optional for Christians. It is a Kingdom principle upon which the violation of, negates salvation because if we do not forgive others, our sins are not forgiven us.

Especially in these Last Days, we all need to be mindful of our stance with our Creator and with our fellow "servants". May we all choose to willingly forgive others, just as He lovingly and  willing offers to forgive us.