Can Unforgiveness Affect My Eternal Salvation?

Colossians 3:13 “Bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.”

I recently attended a boot camp to learn about the Unbound method of deliverance. Unbound is a technique that helps set people free from the things that weigh them down. The reality is that our enemy, the devil, wants to keep us from living out our destinies as children of God. Evil spirits can gain influence in our lives through open doorways. These doors are often opened through our own choices, the choices of others, or wounds from our past. Sometimes we unknowingly open doors through things like the occult, bitterness, resentment, or unforgiveness.

The first two essential steps we learned were repentance and forgiveness.

The first step is repenting of sin and expressing faith in Jesus. We all sin, and sin damages our relationship with God. It also gives the enemy ammunition to use against us. One of his favorite weapons is shame. Shame is not from God. Shame causes us to hide, isolate, and believe we are unworthy. When we repent, we bring our sins into the light and remove their power over us.

The second step is forgiveness. This is the one that left the biggest impression on me.

Several years ago, I was at a Bible study discussing Matthew 6:14: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Someone pointed out that God forgives us the same way we forgive others. I was shocked. I had prayed the Our Father countless times and never fully realized what I was saying when I prayed, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

That realization changed my life.

There have only been a few times when Scripture completely changed the way I thought. One was when I learned that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. The other was realizing what I was actually praying every time I prayed the Our Father.

When I understood this, I became determined to learn how to forgive better.

Over the years, I have learned that forgiveness is an act of the will, not a feeling. It is choosing to stop carrying the offense and turning judgment over to God. Forgiveness does not mean what happened was okay. It does not mean forgetting. It does not mean reconciling or allowing someone back into your life. It simply means refusing to let unforgiveness continue to control you.

The analogy I hear most often is that unforgiveness is like drinking poison every day and expecting the other person to die. Usually, the person we refuse to forgive has moved on while we continue carrying the burden.

I know some of you have every reason to be angry, hurt, and wounded. I know people can do terrible things. However, holding onto unforgiveness hurts us far more than it hurts them.

Our teacher shared a story about a priest who had a near-death experience. Although he had spent his life serving God, Jesus revealed that he was holding unforgiveness in his heart toward people who had hurt him. Jesus reminded him that those people belonged to Him and that his job was to focus on the mission God had given him.

The priest later said something that really stayed with me:

“A person who can't forgive is a person who has forgotten how much they have been forgiven.”

That statement hit me hard.

What if God held all of our sins against us? What if He refused to forgive us? What if He never sent Jesus to save us?

Forgiveness is far more important than many of us realize.

I know many people refuse to forgive because they feel the other person doesn't deserve forgiveness. You may be right. They may not deserve it. But forgiveness is not about them. It is about you. It is about setting yourself free from the spirit of unforgiveness.

Unforgiveness can block healing, peace, freedom, and intimacy with God. Is it really worth it?

I want to end with some hope because some of you may be thinking, “I want to forgive, but I don't know how.”

The good news is that God does not expect us to forgive through our own strength.

One of my teachers shared a story about a woman who could not forgive her sister. She wasn't even ready to pray, “Lord, help me forgive.” But she was willing to pray, “Lord, help me want to want to forgive.”

That small opening was enough for God to begin working in her heart.

Maybe that is where you are today.

Maybe all you can pray is, “Lord, give me the grace to want to forgive.”

That is enough.

God meets us exactly where we are. He can do the hard part if we are willing to take even the smallest step.

Remember, forgiveness is an act of the will, not a feeling. God is asking us to give Him even the tiniest opening so He can transform our hearts.

Don't let the unforgiveness of what others have done continue to affect your life. Haven't they taken enough already?

A wonderful way to conclude your forgiveness of another is to pray the Father's Blessing upon them. God rejoices when we choose forgiveness because that is exactly how He treats us.

Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, we want to spend eternity with you. We don't want anything to get in our way, especially unforgiveness. Please show us whom we need to forgive and then help us forgive them. For those we feel we cannot forgive, please soften our hearts and give us the grace to at least want to forgive. Help us allow you into every area of our lives. Help us repent of our sins and repair our relationship with you. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus' holy name, Amen.

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you and so do I! Have a blessed day!

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