Welcome to a new week on the Ask Pastor John podcast, and we open with a question from Nick,

who writes in Pastor John, I have been reading the sermon on the mount in the Gospel

of Matthew 5-7.

I know that the sermon, given by Jesus, is meant to reveal the extent of our heart sickness

and desperate need for His righteousness.

There is one part that really threw me for a loop though.

But Jesus says in Matthew 6 verses 14 and 15, if you forgive others their trespasses,

your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses

either.

Can you elaborate on what Jesus intends for us to take by saying this?

My biggest concern is in my struggle to forgive others of their sins.

Does this mean that anyone who does not forgive others cannot receive salvation from

God?

Before I say what I think that warning means that you won't be forgiven by God if you

don't forgive others, before I say what that means, let me make sure that Nick realizes

that if those verses about the unforgiving being unforgiven threw him for a loop, which

is what he says, they threw me for a loop, if those words throw him for a loop, there

are others in the sermon on the mount that are going to throw him for more loops.

So for example, Jesus says in 5-7, blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.

So receiving mercy comes to us through our being merciful.

That's almost the same as 6-15, which he's being thrown for a loop by.

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