Forgiveness withheld when we don’t forgive

Morning: Psalm 88; 2 Kings 9:17-37; I Corinthians 7:1-9

Evening: Psalms 91, 92; Matthew 6:7-15

The Lord’s Prayer says, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”  Is there a whiff of condition in there?  The version of Jesus’s Prayer in Matthew says, literally, God won’t forgive you if you don’t also forgive others.  By that, our forgiveness is clearly conditional.  Christians have struggled with this one.  They have expected forgiveness no matter what.  But if you persist in breaking people’s trust deliberately, how can you be forgiven for that until you make amends and build bridges?  Forgiveness is not cheap; it is a costly grace that cannot be one-sided.