Forgiveness

Is it necessary for salvation to forgive?

Jesus told a story of a servant that owed the king ten thousand talents. He could not pay the debt, so the king ordered him and his family to be sold for payment. 

The servant fell down and worshipped him, asking for patience and promising to pay all. 

The king was moved with compassion, loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 

The same servant went to a fellowservant, which owed him an hundred pence: he laid hands on him, took him by the throat and said, “Pay me what you owe.”

The fellowservant fell down begging him, asking for patience and promising to pay all, but he threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 

When his fellow servants saw this, they were very sorry, and told the king all that was done. 

Then the king said to him, “You wicked servant, I forgave you all your debt, because you asked me. Shouldn't you also have had compassion on your fellowservant, even as I had on you?” 

And the king was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 

"So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." - Matthew 18:35 KJV 

[See Matthew 18:23 – Matthew 18:35 for the complete Bible text of this story that Jesus told.]

When we could not pay our debt of sin, Jesus our King had compassion on us and forgave us. Our sins have been forgiven and washed away by the blood of Jesus when we repented and were water baptized in the name of Jesus.

According to Matthew 18: 34-35, if we are going to be like the wicked servant that REFUSED to forgive the VERY small debt that his fellowservant owed, our debt of sin that Jesus suffered and died for will be returned to us.