If You Don’t Forgive, God Won’t Forgive You: A Preterist Reading Beyond Trauma

If You Don’t Forgive, God Won’t Forgive You: A Preterist Reading Beyond Trauma

In Matthew 6:15, Jesus warns:

“But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

At first glance, this verse feels heavy, almost transactional. It’s often interpreted today as a universal moral law: if you withhold forgiveness, God withholds it from you. However, in its correct context, this passage takes on a deeper, covenantal significance—not primarily about interpersonal trauma, but about the nature of the Old vs. New Covenant and the urgency of kingdom transformation in the first century.

Audience and Covenant Context

Jesus is speaking to a Jewish audience under the Law. Forgiveness, in that world, was tied to temple rituals, animal sacrifices, and covenant loyalty. But Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, is preparing them for a radical shift: the soon-coming kingdom where the Old Covenant system would give way to something entirely new.

The requirement to forgive wasn't just a good moral ethic—it was a litmus test for who was truly preparing to inherit the age to come. Those who would cling to bitterness, vengeance, and the "eye for an eye" mentality of the Law were aligning themselves with the fading system. Forgiveness became a mark of those ready to embrace the New Covenant, where mercy triumphs over judgment.

Not About Modern Trauma

This verse isn’t about victims being forced to reconcile with abusers. It’s not about making peace with someone who isn’t repentant. It’s not about bypassing the process of healing or justice. Instead, Jesus is confronting the self-righteous spirit of unforgiveness that characterized much of Israel’s leadership—those who refused to extend mercy while demanding it for themselves (see Matthew 18:23–35).

70 AD and the Final Judgment

The judgment Jesus warned about came to a head in 70 AD, when the temple was destroyed and the Old Covenant system collapsed. Those who refused to embrace the kingdom ethic of forgiveness, grace, and non-retaliation faced covenantal judgment. They could not inherit the New Covenant blessings—because they were still living according to the principles of the old, unforgiving system.

In this light, “your Father will not forgive you” wasn’t an eternal threat to every human being in all ages. It was a covenant warning to first-century Israel: if you cling to bitterness, vengeance, and nationalistic pride, you will miss the kingdom. You will remain under the curse of the Law while the meek inherit the new age.

Forgiveness as a New Creation Marker

Today, post-70 AD, believers live in the full light of the fulfilled kingdom. Forgiveness isn’t a condition we meet to be accepted by God—it’s a fruit of already being forgiven. We forgive because we are forgiven. We live out the new creation ethic not to earn God’s love, but because God now fully indwells us.

The threat in Matthew 6:15 has been historically fulfilled. We don’t live under the shadow of “if you don’t, God won’t.” Instead, we live in the reality of “He has forgiven us all our trespasses” (Col. 2:13). The judgment that once loomed over Israel has passed. Now, forgiveness flows not from fear, but from fullness.

Conclusion

Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:15 were covenantal, not coercive. They weren’t a blanket law over all humanity but a timely warning for those on the brink of the greatest transition in redemptive history. Today, we don’t forgive to be forgiven. We forgive because we are new. We are no longer trying to escape wrath—we are vessels of peace, in whom God’s forgiving presence dwells fully.