Matthew 6:14 teaches that God’s forgiveness toward us is connected to how we forgive other people. Jesus says that if we forgive those who wrong us, our heavenly Father will also forgive us, and this verse is part of his teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus spoke these words to the crowds and his disciples gathered on a hillside in Galilee, and he expanded on the line from the Lord’s Prayer that asks God to forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors.
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Matthew 6:14 (WEB)
What Matthew 6:14 Means
The verse begins with “if,” which makes the statement a condition. Jesus is not describing how forgiveness works in a legal sense, as if we earn it by a good deed. He is saying that a forgiving heart and a forgiven heart belong together. The word “trespasses” means wrongs, offenses, or sins against us, the kind of injury that makes us want to hold a grudge.
The second half promises that your heavenly Father “will also forgive you.” This is a comfort, because it describes the God who is willing to pardon. It does not mean that one act of forgiving someone earns a full pardon from God, and it does not turn God’s grace into a reward we must deserve. What it does say is that a heart closed against others is out of step with the heart of the Father who has forgiven us.
The Context of Matthew 6:14
The Gospel of Matthew was written for a community of Jewish Christians and was traditionally attributed to Matthew, the disciple who had been a tax collector. It presents Jesus as the teacher who fulfills the law and gives it its deepest meaning. The Sermon on the Mount, where this verse appears, is Jesus’ extended teaching on what life in God’s kingdom looks like.
The verses just before and after set the tone. Verse 12 includes the line from the Lord’s Prayer about forgiving our debtors, and verse 15 repeats the same principle in negative form. Verses 16 to 18 then move on to fasting, which shows that Jesus is teaching about sincere inner devotion rather than outward show. Read in this setting, Matthew 6:14 is part of a call to examine whether our prayers and religious practice come from a real heart that has received mercy.
Key Phrases in Matthew 6:14
Ephesians 4:32
And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
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Paul’s words in Ephesians connect forgiveness directly to God’s forgiveness in Christ. They show that we forgive others because we have first been forgiven, which gives Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:14 a rich motivation rooted in grace rather than obligation alone.
Colossians 3:13
Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.
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Colossians uses the same connection between the Lord’s forgiveness and our forgiveness of others. It helps readers see that forgiveness is a shared way of life in the body of Christ, reflecting the pardon that Jesus has extended to all who trust in him.
A Short Prayer From Matthew 6:14
Father, you have forgiven me more than I can repay, and I thank you for your mercy. I know that my heart can grow hard when someone has wronged me, and I bring those people and those memories to you now. Give me the willingness to release what they owe me, and help me trust that you will deal with what is beyond my control. Soften my heart toward those who have hurt me, and let your forgiveness flow through me to others. Amen.
