Forgiveness Part 1: Do I Have to Forgive?

Back in my old church in Sydney I remembered an argument saying that you don't have forgive unless someone asks for forgiveness. A fair few people assumed this, but it never sat right with me: Forgiveness Part 1: Do I Have to Forgive?:

Forgiveness is pretty black and white, fundamental Christianity 101; if you don’t understand forgiveness you don’t understand Christianity.

I think people are delusional. You can clap, sing, praise God and think you are a Christian all you want, but the truth is you will have to answer to God for your lack of forgiveness. Sadly, you don’t hear this taught by pastors.

People often say “I am growing in forgiveness”, or “I’m learning to forgive”—I don’t buy it. Either you have forgiven or you haven’t, there’s no growing!

I believe that people struggle with not forgiving others because pastors have failed to teach the perilousness of it.