Will Your Unwillingness to Forgive Others Keep You Out of Heaven?

The question of whether unforgiveness can keep someone out of heaven is not just theoretical—it’s deeply personal and eternally significant. Thankfully, Jesus did not leave us without answers. His teachings on forgiveness are both clear and convicting.

In Luke 6:37, Jesus gives this command: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” This shows a reciprocal principle in the kingdom of God. The mercy we extend to others reveals the measure of mercy we ourselves will receive.

In Matthew 6:14–15, Jesus is even more explicit: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” This condition cannot be ignored. The grace of God is not a license to harbor bitterness, and His forgiveness is not given to those who refuse to extend it.

To make this truth undeniable, Jesus told a sobering parable recorded in Matthew 18. In it, a servant owed his master a massive debt—an unpayable amount. Moved with compassion, the master forgave him completely. But that same servant, upon finding a fellow servant who owed him a far smaller sum, refused to show mercy. He demanded repayment and had him imprisoned. When the master learned of this hypocrisy, he was furious. The man who had been shown mercy had failed to show mercy in return. The master revoked his forgiveness and handed him over to judgment. Jesus ended the parable with a dire warning: this is what will happen to anyone who refuses to forgive their brother from the heart.

This is not a light matter. Unforgiveness isn’t just a personal flaw—it is a spiritual danger. When we withhold forgiveness from those who repent, we are in direct opposition to the heart of the gospel. How can we accept God’s mercy for our many sins while denying that same mercy to someone else? As Jesus said, “Freely you have received; freely give” (Matthew 10:8).

Forgiveness does not mean ignoring pain or pretending that injustice doesn’t matter. It means surrendering the right to vengeance and entrusting judgment to God. Forgiveness reflects the heart of the cross—where Jesus bore our sins, though we were the ones who deserved wrath. To cling to bitterness while claiming to follow the One who prayed, “Father, forgive them,” is to betray the very nature of the gospel.

So will unforgiveness keep someone out of heaven? According to Jesus’ own words, yes—if it is left unrepented. Not because God is unmerciful, but because unforgiveness is evidence of a heart that has not truly grasped or received His mercy.

Let us take this warning seriously and forgive from the heart, as God in Christ has forgiven us. Heaven is not a place for the hardened and bitter, but for the broken and forgiven—those who extend the same grace they have received.