“Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive” (Col. 3:13).
Is wanting justice for evil a bad thing? No.
Is withholding forgiveness in your heart toward those evildoers a bad thing? Yes.
It’s possible to both demand punishment for evil (as we should) while also forgiving unconditionally—and that’s what God desires (Eph. 4:32).
Notice how Jesus does say to first wait for repentance from the offender before extending forgiveness: “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing” (Mark 11:25).
Yes, Jesus did say, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3).
But saying you must forgive someone who repents is much different than saying you must wait for repentance in order to forgive anyone!
Reading the next verse is very helpful, too.
Imagine someone gets angry and punches you in the face seven times in one day, and repents every time.
Would you question his repentance? Of course! But Luke 17:4 still commands you to forgive him—regardless if it’s genuine.
Matthew 6:14-15 is clear that forgiveness starts with us, regardless of the offender’s response: “If you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.”
“To make conditionality the gist of Christlike forgiving seems to miss the whole point of what Scripture is saying. When Scripture instructs us to forgive… what is in view is not the idea of withholding forgiveness until the offender expresses repentance.” — Dr. John MacArthur
