Isn’t It Selfish to Forgive for Our Sakes?

Throughout the Bible, obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings cursing or negative consequences. After laying out the choice between the blessed life of obedience and the cursed life of disobedience (see Deuteronomy 27:1-30:14, God asks Israel to choose life instead of judgment (see vv. 30:19, 20). Is it selfish for Israel to obey God and choose to enjoy His blessings and avoid His discipline? Hardly. Neither is it selfish to choose to forgive in order to escape emotional torment (see Matthew 18:34, 35), to have our prayers unhindered (see Mark 11:25), to thwart Satan’s schemes against the Church (see 2 Corinthians 2:10,11), to remove Satan’s place in our lives (see Ephesians 4:27, 32), or to enjoy God’s forgiveness (see Matthew 6:14,15). What higher motive or greater benefit could we have for forgiving than the restoration of our relationship with God? Certainly restoring your relationship with God cannot be considered a selfish motivation.