“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Matthew 6:14-15
Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
Forgiveness can be easy to receive but difficult to measure out to others. However, if you desire forgiveness for your offenses to God and others, you must be forgiving of those who have offended you. This is a requirement, not an option.
We learn the true value of forgiveness only through demonstrating forgiveness with others. It comes at a steep price to our own pride and our own internal righteousness. Yet without that price being paid, we are not eligible for the forgiveness that God provides.
God does not tolerate hypocrisy; we must exemplify the character of God with others in order to maintain a thriving relationship with him.
The way of God demands true humility and real sacrifice. Forgiveness embodies both of these qualities.
The Core of the Bible 