Former location of "The Kingdom of the Heavens" blog, written by an incurable fool who is trying to become a holy fool!
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18 shows that an unresolved offense keeps both parties imprisoned, bound from service, though only the unforgiving one is tortured by their unforgiveness.
The underlying cause of all of the divisions in the Church is “sin:” our determination to ignore God and the needs of others to have our own way. This leads to greed, anger, envy, jealousy, gossip, slander, strife, unforgiveness, bitterness and even war–all of which perpetuate division.
Our peace, joy and effectiveness are dependent on our unity as shown by forgiveness and the resolution of offenses between us, God takes division and unforgiveness so seriously because it damages all parties to the offense and limits the Body of Christ. When we neglect this, we are given over to the tormentors–guilt, fear, anxiety and mental illness.