<p>6:15 <em>But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses</em>- Paul alludes here in Eph. 4:32. Jesus said: &quot;If you forgive, you'll be forgiven&quot;. Paul subtly changes the tenses: &quot;You've been forgiven already, so forgive&quot;. It's as if Paul is saying: 'Think carefully about Mt. 6:14. Don't think it means 'If you do this, I'll do that for you'. No. God has forgiven you. But that forgiveness is conditional on the fact that in the future you will forgive people. If you don't, then that forgiveness you've already been given is cancelled. This is what Jesus really had in mind'. This would suggest a very close analysis of those simple words of Jesus, using all the logic and knowledge of Biblical principles which Paul had. Note that the command to forgive our debtors when we pray is applied by Paul to the need to forgive those who sin against us in the ecclesia (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13).</p>