Grace Forgave yesterday’s Past. Grace secured tomorrow’s future. grace empowers today’s Goodness.

Resource Authors

Brad has 25 years of youth ministry experience and 17 years of experience as a Bible teacher in Christian schools. He found that the "canned" lessons found in bookstores lacked the personal touches he wanted so he began writing his own. When he was “blown-up by the transforming power of grace”, he started writing grace-based lessons for his students.

Jess is an ordained minister who thrives in unconventional ministry spaces—from addiction recovery programs to strip club outreaches and leading home-based churches. A published writer and sought-after speaker for women’s events, she is the author of A Rebel’s Religion and She, bringing fresh, fearless insight to faith, life and His grace.

The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave

A Radical Grace Lesson on Forgiveness, Debt & Freedom

Free

This teaching resource takes an often-misunderstood parable and reads it through the lens of the finished work of Christ, dismantling fear-based interpretations that suggest God’s forgiveness is fragile or conditional. Rather than issuing a threat, Jesus is revealing the overwhelming weight of the Law, the generous compassion of the Father, and the impossibility of human self-effort apart from divine rescue.

Grounded in Matthew 18:23–35, this lesson explores the stark contrast between an immeasurable debt freely forgiven and the human tendency to forget grace once it has been received. Through thoughtful teaching and reflection, participants are invited to see how unforgiveness doesn’t jeopardize God’s mercy—but does distract the one who forgets how deeply they’ve already been forgiven.

Designed for small groups, discipleship settings, or personal study, this downloadable lesson reframes forgiveness not as a demand we must meet to stay in God’s favor, but as a natural overflow of a heart made new—secure, debt-free, and alive with Christ.

Includes:

Scripture passage (Matthew 18:23–35)
Teaching on Law, grace, and the true nature of forgiveness
Guided reflection and discussion questions
Emphasis on identity, compassion, and Spirit-empowered freedom

Perfect for those weighed down by guilt, resentment, or religious pressure, this resource invites you to stop keeping score, remember the debt that was fully canceled, and live from the freedom of having been forgiven much.