Under the Law, did you have to forgive others before God would forgive you?
Yes. Under the Law, divine forgiveness was conditional upon the sinner first forgiving those who had sinned against him. Until that forgiveness was extended to the other person, God would not forgive the offender. This was the Law’s demand, as the religious gentleman in the context acknowledged.
Les explains that most people read this casually and do not really understand what Jesus is saying. Under Law, a person could not be forgiven until he had forgiven the other person. That was what the Law demanded, and that is what the religious gentleman was talking about: “I have to forgive them, because if I don’t I can’t be forgiven, that is by God.” Then Les turns to Ephesians 4:32, written by the Apostle of Grace, and contrasts Law with Grace: whether I forgave my neighbor or not, God forgave me.