What does Tribe teach about forgiveness?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At Tribe, the teaching on forgiveness tends to surface not as its own standalone series but as a weight the room actually carries into the service. The clearest window into what Brian and Lissa Hunter teach here comes from two different gatherings where forgiveness was not an abstraction but something people were actively wrestling with out loud. The consistent point is that unforgiveness is not a private struggle a person manages quietly. It knots itself into the tissue of a life, tangled up with genuine hurt and things a person needs to own, and the enemy is counting on people keeping it there, rehearsing the tangle rather than letting God sort it out.
In the summer series on hearing God's voice, Brian drew the congregation's attention to what the enemy actually does: scatter. A little distance, a little compromise, and before long a person is isolated, cut off from the habits and community that keep them close to God. Unforgiveness is one of the primary tools in that scattering. The congregation that morning was reminded that obedience, even reluctant and stumbling obedience, is what opens the door to clarity, and that includes the obedience of releasing what a person feels fully justified in holding onto. Matthew 6:14 sat in the background of that conversation without being softened.
The worship and prayer morning Lissa led makes the texture of this teaching most visible. Nancy confessed decades of resentment toward her sister and prayed aloud for forgiveness for words spoken over a lifetime. Another woman said she had never been able to forgive someone who told her as a child that her parents' divorce was her fault, and said that during worship she had asked God to help her forgive and to forgive her for holding on so long. Lissa's word to the room was that God does not surface these things to shame anyone. As she put it, "He doesn't want to bring up hurts to throw them in your face. He wants to bring them up gently and kindly, like, let's deal with that." The invitation underneath all of it was the same one Brian returns to when talking about sin more broadly: God is not going to simply remove something a person is passively wishing away. Partnering with him, making the decision that you are done with it, is when he moves.
Taught from Matthew 6:14 · James 5:16 · John 10:1-19 · Luke 7:36-50 · 1 John 1:9
“Prodigal doesn't mean wayward. Prodigal doesn't mean lost. Prodigal means extravagant, over, above, and beyond.”
From The Ring, the Robe, and the Rib Eye
The passage taught · 1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
World English Bible
The messages that teach on it
- August 7, 2023 The Ring, the Robe, and the Rib Eye Brian Hunter walks through the parable of the prodigal son from four camera angles, showing how shifting your perspective on a familiar story can break open what feels like a dead end.
- January 30, 2023 Worship and Prayer A Sunday of worship, prayer, and communion at a Wyoming church, where members shared personal struggles, prayed the Lord's Prayer line by line, and sought forgiveness together.
Mentioned along the way
- August 26, 2026 Called to Holiness Brian Hunter walks through 1 Thessalonians 4:7, showing that God's call to holy living is an invitation he equips us for, not a demand we have to meet on our own.
- August 16, 2026 Losing Your Life to Find It Jesus said to gain your life you must lose it. Brian Hunter explores what it really means to lay down your rights and exchange self-rule for something far better.
- June 9, 2025 Three Uses of Worship Brian Hunter walks through Psalm 150 and three reasons to worship God through song: as a weapon in combat, a tool for recalibration, and a response to celebration.
- April 21, 2025 The Blood Is Enough Brian Hunter walks through the Passover account in Exodus 12 to show why the blood of Jesus is enough to cover every sin, no matter who you are or what you've done.
- September 16, 2024 Jesus, the Better Joseph Brian Hunter walks through Genesis 45, exploring how Joseph's story foreshadows Jesus, the better Joseph, who provides not just grain but salvation for all who come to him.
- September 15, 2024 Jesus, the Better Joseph Brian Hunter walks through Genesis 45, where Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, showing how Joseph's story points forward to Jesus as the true and better savior.
- February 11, 2024 Clarity Comes Through Intimacy A pastor and congregation in Jackson Hole explore how intimacy with Jesus, built on vulnerability and transparency, brings clarity in an increasingly complex world.
- December 25, 2023 Tribe Christmas Eve Service Brian Hunter shares the Christmas story on Jackson Hole's Town Square, tracing it from the garden to Bethlehem and inviting anyone to receive forgiveness and new life.
- July 24, 2023 They Recognize His Voice and Come to Him A Wyoming pastor and his congregation explore how to recognize God's voice, using John 10 as their guide in the final week of a six-week series.
- April 24, 2023 Kiss the Sun or Lick the Dust A woman's extravagant act of worship at Jesus' feet shows two ways every person will ultimately respond to him: with love and gratitude, or pride and rejection.
- November 28, 2022 The Government on His Shoulders Brian Hunter walks through Luke 19 and Isaiah 9 to explore what ruling with Jesus actually means, and why resurrection shapes how Christians live and lead right now.