As I have detailed elsewhere, if God does not forgive people unless they ask, people could not be in the wrong for doing the same, since the moral nature of the uncaused cause is what would dictate morality. Matthew 18 [1] and Ephesians 4 [2] affirm that this is also the Biblical stance on the matter directly or indirectly. In Luke 17:3-4, Jesus very plainly says that if someone who has sinned against you repents, you are obligated to forgive them. Elsewhere, he says that those who do not forgive others will not be forgiven by God (Matthew 6:14-15). Here, he says that if a brother or sister sins against you and repents, you are to forgive them, and that even if they sin against you and come to you in repentance multiple times in one day, you "must" forgive them.
Personal forgiveness and forgiveness from the just penalties of Mosaic Law or the eventual penalty of annihilation in hell (Ezekiel 18:4, Matthew 10:28, John 3:16, 2 Peter 2:6) are not the same. However, though forgiveness without repentance on the sinner's part is good but not obligatory, for it is mercy rather than justice, Jesus teaches that forgiving those who sincerely ask us for it is mandatory. He does not say that it is morally good but optional; he says that one must do this. Some might irrationally mistake this for an approach to forgiveness that is universal and default, yet he clearly says that it is only once the right condition is met by the other person is forgiveness owed to them.
Over and over, though once is enough, the Bible teaches that we are to forgive like God does, and God does not forgive anyone without their repentance. He shows mercy just as we can show mercy (Luke 6:36). We can be like him in this regard and be righteous for it, yes. Still, his moral nature is what grounds that which we should do regardless of context, and forgiveness is not something that is ever prescribed in Mosaic Law or even in the allegedly "contrary" doctrines of the gospels. This nuanced ethical stance on forgiveness is not especially recognized by many so-called Christians one might encounter, who crave forgiveness when it is directed at them or when it appeases their subjective whims but are unforgiving to others, or who think that forgiveness is always required in itself or that it is somehow better than justice.
No, Jesus says we must forgive when met with repentance, and this could only be the case if forgiveness is obligatory in this situation, and this would in turn only be the case if it is just in this scenario. What is not deserved could not be morally required since deserving something means one has the right to be treated in a certain way. Since it is God's nature to forgive when asked, it should be ours. Justice in a punitive sense is always superior to mercy because the latter depends on the former. Forgiveness in response to authentic contriteness is different. A truly repentant person is not the same as the careless or selfish version of themself who committed their sin. They have changed for the better and they are to be treated as such.
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