“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors . . .”

GOD’S MERCY

We ask God to forgive the wrong we have done as well as our neglect of the good things we should have done. But there is a catch: God will forgive us only as much as we forgive those who have injured us. God is merciful and He expects us to be also. If we refuse to forgive others, how can we expect God’s forgiveness?

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”                     (1 John 1:9)

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”                            (Psalm 103:12-13)

“No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
(Hebrews 8:11-12)

The New Testament uses 5 Greek words to talk about sin. The meanings range from slipping and falling (unintentional), “missing the mark” as an arrow misses a target, stepping across the line (intentional), “lawlessness” or open rebellion against God, and the word used in Matthew 6:12, which refers to a spiritual debt to God. This last aspect of sin is what Jesus illustrates in the following story:

Jesus told a parable about a man who owed the king over 1 million dollars. After the man begged for mercy, the king forgave the debt. Afterward, that same man demanded  a few dollars from his neighbor. When his neighbor could not pay, the man had him thrown into prison. Once the king heard about it, he had the man turned over to the jailers until he could repay the debt. Jesus finished by saying, “This is how my Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:23-35). Jesus makes it clear that God will not show mercy to the merciless!

Sometimes we are unaware of our sins. Therefore, praying for forgiveness requires listening quietly in God’s presence so that He may reveal to us our own acts of disobedience, our resentments, and our unresolved issues. Though as Christians we inevitably continue to sin, our lives ought to be characterized by a decreasing frequency of sin and an increased sensitivity to it.