Pray in This Way (Part Six)

“In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.”
(Matthew 6:9–13)

“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Sin is certainly as daily as our daily bread, and so should be confession and forgiveness. In confession we acknowledge our sin, agree with God that it is sin, and seek to make it right with the one we have sinned against.

This not only teaches us how to pray but how to handle our human relationships as well—again, on a daily basis. Confession and forgiveness among family members, church members, and the larger community in which we live should be as common as our sins against each other—which is pretty common for most of us. Among other things, this would eliminate so much of the bitterness, anger, and separation that characterizes many of our relationships.

Sin here is identifies as “debt,” reminding us that we owe God and others our love and obedience. The apostle Paul explained that love is the essence of the law, and that lawlessness is the essence of sin. Every sin against God is a failure to love Him, and while every creature owes Him love and allegiance, how much more do we who have been bought with the blood of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. We will certainly never repay such a debt—we need forgiveness.

And just in case we the disciples of Christ do not quite understand the second half of this petition—“as we forgive our debtors”—Jesus comments explicitly on this portion of the prayer: “For if you forgive men their trespasses[their sins against you], your heavenly Father will also forgive you [your sins against Him]. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” This is a comfort to us that we can’t out-forgive God. But it is also a warning to us to be faithful to forgive others as God in Christ has forgiven us. Our sins against God are infinitely worse than even the worst sin someone else can commit against us. So if God can forgive us our infinitely-offensive sins against Him, how much more so should we be willing to forgive the relatively “minor” sins we commit against each other.

“Dear heavenly Father, forgive us our sins—all of them, dear God—everything in us that is contrary to Your law of love. Teach us our sins, O God, and give us the grace to repent of them. Teach us how to really love You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and how to really love our “neighbor”—spouses, children, brothers and sisters in Christ, even our enemies—as You have loved us. Help us by Your Holy Spirit to right wrongs as soon as they crop up, to seek forgiveness from others we have offended and to grant forgiveness freely to those who sin against us. Thank You, dear God, for the forgiveness of sins we have through our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.”