Forgive us our debts

Scripture reading: Matt 6:12

Matthew 6:12 ESV

12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Jesus now teaches us to ask God for forgiveness for our sins. Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. The reason why we say “Trespasses” is because two verses later in Matt. 6:14-15, Jesus uses a different Greek word that translates as “Trespass.”

Now, what does this passage tell us?

Some people read this the wrong way and think, “I must forgive others, so that I will be forgiven.” That’s not what Jesus is saying.

The keyword here is the word “as”. The Greek word is ὡς, which means “in the same way or in the same manner.

So what this means is that we are to ask God to forgive us our debts, in the same manner that we forgive our debtors.

It means that we are to ask God for forgiveness, and in the same breath offer to others the forgiveness that we are pleading for.

And here Jesus teaches us three things.

First, Jesus teaches us to confess our sins to God.

Second, He teaches us that sin is a debt to be paid.

Third, He shows us the kind of forgiveness we should extend to others.

#1. We need to confess our sins to God

By teaching us to ask God for forgiveness, Jesus shows us the proper attitude for prayer.

We don’t pray with a sense of entitlement. We come before Him as undeserving sinners. And everything we ask of God, we ask knowing that we don’t deserve it.

Luke 18:9–14 ESV

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus says that kind of pride will get your prayer ignored. But if we pray like the tax collector, knowing that we’re sinners, God will hear us.

As sinners, we don’t deserve His attention. We don’t deserve His mercy. And we certainly don’t deserve His forgiveness. But still God teaches us to confess our sins.

Why does He do this?

First, because He loves to forgive. He loves to show mercy. He doesn’t forgive us grudgingly or reluctantly.

Isaiah 30:18 ESV

18 Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.

Micah 7:18 ESV

18 Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.

Second, unless we humble ourselves and confess our sins, we can’t be reconciled to Him. So Jesus teaches us to ask God for forgiveness. No parent likes to see their children groveling in apology. God wants to forgive us, but we need to repent first.

#2. Sin is a debt to be paid

The Greek word for debt is opheilema, and it refers to moral or spiritual debt that must be paid. It indicates something that is owed.

Back in those days, prisons were not filled with criminals. Lawbreakers would usually be executed or sent somewhere to work. Prisons back then were filled with debtors. People who owed a debt but couldn’t pay up. And unless your debt is paid, you remain locked up. So your family and loved ones would scramble to put money together to get you out.

What is the debt of sin?

We can think of it like this.

If I got caught stealing five dollars from a friend, he might forgive me if I return the five dollars.

But if I got caught stealing five dollars from my boss, I’d probably have to pay back more than five dollars. I’d lose my job as well.

But what if I stole five dollars from the Prime Minister? I might even go to jail.

Did the amount of money change? It’s always five. But the person I sinned against is different. And the greater the person, the more serious the sin.

So how great is God? And how great is our debt of sin toward God? God is infinitely great. So our debt of sin is infinitely great as well. It is a debt that we can never repay. That’s why hell burns forever.

So only someone of infinite value can pay the debt of sin. And if such a person receives the punishment we deserve, then our debt will be cancelled. And that’s what Jesus did.

Colossians 2:13–14 ESV

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

#3. We are to offer to others the same forgiveness God offers to us

Finally, Jesus teaches us that we need to offer this same forgiveness to others. This forgiveness is the mark of a true Christian.

In Matthew 18, Jesus told a parable of the unforgiving servant.

There was a servant who owed his master ten thousand talents. At a minimum, he would have to work for about 160,000 years to pay it back. But he begged his master, and his master pitied him and cancelled his debt.

But then that same servant goes to another fellow servant who owed him three months worth of wages, and he choked him saying, “Pay me back!” And he put his fellow servant in prison.

And the master heard about this, and here’s what happened next.

Matthew 18:32–35 ESV

32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

What is Jesus’ point? He’s saying that if God has been merciful to you, you should be merciful to others.

Ephesians 4:32 ESV

32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

There was a young woman whose husband sinned against her in a serious way. And she had a hard time forgiving him. And as she talked with her pastor about it, she said, “I can forgive him only if he promises never to do that again.”

The pastor said, “What would happen if God had dealt with you that way? Where would you be if God had said, “I’ll forgive you only if you promise never to sin again?”

Conclusion

When forgiveness abounds among the saints, the church is greatly strengthened. Forgiveness in itself is a powerful testimony of the Gospel. It is a sign that you have been forgiven of your sins.

But when the saints don’t delight in forgiveness, the church is greatly weakened.

In Philippians 4, we see Euodia and Syntyche who weakened the church in Philippi because they refused to forgive each other.

Jesus said to resolve any conflicts before worship.

Matthew 5:23–24 ESV

23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Why did He say this? Because we worship a God who delights in forgiveness. Would God receive worship from an unforgiving heart?

So let us offer forgiveness to others before asking God to forgive you.

Matthew 5:7 ESV

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.