And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
By Jim Murriner
Matt. 6:9-12
9 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."
10 "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
11" Give us this day our daily bread."
12" And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."
In our recent studies of the different statement which our Lord made in giving us His Model Prayer, we learned several things.
We learned that only those who have a Heavenly Father can pray, others just say words which God refuses to hear.
We learned that we must give great reverence to the name of God, we are not to even try to pray, with an attitude of God being anything like man.
We also learned that we are to desire that the Kingdom of God would come upon our lost loved ones, and that they would be brought into the Kingdom of God. We are also to desire that the Kingdom of God would be seen in us, that we might live like we are in reality the citizens of Heaven.
We learned that we are to desire the will of God be done in all things. This is seldom considered when most people pray today. We too often expect God to give us the things which we want even if it is not in His will to do so.
We learned that we are to seek our daily bread from the Lord, and not depend so much on ourselves, for the daily necessities, neither are we to worry about the needs of tomorrow, but seek that God supply them as we need them.
Then we saw in our last study that we are to consider more about our spiritual, needs than our physical needs.
Now this morning we want to look at verse 12.
Lets consider first, what is the debt mentioned here, which we are asking God to forgive?
Sin is here called a debt.
Luke 11:4
"And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."
Every sinner is a debtor. And we need to see that God demands a payment of the debt of sin.
Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Sin is the very worst debt which we might have, because we have nothing with which we may pay the price.
Mt. 18:24
"And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents."
The sum of ten thousand talents is such that no man might ever be able to pay it.
The same is true with our sin debt, it is so great that we can never of our selves find a way in which we might pay it.
Yet our sin must be paid for.
Job 10:14
"If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity."
Nahum 1:3
"The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet."
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Now is our Lord here telling us that we must forgive others or else He will not forgive us?
No!
If He was telling us such a thing here then this verse would be in contrast to many other verses.
Eph. 2:8-10
8" For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"
9 "Not of works, lest any man should boast."
10" For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Titus 3:5
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"
The universal teaching throughout human relationships has been the teaching of forgiving one another.
Here we are to consider that we do forgive one another, and then the plea to the Lord is that even as we, who are weak and still in the flesh, do forgive one another, would He forgive us.
You today, can have your sin debt forgiven. But it is not even by asking, it is by trusting in the finished work which Christ did upon the cross.
This is the only thing which God will accept for payment for your sin debt.
Isaiah 53:11
"He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities."
