Matthew 6:12-15
~3 min read
“…we have experienced God’s “once-and-for-all” forgiveness…”
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors…..For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matthew 6:12-15)
The word sin is translated as debt to refer to spiritual debt. Man’s greatest need is forgiveness. Sin separates man from God, and it is his greatest enemy. As believers, we have experienced God’s “once-and-for-all” forgiveness at the moment when we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. We are no longer condemned, under judgment and destined for hell (Romans 8:1). We are justified!
But as long as we live our lives on this earth, we are not perfect. We still continue to sin, and we need to ask God to forgive us. We need to be cleansed on a daily basis because every day we fall short of God’s perfect holiness. We need to be sanctified!
Here, Jesus was not speaking about the forgiveness we need for our salvation, but the forgiveness that comes after that. It is a forgiveness that restores our broken relationship with God. Sin brings guilt, pain, fear, doubt, anxiety and sadness, and we need God’s forgiveness so that we may once again enjoy fellowship with our heavenly Father.
Dear children, if God will forgive us, how can we be unforgiving toward those who have sinned against us? When we pray, forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, it means “deal with us in the same way.” God has said in His Word that if we are unforgiving, He will not answer our prayers (Mark 11:25-26). Remember, this prayer is not about justification (praying for our salvation), but it is about sanctification. If we are unforgiving, though we may not lose our salvation, however we will experience bitterness, anger and unhappiness because of the sin of unforgiveness. God wants to forgive us, so that He can remove all the animosities in our hearts and enjoy fellowship with Him.
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