"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."
Matthew 6:12
These verses in Matthew 6 (vv. 9-13) are known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” This is rather a teaching prayer that Jesus used to teach His disciples how to pray. In verse 12 we see the important idea of both being forgiven and forgiving others. Let’s think about this:
“And forgive us our debts,”
“Forgive us,” points to our so great need to be forgiven. “Our debts” are our sins that we have done against God. “Sin is pictured as a debt, and the sinner as a debtor (compare Mat 18:28, Mat 18:30).”1 We need His forgiveness, and yet we have nothing to pay to remove the load of our sin debt. If we were to try to pay our sin debt to God on our own, we must helplessly stand before Him forever with no way to pay it. We are spiritually bankrupt with no merit of our own. Our only hope of having our sin forgiven is to go to God, His way, and let Him forgive us.
“As we forgive our debtors.”
“It was a maxim among the ancient Jews, that no man should lie down in his bed, without forgiving those who had offended him.”2 That’s good advice. Those who are forgiven, forgive! When we come to grips with our great guilt before God Almighty, and what Jesus Christ has done for us in forgiving us, we gladly forgive others their transgressions against us. Because we have been granted mercy, we freely grant forgiveness to others. Jesus wants this to be a way of life for believers.
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy,” (Matthew 5:7).
As I think of this phrase, “as we forgive our debtors,” it makes me think of this question. “Do I forgive others, in the same way, Jesus has forgiven me?” And there’s the challenge. To be forgiving of what others have done to me, and to freely forgive them. Isn’t this what Jesus did for us?
Believers, let’s strive to show mercy, and forgive others as Jesus forgave us!
1. M.R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, the electronic version in eSword.
2. Adam Clarke, Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, the electronic version in eSword.