Forgive Us as We Forgive

Our Debts Are Paid

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In the Lord's Prayer Jesus taught us to say, “And forgive us our debts” (Matthew 6:12). A debt is something you owe. Every sin puts us in debt to God.

A debt we cannot pay. Nobody can pay God back for sin by being extra good later. Being good tomorrow does not erase what we did wrong today.

The happy person. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered” (Psalm 32:1). Blessed means truly happy.

Telling God the truth. David stopped hiding his sin and confessed it. He wrote, “And You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5). To confess means to agree with God about what we did.

God keeps His word. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Do not hide it. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). Forsakes means turns away from.

Remembered no more. God promised, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). When God forgives, He does not bring the list up again.

Bought back. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7). Jesus paid with His own life.

How far away? “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). East and west never meet.

White as snow. “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).

A clean heart. After his sin, David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Steadfast means steady and faithful.

No condemnation. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Condemnation means being found guilty and punished.

Why keep asking? If God has forgiven us, why pray “forgive us” every day? When God's children sin, they do not stop being His children. Telling Him keeps us close to Him, like a child who says sorry to a loving dad.

What we learn. Our debt was huge, but Jesus paid all of it. Everyone who trusts Him is completely forgiven.

What to do. Tonight, tell God honestly about anything you did wrong today. Then thank Him that Jesus paid for it.

Matthew's version of the prayer uses the language of money: “forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). Jesus wanted us to see sin as something owed that must be dealt with, not as a small mistake.

Let go. The Greek word for forgive, aphiēmi (say: ah-FEE-ay-mee), means to release or let go. It was used for canceling a debt or setting a prisoner free. God does not pretend the debt is small. He releases us from it.

The debt is real. We owe God a life of perfect love for Him and for others (Matthew 22:37-39). Every failure adds to what we owe, and we have nothing to pay with.

Psalm 32:1-5. David describes the misery of hiding his sin and the joy of confessing it. Forgiveness began when he stopped covering up: “And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”

1 John 1:9. God is “faithful and just” to forgive. Just means fair. Forgiving us is fair because Jesus has already paid the full price.

Hebrews 8:12. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” God knows everything, so this does not mean He forgets. It means He chooses never to hold forgiven sin against us again.

Ephesians 1:7. Redemption means release by payment. The price was “His blood,” the life of the Son of God given in our place.

Psalm 103:12. East and west are endless distances in opposite directions. God does not keep our forgiven sins on a shelf to bring out later.

Isaiah 1:18. Scarlet and crimson dyes were almost impossible to wash out. Only God can make a stained heart clean.

Romans 8:1. For those in Christ, the court case is closed. There is no condemnation, because the debt has been paid.

Two kinds of forgiveness. When a person first trusts Jesus, God forgives the whole debt, once for all. After that, a believer still sins and still confesses. That confession does not make us God's children again. It keeps our fellowship with Him open and honest.

Proverbs 28:13. Covering sin never works. Confessing and forsaking it leads to mercy. Honesty with God is the doorway to freedom.

Application. Make confession a daily habit. Name the sin, agree with God about it, turn from it and thank Jesus that it is paid in full.

As We Forgive Our Debtors

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The Lord's Prayer does not stop at “forgive us our debts.” It goes on: “As we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). God's forgiveness is meant to flow through us to others.

Jesus explains. “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15).

Not a payment. We do not earn God's forgiveness by forgiving others. Salvation is a gift, “not of works” (Ephesians 2:9). But a heart that has received mercy learns to show mercy.

Kind and tenderhearted. “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

As Christ forgave. “Even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Colossians 3:13).

Jesus did it first. On the cross Jesus prayed for the people who hurt Him: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Joseph forgave. Joseph's brothers sold him as a slave. Years later he told them, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). Then “he comforted them and spoke kindly to them” (Genesis 50:21).

Pray for them. Jesus said, “Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you” (Luke 6:28).

Be merciful. Jesus said, “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Mercy means kindness to someone who does not deserve it.

Leave it with God. “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves” (Romans 12:19). Avenge means paying someone back. God is the fair Judge, and we can trust Him with what is fair.

Again and again. Peter once asked Jesus if forgiving someone seven times was enough. Jesus told him to keep forgiving, far more times than anyone could count (Matthew 18:21-22).

What forgiving is not. Forgiving does not mean saying the wrong was okay. It does not mean keeping a secret about being hurt. If someone is hurting you, tell a parent, teacher or pastor right away. You can forgive and still stay safe.

Help from Jesus. Forgiving can be very hard, and it can take time. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

What we learn. God forgave our huge debt, so we can let go of the smaller debts others owe us.

What to do. Think of someone who has hurt you. Ask Jesus to help you forgive them, and pray for them by name this week.

Matthew 6:12 joins two requests: forgive us, as we forgive others. Then in 6:14-15 Jesus returns to only one line of the prayer and explains it. Forgiving others is not a side issue for Him.

Reading 6:14-15 plainly. Jesus' words are serious and direct. At the same time, the Bible is clear that salvation is “not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:9). Forgiving others is the fruit of being forgiven, not the price of it.

A heart that refuses. A person who claims to be forgiven by God while holding on to bitterness shows they have not understood God's mercy. Many Christians see 6:14-15 as describing a believer's daily fellowship with the Father: an unforgiving spirit blocks that closeness until it is confessed and let go.

Forgiving as a gift. In Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13 Paul uses charizomai (say: khah-RID-zoh-my), to forgive freely as a gift. It comes from the Greek word for grace. We forgive as an act of grace, because grace is what we received.

Luke 23:34. Jesus forgave while the nails were still in His hands. Forgiveness does not wait until the other person deserves it.

Genesis 50:19-21. Joseph refused to take God's place as judge: “Am I in the place of God?” He trusted God's purpose and chose kindness. His story shows that forgiveness is a choice that can be followed by real care.

Luke 6:36-37. “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful… Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” God's own mercy is the pattern.

Matthew 18:21-22. Peter offered seven times as a generous limit. Jesus answered with a number so large it meant no limit at all. Forgiveness is not counted.

Romans 12:17-21. Forgiving is not pretending there is no wrong. It is handing the case to God: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Then we are free to “overcome evil with good.”

Forgiveness and trust. Forgiveness can be given right away. Trust has to be rebuilt over time. A person who keeps causing harm needs to face what they did, and forgiving them does not mean staying in danger.

Safety first. If anyone is hurting you, forgiving does not mean keeping quiet. Tell a parent, teacher or pastor. Speaking up is right, and God wants you safe.

Feelings and choices. Forgiveness often begins as a choice before the feelings follow. You may need to forgive the same hurt many times as the memory returns. Christ gives the strength (Philippians 4:13).

Application. Write down the name of someone you need to forgive. Pray Luke 23:34 for them in your own words, and ask God to show you one kind thing you can do.

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