As We Forgive Our Debtors

Are you at the point in your life where you are asking God to forgive your sins?  That is a very good place to be, actually, and I’d like to encourage you onward in seeking this blessing.  Receiving forgiveness is one of the greatest blessings that God gives us in this lifetime, through His Son Jesus Christ.  This demonstration of God’s love is one of the great themes of the Bible, and one of the main reasons that the plan of God included sending His only begotten Son into the world.

The Psalms speak of the greatness of this gift of forgiveness.  “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities…As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm:103:2-3, 12). 

Forgiveness centers on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ… (Heb:9:26-28).  “…but now, once at the end of the  ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself…so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.”

Jesus taught us that there are some important things to consider when we ask God to forgive us.  When God forgives, He forgives us completely, with no lingering guilt or debt.  He also teaches us that there are certain expectations He has of us.  We see this clearly in the teachings of Jesus Christ.  For instance, in the model prayer, sometimes called “the Lord’s prayer,” in Matthew:6:12, Jesus included this example of what we ought to pray; “…And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”  This point is so important that He added this explanation a couple of verses later:  “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.”

Have you ever thought about forgiveness in this way?  We all need the forgiveness that only God and Christ can give to us, the kind of forgiveness that “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John:1:7-9).  Jesus shows that there is the need for us to have a forgiving attitude toward others, and that we need to forgive those who sin against us.  This is a principle that is consistently taught through the Scriptures.  Consider, for instance, the following verses:

Mark:11:25-26.  When we pray, if we have anything against anyone, forgive him, that our Father may also forgive us.
Ephesians:4:32.  We are to forgive one another, just as God in Christ forgives us.
Colossians:3:12-13.  Put on these positive qualities of Christ’s character, and be forgiving of one another, even as Christ forgave us.

Forgiving others is sometimes not an easy thing to do, is it?  But it is what every Christian is taught to do, over and over again, if necessary—“until seventy times seven” (Matthew:18:21-22).  The kind of forgiveness that we extend to others doesn’t cleanse them in the same way that only God and Christ can do.  But, when we forgive others we can put on the positive qualities of Christ’s character, and we can then humbly approach God for the forgiveness we need. 

Yes, we want to and need to be forgiven of our sins, and God has made that possible through Jesus Christ.  Part of the great blessing He gives us is that we can “follow in His steps” even in this area of our lives (1 Peter:2:21-25).  We may struggle with being able to forgive others, and that’s normal.  When we find it hard to forgive, we should seek to “follow in His steps” a little more closely.  Over time, forgiveness helps to transform our lives and relationships with God and Christ, and with one another.  It’s a great blessing to forgive, and to be forgiven.

Sincerely,
Roc Corbett, pastor, United Church of God ~ Olympia and Tacoma