And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Matthew 6:12 NIV
The next request in Jesus’ model prayer is pivotal to receiving answers from God. For Him, unforgiveness was not a once-off consideration but an on-going issue between people, that forms a barrier, not only between humans in conflict but also between God and unforgiving people.
What’s the issues?
God cannot forgive those who sin against Him if they refuse to forgive one another. It’s as simple as that!
Let’s unpack the real meaning of forgiveness.
When we sin, that is, when we do not believe His Word, we transgress the instructions God has given us for living in harmony with Him and with one another…we incur a debt which must be paid before we can be reconciled. Our debt is first to God and then to the one we have offended.
The sin-debt we owe God is unpayable because sin’s consequence is death.
“The one who sins is the one who will die…”
Ezekiel 18:20a NIV
Our debt to God is so huge that God’s forgiveness is the only way we can escape death…that is, eternal separation from God and all that He is.
Jesus said…
“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?””
John 11:25-26 NIV
And so, through Jesus, God has provided forgiveness so that He can acquit us from all our guilt and treat us as perfectly righteous.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV
Once our debt is paid, it is erased from God’s record. It would be illegal for God to demand payment a second time for a debt He Himself has paid.
Now, let’s see how this applies to forgiveness between people who have wronged and been wronged.
Since, through the death of Jesus, God has erased the guilt of all people for all time, the debt of sin incurrred when one person sins against another, has already been forgiven.
God always acts within His own legal system. This means that when one person withholds forgiveness from another, he/she is acting illegally and automatically cancels God’s forgiveness.
What is the solution? Forgiveness is not about emotions. It’s about doing the right thing within the framework of God’s justice system. Since the sin of the wrongdoer has already been forgiven, all the offended person must do is to release the offender from guilt by looking the person in the face or in the heart and saying, “You owe me nothing!”
If our attitude is hard and judgmental, we may elevate ourselves above our offender, reducing our expression of forgiveness to a hypocritical, hollow; and meaningless exercise. Jesus’ example will help us to overcome a bad attitude and replace it with compassion, which is the heart of forgiveness.
“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:34a NIV
In answer to Peter’s question …Jesus told a parable which perfectly illustrates forgiveness and the consequences of unforgiveness…
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed….”
…ending with the solemn warning…
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Matthew 18:21-35 NIV
Can you see, then, how important it is that we include this consideration in our communication with the Father? All our interactions with God are automatically cancelled if we entertain barriers between ourselves and others.
“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ…If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
1 John 1:3, 6-7 NIV