“and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12, ESV)
God has blessed Chris and I to get out of earthly debt. We would never be able to make it on Social Security if it were not so. However, there are many that get so far in debt that they cannot get out and the sad part is that they do not seem to care.
There is another type of debt that very few consider. It is the debt of sin. The Bible states that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23, ESV). This debt is one that is humanly impossible to pay except with death. Here we are speaking of eternal death, meaning everlasting punishment.
The problem is that everyone sins, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, ESV). Like so many with credit cards who continuously go deeper and deeper into debt, every human being does the same with sin.
God provided a way for us to be forgiven of the sin debt. It is available in the work of Jesus Christ alone. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of sin for us. Yet there is a caveat. It requires true saving faith in Jesus alone.
In this Disciples Prayer we are to pray, “forgive us our debts” (Matthew 6:12, ESV). Here, forgiveness implies confession. Without confession, there is no forgiveness. John wrote, “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, ESV)
However, there is another caveat. The model prayer goes on, “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12, ESV)
There is no room in the heart of a believer for holding grudges.
There is no room in the heart of a believer for holding grudges. True believers who have experienced God’s salvation should be the most forgiving of people. It is because we alone have been forgiven of a debt that we could never pay. Thus, we who have been forgiven of an infinite magnitude of a lifetime of sin must never withhold forgiveness to others who have wronged us.
Renewing the Heart 