Anchor My Faith

Forgive Us Our Trespasses

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-11, 13; Luke 11:2, 4

In the previous lesson we covered the fourth petition which was “Give us this day our daily bread.” In this lesson we will cover the fifth petition which is “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”

^{Lk 11:2} “And he said to them, “When you pray, say: ^{Mt 6:9} Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ^{Lk 11:4} and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. ^{Mt 6:13} And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”’

If we have the right to address God as our Father, then that implies that we are his children by grace through faith. That means the sin we are asking our Father to forgive are those sins we continue to commit on a daily basis. We, as believers, do sin as John points out in 1 John 1:8-10 ESV: ⁸ “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” It is important that we confess these sins in order to maintain our relationship with God.

This is not a prayer we would pray for our initial salvation for justification with God. As believers we are justified forever from the moment of initial saving faith. ¹ “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” . . . ⁹ “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:1, 9 ESV). As a result, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 ESV). “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:10 ESV).

As mentioned above, this is then a prayer for the personal restoration of fellowship with God when fellowship has been hindered by our sin; when we “grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). Receiving this forgiveness from God for our sin should fill us with such gratitude that we should be eager to forgive those who are indebted to us.

Are you sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit when you sin, and do you keep your account clear with God so as to maintain good fellowship with him? When someone sins against you is your first thought about the need of justice, or do you see the need to try to reconcile; to love and forgive.

Conclusion

When praying this prayer, consider our brothers and sisters who are being tortured for their faith in countries of persecution, who because of what Jesus means to them are able to turn justices over to God and receive the ability and freedom to love and forgive those who are causing them to suffer for their faith. Father “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”