The people who walked up the mountain to listen to Jesus’ longest sermon were interested in what living in God’s kingdom truly meant. At the beginning of the sermon, they were pleased to learn how God turns the world’s typical view of status upside down.
They were challenged to develop a righteousness lived from the inside out. Outward actions alone are not enough under God’s rule; He wants our inner life to reflect His character.
People whose prayer lives are informed by Jesus’ attitudes and actions will pray about one of the most significant aspects of His ministry—forgiveness.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. (Matthew 6:12)
In years gone by, banks would write the word “forgiven” over a debt that an individual or business could not pay. The forgiven person might not be able to obtain another loan from that bank, but they would be free from having to pay the debt because the institution absorbed the loss.
One of Jesus’ last statements focused on the debt of sin, rebellion, and transgression humanity has incurred. He absorbed the pain of our sin debt and prayed, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).
Just like the bank, our debt of sin is removed from God’s accounting records. However, unlike a bank that no longer wants to do business with us, Jesus forgives our debt because He deeply desires a relationship with us.
Jesus teaches us—as forgiven people learning how to live under His rule—to forgive the debts of those who have injured us.
The first followers of Jesus recognized how crucial it is to imitate His forgiveness. Paul put it like this:
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32).
Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3:13).
Paul was probably in Jerusalem the day Jesus was crucified. At the time, he had no idea that Jesus died to be able to write “forgiven” over the debt of sin he had accrued. Later, on the Damascus Road, Paul experienced Jesus’ forgiveness firsthand.
Paul’s life illustrates that the best way to learn to forgive is by experiencing God’s forgiveness yourself. In addition to modeling forgiveness, Jesus directly taught His followers to do the same. After giving us the Lord’s Prayer as a model, He said:
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15)
Do not misunderstand Jesus’ words. There is no way that we can earn God’s forgiveness through our own acts of forgiveness.
Instead, the way we measure the impact of Jesus’ forgiveness in our own lives is through our willingness to forgive other people.
Praying about Forgiveness
I usually paraphrase the Lord’s Prayer when I pray it. When I come to this section, I pray: “Lord, may we so experience Your forgiveness that we won’t be able to do anything but forgive the people who have hurt us.”
I also use Galatians 2:19-20 as a guide to praying about forgiveness.
I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:19b-20).
I make Paul’s famous declaration my own and pray something like this. Whenever I remember an offense and start re-creating my anger and resentment, I see that feeling as a “red flag”—a warning to turn those emotions into a prayer for help.
“Lord Jesus, when You died on the cross, I died with You. I am no longer alive, but You are living Your life through me by the power of the Holy Spirit. I really don’t like this person (I name the person), but You love them. Please love them through me. I am trusting You to do this, even if I don’t feel it right now.”
It takes less than a minute to pray this. When I have been offended and don’t feel like forgiving someone, I pray this prayer every time I begin to re-create my anger.
These are two ways of praying—both informed by the Lord’s Prayer—that have helped me over the years. I understand that deep hurts are very difficult to overcome. Please be patient with yourself and ask the Lord for help. You can count on His willingness to help you engage in this vital aspect of your spiritual life.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 