Digging Deeper – Forgive Us Our Trespasses
9 Pray then like this:
“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,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:9-15 (ESV)
FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…” It’s a phrase I’ve uttered thousands of times – mostly while holding the hands of alcoholics as we close out the meeting with the Lord’s Prayer. And never once has its repetition struck me as cursory. On the contrary, each time those words evoke a sense of great relief, due in part to the breadth of human experience covered in the short prayer – provision of daily necessities, submission to His will, deliverance from evil, and forgiveness. The part about forgiveness, however, has a unique role.
First, it is the only part of the prayer that promises action on behalf of the speaker. In every other part, we entreat the Lord to take action. Give us (v.11), lead us not (v.13), and deliver us (v.13) all urge God to act. But in this singular petition about forgiveness, we are making a commitment by asking God to forgive us in like measure to the mercy we exercise toward others (“as we forgive those who trespass against us”). At face value, this is a startling admission. We want God’s pardon to be comprehensive – covering the totality of human sinfulness (which it undoubtedly does). But our Lord entreats us to consider His forgiveness in our treatment of others. This puts us in the role of both the forgiven and the forgiving, teaching us something about His mercy and our standing before Him and others.
Second, the fact that forgiveness is situated after sustenance speaks to its importance. After all, only three petitions are made after the opening of the Lord’s prayer: daily bread, the cancellation of debt, and deliverance. Forgiveness, then, is vital to the Christian life and commanded by our Savior. Today, take a moment to pray the Lord’s prayer (Mt.6:9-15), focusing on your role as forgiven and forgiving.
Ryan Hoffer serves as NextGen Production Director at NorthStar. He holds an M.Div in Church History and enjoys playing the harp. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in Acworth and have three children.