The Model Prayer - Pt 7

 

[Jesus said] Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9–13 ESV).

 

Today’s portion of the model prayer is perhaps the most interesting portion of the prayer. It details both the petition for forgiveness and the practical application of the mechanism of that action. Jesus says, “… forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (v. 12). The Greek word used here is ὀφείλημα (pronounced “o-fay'-lay-mah”). It is only used twice in the entire New Testament. Both of those occurrences are in this verse. The word denotes that which is owed, or an outstanding liability that must be satisfied. While its basic sense is financial, the term readily broadened to include moral and spiritual obligations, allowing Scripture to speak of sin as a payable debt before God.

 

Jesus teaches His disciples to approach the Father aware of moral indebtedness and to pray for release with the active release of others. The plural form highlights communal responsibility: the people of God pray not only for personal absolution but for corporate cleansing that sustains fellowship. The Apostle Paul understood this concept and instructs the Roman church with the statement: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 ESV). This is within the context of a contrast between what we have “earned” by our sin and what God has mercifully given us through His grace. If righteousness could be merited, God would merely be settling accounts. Instead, justification comes as an unmerited gift, underscoring the gospel’s foundation in grace rather than human earning.

 

Other great reformers and patriarchs of the church have indicated the same interpretation. John Chrysostom highlighted the inseparability of receiving and extending forgiveness. Augustine saw in the term a reminder that even after baptism believers daily need cleansing grace. Martin Luther read this passage (Romans 4-6) as the heart of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, opposing any notion of merited salvation. John Calvin underscored that good works, though necessary as fruit, can never place God in a debtor position.

 

So, what does that mean for us today? Certainly we can see the importance of cultivating daily confession, trusting the Father who “is faithful and just to forgive” (1 John 1:9). It ought to motivate us to extend tangible and relational forgiveness promptly; and, to serve God not to earn favor but out of gratitude for debts already canceled.

 

Remember, these are simple things, not easy things that Jesus desires from His followers.