A few thoughts from my quiet time today morning. I am studying the sermon on the mount in the book of Matthew by our Lord Jesus. When he gets to the Lord’s prayer He teaches this:
“Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”
Jesus ties the request for God’s forgiveness to our extension of forgiveness to others. One cannot function without the other. The two are almost symbiotic. According to the LORD, it is absurd to expect forgiveness from God while you withhold it from others. It’s like riding a bicycle that only has one pedal. You need both pedals to move. While one pedal is up, the other is down. Another analogy comes to mind. Forgiveness is like a game of tennis 🎾 You are served and receive the ball, but you cannot stay with it. You have to serve back. In order for the game to continue, you must give back what you have received.
Hebrews 9:22 tells us that there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. This is a spiritual law. It’s like a law of physics- like gravity. Gravity tells us that anything that goes up must come down. The spiritual law of forgiveness tells us that blood is required to atone for sin. To ensure that the atonement was once, final and permanent, God offered the purest blood for us- His own. The blood of Jesus. Prophet Isaiah tells us how that blood was extracted.
Isaiah 53:4-6 “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (NKJV)
Consider how much God’s sacrifice spared you from sin’s penalty- death. Receive that forgiveness freely. When you do, you are not only forgiven, but also spiritually regenerated to be part of God’s family, related by blood- His blood. Now extend that favour to those who have wronged you. It is not only right, but also healthy. The bitterness from unforgiveness makes you monstrous in the end. You may start out as a victim but the pain eventually makes you end up as a villain.
Jesus finishes the Lord’s prayer with more clarity on forgiveness.
Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (NKJV)