Forgive Us Our Debts

Forgive us Our Debts…

For other posts on the Lord’s Prayer see earlier entries on the KNCSB page.

Prayer is what Christians do with God. It is a means by which the favor and power of God comes into our lives. What we can’t do in our own strength, we do with prayer. By prayer God softens our hearts to love our enemies. Left to our own strength it’s nigh impossible to do. We don’t just say prayers in private or together. Prayer is much more than saying words. It’s even more than listening to God.

In the Lord’s prayer is a request of debt forgiveness. It’s direct from the heart of Jesus: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive those indebted to us.” How did Jesus come to see sin as debt? Jesus knew that debt forgiveness is central to life with God. Indebtedness prevents humanity from flourishing spiritually. On the cross, Jesus modeled the debt-forgiving heart of God.

God embedded debt forgiveness in the rhythm of life of Israel. For example, Jubilee.

Jubilee is the year-long event of forgiving debts of God’s people. It was to be celebrated every 50th year. Jubilee is a year-long project of returning land to original owners and restoring freedom to servants. When Jesus teaches on forgiveness his reference point is Jubilee, when the debt slate was wiped clean (Leviticus 25:8-13; 27).

Thirty years after Jesus’s life the Jews revolted against Rome. It was their year of Jubilee. They regained control over their lives, their temple and religion. They created their own government. The first order of business? A search and destroy mission, finding the books where all the debts of the people were recorded and stored. In a few brief moments all the debts of the people were canceled. It’s like erasing a data-rich hard drive with a click. Voila, debts begone! A fresh start. Don’t you wish you could experience this? We can! Christ is our Jubilee!

Forgiving another’s debt or sin is possible when we are prayerful, living in the constant presence of God. David says, “I know I am indebted to God and my sin is ever before me.” (Ps 51.3) Remember, where sin abounds grace all the more superabounds 

Jesus teaches us, eliminating indebtedness is at the heart of a Christian praying life. Debt elimination is an essential blessing He gave his church and through the church for the world. Imagine the weight of debt Jesus lifted off Peter’s shoulders when he forgave his betrayal. This act created a never-ending reservoir of love in his heart. Now imagine the weight of debt that crushed Judas to death because he never took the prayer of Jesus to heart. Can you imagine churches where people’s debts are erased? What a praying life we would see! 

The joy of life with God begins and thrives with the elimination of the debt over a lifetime.