August 4, 2021 – Click here to listen
First let me say that I was not talking about the series “The Chosen” yesterday; (please no more letters). I haven’t watched that one yet. The name of the series mentioned in my post is Jesus: His Life and I stand by my comments.
So yesterday a friend wrote about another post in which I mentioned what is commonly referred to as The Lord’s Prayer. It was not intended to be a full discourse on The Lord’s Prayer, but here in part is some of what he wrote:
Your breakdown of The Lord’s Prayer was well done, but the one line you left out was interesting, especially since I believe it is the most misinterpreted line in the prayer . . . “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
The word “as” in that line can be taken one of two ways, and I think a lot of people apply it incorrectly – using it the way one might if they were to say, “Work as hard ‘as’ I do, and you will be successful.”
That usage gives its speaker credit for doing something right. So, applied to the prayer, we would essentially be saying, “Hey, God, give me a break on my sins, because I am righteous in forgiving others.” That claim is made by those praying the prayer, even if not always true . . . After all, who can really say that they are flawless in their forgiveness of others?
What I believe Jesus was teaching us with the word “as” is that we acknowledge that we will be forgiven our sins in exact accordance with which we forgive others. It is like saying, “Ok, God . . . I know that my sins will only be forgiven if I forgive others. If I forgive a lot, I will receive a lot of forgiveness. If I withhold forgiveness, then the cleansing of my sins well be withheld.”
In the first sense, it is telling God what we (deservedly) expect of Him. In the latter it is saying to God, “I accept the responsibility and ownership price for having my sins forgiven.” It is more than wordplay. Don’t you think?
Hmmm . . . This post might seem controversial to some of you, but for what it’s worth here are my thoughts on this subject. Forgiveness of sin is a free gift from God and cannot be earned by us, therefore my friend is mistaken concerning what he states he believes about being forgiven in relation to how much we forgive. God is not limited in what He does by our works. To me the use of the word, “as”, is rather simple. If we re-read the verse it states: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” To my mind the Bible is simply stating that we should pray that God will forgive our sins and that we should use that same measure to forgive those who sin, (trespass) against us.
What is the same measure? There is a requirement for repentance in God’s salvation plan of forgiveness because Jesus paid a great price to take the punishment for our sins. It is a biblical fact that the forgiveness God extends to us is conditional upon our confession of sin and repentance. Confession involves confessing our sin to God, and repentance requires a change in behavior that demonstrates a genuine willingness to forsake our sin as best we know how.
The bottom line: Sin remains unforgiven unless it is confessed and repented of. While this might seem a difficult condition for forgiveness, it is also a great blessing. Confession of sin is not an act of self-condemnation but of seeking God’s remedy for sin in forgiveness through Christ.
Forgiveness is granted primarily to free the sinner; it ends the rejection, thus reconciling the relationship. Therefore, we must be willing to forgive others. Society to my mind has wrongly taught that “forgiveness” is one-sided, that reconciliation is unnecessary, and that the purpose of this unilateral forgiveness is to free the offended person of feelings of bitterness.
While we must not harbor bitterness in our hearts or repay evil for evil, we should strive to follow God’s lead and not extend forgiveness to the unrepentant. In short, we should withhold forgiveness from those who do not confess and repent; at the same time, we should extend the offer of forgiveness and maintain an attitude of readiness to forgive.
Stephen is a good example. As he was being stoned to death, echoing Jesus’ words from the cross, Stephen prays, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”. These words show a definite willingness to forgive, but they do not indicate completion of the process of forgiveness. Stephen simply prayed that God would forgive his murderers. Stephen held no bitterness, and, when and if his murderers repented, he wished them to be forgiven.
The subject of forgiveness has been and still is the number one subject that people write me about. How can I forgive this person when they did so and so? Is the common theme.
I forgave my father for physically abusing me when I was a kid. He never did repent, but I felt better. I’ve done the same with others with the same result. The Bible tells us “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Similarly, Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” The key in both passages is that we are to forgive others as God has forgiven us. Why do we forgive? Because we have been forgiven!
Refusing to forgive a person demonstrates resentment, bitterness, and anger, none of which are the traits of a growing Christian. While true that biblically, forgiveness is not just something that the offended person offers; it requires the offender to receive it. Personally, I think God is proud of us if we forgive no matter the circumstance.
God promises that, when we come to Him confessing our sin and asking for forgiveness, He freely grants it for the sake of Christ. Likewise, the forgiveness we extend to others should know no limits. I say bury the past and get moving with the future. It is healthier for all concerned.
Matthew 18:21
We keep no record of wrongs but forgive as many times as necessary