“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt 6.12).
Sin is the crucial issue in any consideration of the Christian life. Go wrong here and everything else bends out of shape. Yet a biblical consideration of sin is very countercultural, too “negative”—yes, it is negative but necessary. “Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God” (WSC #14; cf. 1 John 3.4). A little boy once reported that the sermon he heard had been about sin. “What about it?” his dad asked. “He was against it!” (cf. Tit 2.12).
David’s prayer of contrition in Psalm 51.1-5 uses three Hebrew words about sin (meaning failing to hit the target or coming short, the fault of character lying behind the fault of conduct, and willful rebellion), three about God deals with the believer’s sin (blot out, wash away, cleanse), and three about His nature in this regard (mercy [unmerited], unfailing love [covenantal], compassion [passionate, flowing love]).
Debts
The LP’s fifth petition is “forgive us our sins” (Luke 11.4) or “forgive us our debts” (Matt 6.12). As this is to be the Christian’s daily prayer, we learn being forgiven is to be our daily concern, since we still sin. We owe God obedience; our failure to obey is therefore an indebtedness to God. Even every omission makes us culpable. “We have left undone those things which we ought to have done” (Cranmer’s Prayer Book). The Bible motivates us by reminding us of our obligation (e.g., 1 John 3.16), and this is not incompatible with motivation from love, any more in human marriage than in our covenantal bonds with God in Christ.
This petition teaches us that Jesus takes sin seriously, and so must we. In Cur Deus Homo (“Why did God become man?”), Anselm confronts Bozo with this accusation, “You have not yet considered the greatness of the weight of sin.” This leads to all kinds of moral and spiritual failure. Sin is why Jesus came into this world as a servant and died on a cross of shame. We can never take sin lightly!
Sinning again and again
Sin is an ongoing issue for the Christian. Yes, all our sins are forgiven once and for all in our justification. This was legal and definitive. As Judge, God pronounces us righteous in Christ. Yet we must daily ask God to forgive our sins because we continue to sin. This is familial and ongoing. As Father, God delights to hear our confessions with reliance upon Christ which are so many evidences of our drawing near in faith and love once again. Like Calvin, we must distinguish between the law as a covenant of works (which Christ fulfilled) and the law as a rule of life (for our obedience). This is “the third use of the law.”
God doth continue to forgive the sins of those that are justified; and, although they can never fall from the state of justification, yet they may, by their sins, fall under God’s fatherly displeasure, and not have the light of His countenance restored unto them, until they humble themselves, confess their sins, beg pardon, and renew their faith and repentance (WCF XI.5).
W. G. T. Shedd expressed it this way:
The justification of a sinner is an all-comprehending act of God. All the sins of a believer, past, present, and future, are pardoned when he is justified. The sum-total of all his sin, all of which is before the Divine eye at the instant when God pronounces him a justified person, is blotted out or covered over by one act of God. Consequently, there is no repetition in the Divine mind of the act of justification: as there is no repetition of the atoning death of Christ, upon which it rests (Dogmatic Theology 2:545).
Jesus illustrated it in John 13.10, “Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.” Ongoing forgiveness is like washing our hands and faces just before bed, a few hours after we have taken our bath. We need to keep short accounts with God, to pray today about today’s sins. This humble candor and love builds
relationships, not least with God.
Conditions?
Our sins are only forgiven so long as we forgive those who may sin against us (see Matt 6.14-15). How can it be gracious if it is conditional? It is grace that sets us free to forgive others! A forgiving disposition is evidence that God has forgiven us. A hard-hearted, self-righteous spirit reigning over us is proof we have not been saved, whatever our profession may be (Matt 18.21-25).
Must we, then, forgive others unconditionally or only upon certain conditions? The biblical counsel seems to be we are morally obligated always to have an unconditional disposition to forgive (Luke 6.36-38; Eph 4.32), and that we are morally obligated actually to grant forgiveness upon evidence of the offender’s repentance (Luke 17.3-4; 2 Cor 2.10).
One last “hard” point needs to be made. Repentance is not just saying “I’m sorry.” We talk about apologizing but the Bible does not. We need to say, “I have asked God to forgive me, and now I’m asking you to do the same.” Then a believer cannot refuse. He dare not refuse. True “closure” will only come about as that forgiveness is granted. Anything less is hypocrisy.
From Praying the Saviour’s Way (2001, CFP) by Derek Thomas.