I initially wondered if there was a “forgive us our debts” prayer in the Bible, or someone had pulled the section of the Lord’s Prayer out of context. But upon further inspection, one could legitimately consider that portion of the Lord’s Prayer as a prayer unto itself. And there are good reasons to look at it in isolation.
Where Is the Forgive Us Our Debts Prayer in the Lord’s Prayer?
First, let’s discuss the Lord’s Prayer in its entirety. We find the prayer in two gospels: in Matthew, chapter 6, Jesus had just been talking to crowds who had come to hear his teaching and spoke about prayer in general. He told them not to pray like hypocrites who pray on the street corners to impress people (Matthew 6:5). He also told them not to babble or pray lengthy prayers to attract God’s attention (Matthew 6:7). Rather, He teaches His listeners to call God their Father (an intimacy that made the Pharisees squirm) and suggested a very simple framework for prayer (since God knows what we need before we speak).
Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts
As we forgive those who are our debtors
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
In Luke 11, Jesus was praying some distance away from His disciples, and when He returned to them, one of the disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught His disciples” (Luke 11:1).
One could read into the request the belief that if they prayed like Jesus, they would have the kind of relationship with the Father that He did—including the power to do what Jesus could do. He offers them a shortened version of the prayer, but Luke writes, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.” (NIV).
In his Gospel Coalition article, Jeremy Linneman wrote that this was not just a simple prayer to be memorized and recited when we needed something from God.
“The Lord’s Prayer is not just a prayer; it’s a vision for life in Christ’s inbreaking kingdom. It’s an acknowledgment of the injustice, hunger, and evil of this broken world. It’s a statement of faith, a call to worship, and a battle cry. It’s a bold pleading for divine glory, social renewal, and heaven-on-earth transformation.”
Therefore, Linneman believes these words were to be prayed and lived.
What Do We Do With the Forgive Us Our Debts Prayer?
Besides the portion at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer where we offer God our worship, this is the only other part of the prayer where we are called to do something. Jesus expects us to acknowledge that there are many things that we need to be forgiven for by God.
But as we ask Him to take our transgressions away, He expects us to do the same for anyone who has trespassed against us. And as it says in Matthew 6:14, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Will God Forgive Our Debts if We Don’t Forgive Our Debtors?
Trevin Wax observes in his Gospel Coalition article “Why An Unforgiving Christian is Unforgiven” that there is a fundamental problem with seeking God’s forgiveness when they will not pass it on to others:
“You cannot expect to receive God’s forgiveness unless you are an open vessel through which His mercy can flow on out to others. A blocked artery that refuses to allow blood to be pumped through will only cause heart failure. If we think we have accepted God’s forgiveness but are not forgiving others their debts, spiritually, we are as good as dead.”
That sounds so un-Christlike until you also look at the parable Jesus told about the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18. One servant servant begged for time to pay an impossible debt, and his master instead canceled the debt. But a second servant owed the first a moderate-sized debt he could not pay. The first servant would not forgive him.
The master called in the first servant. “You wicked servant,” he said, “I canceled all your debt because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” The master handed the servant over to jailers to be tortured until he paid back all he owed.
Jesus ends the parable by saying, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
What Kind of Debts Is the Prayer Talking About?
Though the parable is very clearly talking about money debts—as in the law of Moses when God commanded all Israelites to forgive the financial debts of fellow Israelites every seven years (Deut. 15:1-6), Jesus was extending it to heart matters.
Regardless of the trespass, we must forgive others if we want God to give us mercy. God’s children are supposed to be set apart–look and act differently to show that a relationship with God is priceless. If Christians were not “new creatures” with new motives and desires, there would be no difference to show the world.
What Does it Mean that the Debt Is Forgiven?
Jesus is very serious about the sin of unforgiveness–that is obvious. Jesus is not saying here that eternal salvation will based on whether we forgive someone else. That would be “works salvation.” He very clearly states in verses like John 3:16 that faith in the saving work of Christ on the cross on our behalf is what pays our sin debt and gives us new life in Christ and a perfect eternity with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
But even though we are new creatures in Christ, one can only assume that Jesus expects us to continually be asking God the Father to forgive us every day, just like He feeds us every day. But He is just as concerned as how we treat our neighbor. Will we take from God and treat our neighbor poorly by not forgiving their offense against us? By no means. Jesus is our perfect model, and every day of our lives is an opportunity to grow more into the image of Christ, which is the goal of sanctification.
How Can We Use the Forgive Us Our Debts Prayer Today?
Spend time in God’s word. That is always first and foremost because the closer we grow to Him, the more we will know how He wants us to honor Him and serve our neighbors. We will know what grieves Him and will know to ask for forgiveness.
Ask the Holy Spirit to prompt your spirit. As our Counselor, we can ask the Holy Spirit to quicken our spirit when we’ve got something we need to confess or forgive.
Get on it. I’ve heard people say that they try to keep very short accounts with God. That means listening to the Holy Spirit and asking God to help keep you from temptation that can lead to something requiring forgiveness. Or if you need to forgive someone else, don’t wait until you see them again to admit it. Get to them immediately before the enemy tempts you to get busy and forget.
Considering that there are so many versions of this part of the Lord’s Prayer (using the words debt, trespasses, sins, and transgressions), it may be a good idea to ask your Pastor to do a sermon explaining the use of the four words and how they are used in different translations!
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/FG Trade Latin
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
This article is part of our prayer resources meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us, and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.
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