We have all sinned against God, and therefore we must beg for forgiveness. Then we have to show this forgiveness to others. Explore the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer and apply it our own prayer life.
by Rev. Janré van Jaarsveld
The Lord’s prayer are words that every Christian should know. It is a well-known prayer, but when we pray and sing it, do we realize how important it is? Prayer should never be empty words that we pray by routine.
We must remember that it is Jesus Christ our King who teaches us to pray. The Lord’s prayer is so important in our own prayer life before the Lord, because therein we gain the wonderful comfort of the gospel.
Let us explore the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer and apply it our own prayer lives.
… and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 5:12
We have all sinned against God
You might be wondering what this fifth petition has to do with the gospel. Well, it has everything to do with the gospel! Did you know that you have sinned against God? Yes, you did. We have, all of us, sinned against God as Romans 3:23 teaches us:
… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God …
Each of us has been conceived and born in sin, so it means that we really have sinned against God and his commandments.
When we pray the fifth petition, we realize once more how precious our salvation and justification in Jesus Christ is. We ourselves cannot pay for our debt of sin before the Lord. We cannot save ourselves. No, we are dead in our sin. We will never be able to earn God’s love and his mercy, but here is our comfort: you and I are absolutely saved by grace alone through faith.
We cannot earn the grace of God
God’s way of doing things and man’s way of doing things differ completely from each other. From a young age we are taught and get used to the fact that we must work and pay for everything, but God’s way is the exact opposite. We receive his grace and the eternal life for free, we cannot earn it. These are not my own words or opinion, but a precious comfort from the Word of God. As Paul teaches us:
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing: it is the gift of God …
Ephesians 2:8
So, we are saved and washed clean in Jesus Christ because we believe, even though we have sinned against God. It is a precious gift of grace. Every day we say thank you to the Lord by living for him and by doing what is right in his eyes. And we also pray the fifth petition every day.
This petition is an absolute plea that God may still not hold us accountable for our sins, but that because of Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross, God will still have mercy on us.
This petition also has another side – forgiveness of others
So, God shows us mercy, and it is wonderful. But we also pray that we forgive those who sin against us. It is a very difficult thing. Because when someone wrongs you, they hurt you and they probably make you suffer terribly. Then you would rather want to get back at them, than forgive them. But a Christian does not live like that – precisely because we are grateful for our salvation and justification!
When we think about our relationships and especially think of the people who have wronged us, then as Christians we must always keep in mind how mercifully the Lord works with us and how He forgave us. He gives us the precious gift of the eternal life, which we are grateful for, even though we have sinned against him.
The Holy Spirit works in us
When we pray the fifth petition, it is also a sign of God’s gracious work in our lives through his Holy Spirit that makes us new. God does not only restore our relationship with him in Jesus Christ, but also our relationships with each other. May you always remember this when you hold a grudge against someone or when someone wrongs you. Let us treat and approach one another with the same mercy with which God serves us.
Every time when we sing and pray the Lord’s Prayer and come to the fifth petition, may we always remember that a Christian who has received forgiveness, is also a Christian who forgives others.
