Are we in debt to God?
And if so, how could we ever pay that debt?
As we continue memorizing the Lord’s Prayer this week (Matthew 6:12-13), we see Jesus teaching His disciples to ask God to forgive their debts. The Jews frequently called sins, “debts.” So most scholars also view “debts” here as sins.
On our own, we can never undo all the damage our sins create from our disobedience and selfishness and lack of love for God and others.
Since we can’t pay it back (although we can offer restitution to others when possible), we need to be forgiven for it.
We all need God’s forgiveness of our sins on a daily basis. Jesus said to ask for it.
As God releases what we owe because of Christ’s payment for it, it loosens us to also forgive others the moral obligations we could hold over them.
Let’s praise God for our freedom from debt this week as we dwell on Jesus’s words.
[Note: Where’s the rest of the Lord’s Prayer in the ESV? The familiar doxology “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” is omitted in more modern translations. Because these words aren’t found in the most ancient transcripts, many authorities now dismiss their authenticity and no longer include them. However, the words still ring true and are valuable to know and recite.]
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