Theology Thursday
Q. 105. What do we pray for in the fifth petition?
A. In the fifth petition, which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, we pray that God, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are rather encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Have you ever been wronged? Hurt? Treated unfairly? How do you go with forgiveness? For some of us, we feel quite apathetic about this petition. For two reasons, we have never been truly deeply wronged and we don’t realise the depths of our sinful debt.
Imagine the Ukrainian who has lost their home to a missile, lived with food rations, little electricity or water and heartbreakingly had loved ones killed by Russian forces. Perhaps then you might really need God’s help to forgive. Let’s not forget, this is a prayer.
But just as we recognise the depth of wrong experienced by the Ukrainian at the hands of Russian forces. So too should we recognise the depths of our wrong toward God. And so, like the Russian, we should cry out for forgiveness.
But we should also see that if we trust in Christ, then our cry is answered. We are forgiven. And this is what helps us forgive others. No matter what anyone has done to us. It can’t be compared to what we have done to Jesus.
For two main reasons. Firstly, because we are not perfect victims. Jesus is without sin and therefore deserves no ill done to Him. We are not that. We are entitled to nothing because of our sin.
Secondly, because we have been forgiven, we have come to know an example of love and mercy that compels us to mimic it. In Jesus, our ocean of sins have been forgiven. And so whether it is a drop, or a pool, or a sea of sin committed against us - we follow in Christ’s example for His sake.
For Today:
Pray:
Passages: Psalm 51:1-9; Daniel 9:17-19; 1 John 1:7, Matt. 18:21-35; Eph. 4:32
A. In the fifth petition, which is, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, we pray that God, for Christ’s sake, would freely pardon all our sins; which we are rather encouraged to ask, because by his grace we are enabled from the heart to forgive others.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Have you ever been wronged? Hurt? Treated unfairly? How do you go with forgiveness? For some of us, we feel quite apathetic about this petition. For two reasons, we have never been truly deeply wronged and we don’t realise the depths of our sinful debt.
Imagine the Ukrainian who has lost their home to a missile, lived with food rations, little electricity or water and heartbreakingly had loved ones killed by Russian forces. Perhaps then you might really need God’s help to forgive. Let’s not forget, this is a prayer.
But just as we recognise the depth of wrong experienced by the Ukrainian at the hands of Russian forces. So too should we recognise the depths of our wrong toward God. And so, like the Russian, we should cry out for forgiveness.
But we should also see that if we trust in Christ, then our cry is answered. We are forgiven. And this is what helps us forgive others. No matter what anyone has done to us. It can’t be compared to what we have done to Jesus.
For two main reasons. Firstly, because we are not perfect victims. Jesus is without sin and therefore deserves no ill done to Him. We are not that. We are entitled to nothing because of our sin.
Secondly, because we have been forgiven, we have come to know an example of love and mercy that compels us to mimic it. In Jesus, our ocean of sins have been forgiven. And so whether it is a drop, or a pool, or a sea of sin committed against us - we follow in Christ’s example for His sake.
For Today:
- Do you see the depths of your sin?
- Confess your sins to God today and ask for forgiveness.
- Is there someone you need to forgive?
Pray:
- Praise the Father who shows mercy to sinners.
- Give thanks for Jesus Christ who paid our debt and gives us the strength to forgive our debtors.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help you forgive and others to forgive you.
Passages: Psalm 51:1-9; Daniel 9:17-19; 1 John 1:7, Matt. 18:21-35; Eph. 4:32
Posted in Theology Thursday
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