And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6:12
One of the ways the Bible refers to life is as a race that you are running. There is the exhortation to run this race with endurance and to run in such a way that you may win the race and obtain the prize at the end. After all, runners rarely run without an eye toward the prize: in other words, most people run to win.
So, if you are running a race and every minute of every day is a continuation of that race, what is the prize waiting at the end of the race and where is the finish line? Let’s answer those questions in reverse order: the finish line is the end of this life and the prize is what comes next. For everyone who has received salvation through faith in Jesus, an eternal home in heaven is the prize. Without a personal relationship with Jesus, there is no way to win the race of life, no matter how “successful” you are.
There are two parts of our verse for today that play a major role in how your race turns out. We see two references both to forgiveness and to debt here in Jesus’ teaching about prayer. In the first place, we must ask God to forgive our debts. Since He speaks of debt, it is possible that you may think of money owed to creditors, but in fact Jesus is referring to a different kind of debt; one that can never be repaid, only forgiven.
Everyone has sinned against God at some time and in some way. Obviously, some more than others and more often than others, but all have missed the mark of perfection. Sin, no matter how small or insignificant in the eyes of man, is still a transgression against God and there is no price man can pay to change that. All a sinner can do is seek forgiveness, just as Jesus tells us here. But, that’s not fair to the Lord; sin must be paid for. It has. The sin of all mankind was paid for by Jesus on the cross.
But, what about the second part of the verse, where we are to ask that our forgiveness by God be in proportion to our forgiveness given to our debtors? When someone has wronged you, they may make supplications and even restitution to some extent, but they can never “undo” the wrong that was done — you cannot go back and rewrite history. Even words that have been spoken, being intangible, cannot be unspoken. What is to be done then about such debt that can never be paid? There is only one thing to do; forgive the debt and forget about it as if it never happened. It’s not easy, it’s not even natural; it is supernatural to forgive and forget.
Now back to our race of life, one thing that helps you run a good race is to rid yourself of any excess baggage. Both debt you owe and debt owed you are heavy burdens to carry around with you everywhere you go. God’s forgiveness is freely given if you ask and seek it. What a relief it is to confess your sin to the Lord and turn away from it; it’s like a load is lifted. But there is also another load that can weigh heavily upon you as you seek to live your life — that is the debt that is owed to you. Holding on to unforgiveness does not hurt or hinder anyone but yourself, you end up carrying that load. This is the day to lay that burden down. Forgive those who have wronged you and get the relief of forgiveness!
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