Fifth Petition: Forgive Us Our Debts
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 1/19/2020 PM |
Text: | Ephesians 4; Lord's Day 51 |
Psalters: | 409, 7, 140, 83 |
No Recording Available |
- The guilt and shame.
- To know forgiveness we must have a correct understanding of what Scripture says about sin.
- Sin is any transgression of God (God’s law, I John 3:4), i.e., any deviation from right, anything not to the glory of God.
- Sin, because it is against God, incurs “debt” (guilt), which makes the sinner justly worthy of punishment.
- And to know forgiveness we must have godly sorrow.
- Our depravity never admits sin, but also always denies, excuses, justifies, or blame-shifts.
- Godly sorrow admits that I violated God and owe an unpayable debt (being sorry does not pay anything).
- To know forgiveness we must have a correct understanding of what Scripture says about sin.
- Sorrow and repentance seek forgiveness from the One against whom all sin is committed.
- When God forgives, He does two things:
- He wipes out the debt or looses me from it, so it is as if they had never been committed (Psalm 51:1).
- And He imputes to my account the positive blessing of righteousness.
- The only way God can forgive is if the debt is really paid (He cannot just forget sin).
- The gospel is the good news and glad tidings that our sins are paid for in full. Jesus paid it all (not just made it possible).
- When God forgives, He does two things:
- The joyful experience of being forgiven.
- This petition is also asking for the assurance of forgiveness.
- The Spirit withdraws assurance from the consciousness of the unrepentant sinner (when under clouds, cannot see sun).
- God declares forgiveness and restores the experience only to those who sincerely confess and continually repent.
- Our forgiving is a firm resolution, for God’s sake, to cast from our minds all anger and desire for revenge and the promise not to think about the sin.
- Our desire to forgive is evidence of our having been forgiven, of the real change God has made in us.
- Jesus shows the need for every child of the heavenly Father to be resolved to forgive in Matt. 6:14,15; Mark 11:25.
- This petition is also asking for the assurance of forgiveness.