Fifth Petition: Forgive Us Our Debts

Minister:
Date: PM
Text: Ephesians 4; Lord's Day 51
Psalters: 409, 7, 140, 83
No Recording Available
  1. The guilt and shame.
    1. To know forgiveness we must have a correct understanding of what Scripture says about sin.
      1. 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.
      2. Sin, because it is against God, incurs “debt” (guilt), which makes the sinner justly worthy of punishment.
    2. And to know forgiveness we must have godly sorrow.
      1. Our depravity never admits sin, but also always denies, excuses, justifies, or blame-shifts.
      2. Godly sorrow admits that I violated God and owe an unpayable debt (being sorry does not pay anything).
  2. Sorrow and repentance seek forgiveness from the One against whom all sin is committed.
    1. When God forgives, He does two things:
      1. He wipes out the debt or looses me from it, so it is as if they had never been committed (Psalm 51:1).
      2. And He imputes to my account the positive blessing of righteousness.
    2. The only way God can forgive is if the debt is really paid (He cannot just forget sin).
    3. 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).
  3. The joyful experience of being forgiven.
    1. This petition is also asking for the assurance of forgiveness.
      1. The Spirit withdraws assurance from the consciousness of the unrepentant sinner (when under clouds, cannot see sun).
      2. God declares forgiveness and restores the experience only to those who sincerely confess and continually repent.
    2. 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.
    3. Our desire to forgive is evidence of our having been forgiven, of the real change God has made in us.
    4. Jesus shows the need for every child of the heavenly Father to be resolved to forgive in Matt. 6:14,15; Mark 11:25.