The Lord’s Model Prayer-Forgive our Trespasses

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

The word “debts” used here is the Greek word “opheilēma” which means: both debt and sin, to remit the penalty of one’s sins, to forgive them. The word “debtors” being used is the Greek word “opheiletēs” which means: one who has not yet made amends to one whom he has injured.

So when we break down these two important words we can determine that one of the key elements that Jesus gave us pertaining to the Lord’s Model Prayer is forgiveness. Our prayer is being attached to a stipulation: the level that we forgive the ones that have harmed us regardless of what they did is the same level of forgiveness that we will receive from the Lord. 

This is the part of the Lord’s Model Prayer that can get overlooked if you are not dissecting every element to the prayer. If you are just repeating it, you may just repeat this portion without truly understanding that you are saying. The Lord genuinely cares about the condition of your heart especially before you begin to pray. You want to make sure that you have the right heart posture.

Remember forgiving those that have mistreated you, done you wrong, and neglected you in one way or another is commanded in order to receive the Lord’s forgiveness. Matthew 6:14 is very clear as Jesus states, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

It is extremely necessary and crucial for you to forgive anyone that you are holding unforgiveness towards. There can be so many negative effects, negative emotions, and negative feelings when you refuse to let go of the offense, pain, or hurt that another person caused you to experience.

An unforgiving sprit is one of the enemy’s number one devices that he uses against Christians. What happens when you hold onto an offense and refuse to let it go is it gives the devil and his minions the legal right to torment your life and that is exactly what the will do. They intentionally throw fiery arrows at your mind to get you to reflect on that one thing that so and so did to you so that you can develop unforgiveness in your heart.

The devil knows your every weakness, we are emotional by nature and he will use that to ensure your demise. There are so many Christians that are getting tormented daily by demonic spirits simply because they refuse to forgive those that have done them wrong. The Lord really had to deal with me in this area because I was that person that just didn’t let things go.

When I tell you that I have learned my lessons on open doors to the enemy and his kingdom that is an understatement! It is only by the grace of God that I was able to overcome the schemes of the devil. Now equipped with the knowledge of the Word of the Living God, I am going to share with you some Scriptures that will show you the dangers of holding onto unforgiveness.

Matthew 18:34-35 details, “And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

A little background on what’s going on in these two verses of Scripture, this is a part of a parable that Jesus is explaining to Peter regarding an unforgiving servant. He owed his master ten thousand talents which was a lot of money in that time and was begging him not to sell him, his wife, and his children to pay his debt. He just simply could not pay the money that he owed him, Matthew 18:24-25. The master of the servant felt compassion towards him therefore forgiving him of his debt, Matthew 18:27.

Instead of returning the favor to a fellow servant who owed him a fraction of what he owed his master, he threw him into prison instead and refused to forgive him of his debt, Matthew 18:31.  Now we come to Matthew 18:34, when the servant’s master found out about his wicked servant and the unforgiveness that he fostered in his heart, he delivered him over to the torturers. Then Jesus makes it extremely plain when He states in Matthew 18:35, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

In other words what the Lord is saying is that if we fail to forgive our brothers and sisters their trespasses, our Heavenly Father will deliver us over to the tormentor (Satan and his kingdom). That is how dangerous hanging on to unforgiveness truly is! The will of God is for us to forgive others as He forgave us, Ephesians 4:32. It is scattered throughout the Bible in so many different areas that there really is no way of getting around it.

I know there are some things that people do to you that are so painful that you find it so difficult to forgive them. You feel like they don’t deserve your forgiveness. The thing is we didn’t deserve the Lord’s forgiveness of our sins yet he forgave us for every wicked, nasty, and vile thing that we have even done. In fact He sent His only son to die for our transgressions so that we would have a chance at eternal life, John 3:16.

He expects us to extend the same grace to others. The act of forgiveness is such a powerful thing and you are the one that will benefit the most when you let that heavy burden go. Unforgiveness is one of the primary things that can hinder your prayer to the Lord. The bottom line is the offense that you are holding onto is never worth the repercussions that it will bring.

Another powerful passage of Scripture that reveals to us the importance of forgiveness is found in the book of Luke.