Lord's Prayer: Forgive UsSample

We’re at that part of the Lord’s Prayer where Jesus tells us to ask the Father to forgive us. The classic line most people memorized is: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” We’ll dig into the wording later this week. Today, let’s set the stage around asking God to forgive.

If you’re a Christian, it seems obvious. Forgiveness stands at the heart of a relationship with God. Accepting God’s gift of forgiveness is what determines whether you’re saved or unsaved. It would seem it’s the core of the Christian message.

In many ways it is. And yet that core is situated within a broader context. Like a nucleus in an atom, forgiveness exists within the greater context of the Kingdom of God.

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus already told us to pray for God’s kingdom: “Thy kingdom come,” he says! We’ve talked about God’s kingdom in earlier Lord’s Prayer plans (see the third and fourth installments), but to reiterate, the Gospels, in a nutshell, are all about God’s kingdom. Jesus’s ministry is centered on God’s kingdom. You’ll find this summarized in passages like Matthew 4:17 or Mark 1:15 where Jesus says: “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

God’s kingdom and forgiveness are intimately intertwined. When Christ comes to restore his kingdom, one thing he’ll do is set wrong things right. This means judgment on all the evil and sin in this world will finally come to pass. As sinners, we don’t want to find ourselves on the wrong side of things. We want to be right with God. But as sinners, we are on the wrong side of things. The solution is forgiveness.

God does not want to judge sinners. God wants all people to be saved. God wants to make you right with him. Jesus was willing to accept all the punishment for sin. That’s what the cross is about. He offers that forgiveness to everyone.

Jesus tells us the way to receive this is to repent. That means turning to God and asking him to forgive you. For Jesus’s sake. So he tells us to pray, “Forgive us.” Because God is overflowing with grace.

Consider this today…

We all carry sin and we all need God’s forgiveness. Where do you need it? Turn to him to receive it. Pray to God right now, “Father, please forgive me all my sins. For Jesus’s sake.