* Jesus mentions two things we are to forgive and seek forgiveness for:
* Debts (vs 12)
* Trespasses (vs 14-15)
* vs 12 - “…and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
* vs 14-15 - “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
* Let’s look at the difference between the two:
* A debt is something we should do, but we failed to do it.
* We typically think about debt in terms of money - we owe a certain amount of money to someone.
* The money is borrowed, so we make payments consistently.
* Spiritually speaking, we have a debt to God and others.
* God has granted us forgiveness even though we don’t deserve it, and the way we pay it back is by forgiving others.
* We are commanded to love God and love others.
* But when we fail to show love for God or love for others, we have failed to pay our debt.
* This would include kindness and service to others when they are in need.
* A trespass is something we did, but we shouldn’t have done.
* A trespasser occupies a realm or exercises a right that belongs to someone else.
* We trespass against God when we violate one of God's clear commands - we have crossed the boundary.
* We trespass against others when we sin against them - we do, say, or think something that violates the law of love.
* A sin against another is a sin against God.
* On both occasions, the failure to do what we should have done and doing what we should not have done, we are to:
* Seek forgiveness
* Grant forgiveness
* If we fail to grant forgiveness, we will not get forgiveness from God.
* This is why Paul encourages us to forgive one another as God in Christ has also forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32).
* Forgiveness means to "let go."
* God "lets go" of our offense toward Him when we repent (change of mind/direction) of our sin because He is merciful.
* So when Jesus talks about forgiveness, He’s talking about “letting go” of two offenses, debts, and trespasses.
* Our failure to do what we ought and doing what we ought not.