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“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
— Matthew 6:12
That is the central petition of the Lord’s Prayer. Immediately after giving this pattern of prayer, Jesus adds a solemn explanation:
> “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
> but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
> — Matthew 6:14–15
This is not a marginal doctrine. It is at the very heart of the Christian life. According to Jesus, our own forgiveness from God is directly connected with our willingness to forgive others.
The lyrics you have in front of you simply echo and expand this central biblical truth:
> “Forgive us our debts, our sins against You
> Just as we also have forgiven those who wrong us”
The song is built around one great spiritual law:
The measure you use in forgiving others will be the measure God uses with you.
This is both a warning and a doorway into freedom.
We are not dealing with a minor issue of Christian etiquette. We are dealing with a major issue of life and death, blessing and curse, bondage and freedom. Many believers remain in spiritual prisons—not because Satan is too powerful, but because they refuse to forgive.
So we ask: What does the Word of God actually say about forgiveness, and how does it set us free?
---
The central text: Matthew 6:9–15, the Lord’s Prayer, and Jesus’ explanation.
### Who is speaking?
Jesus, the Son of God, is teaching His disciples how to pray. He is not giving a suggestion. He is giving a model that defines the priorities and conditions of Christian prayer.
### Where and when?
This is within the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Jesus is speaking to His disciples, with the crowds listening. The sermon reveals the righteousness of the Kingdom of Heaven—a standard far beyond the external religion of the Pharisees. It deals with the heart.
In this context, Jesus teaches:
> “Pray then like this:
> ‘Our Father in heaven,
> hallowed be your name.
> Your kingdom come,
> your will be done,
> on earth as it is in heaven.
> Give us this day our daily bread,
> **and forgive us our debts,
> as we also have forgiven our debtors.**
> And lead us not into temptation,
> but deliver us from evil.’”
> — Matthew 6:9–13
Then, immediately, He comments on only one part of the prayer—the forgiveness clause:
> “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
> but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
> — Matthew 6:14–15
Jesus singles out forgiveness as the critical condition.
### The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21–35)
This is echoed in your lyrics:
> “We’ve been forgiven an unpayable sum
> Ten thousand talents—yet mercy has come”
The context is Peter’s question:
> “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
> Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
> — Matthew 18:21–22 (cf. “seventy times seven”)
Jesus then tells the parable of the king who settles accounts with his servants. One owes ten thousand talents—an impossible, unpayable debt. The king forgives him completely. But that servant then refuses to forgive a fellow servant who owes him a trivial amount. The king is angered and delivers him to the tormentors, “until he should pay all his debt.”
Jesus ends with this frightening statement:
> “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you,
> if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
> — Matthew 18:35
The historical context is clear:
---
Let us look carefully at two key terms.
### 1. “Debts” — Greek: ὀφείλημα (opheílēma)
In Matthew 6:12:
> “And forgive us our debts (opheílēmata),
> as we also have forgiven our debtors (opheilétais).”
The word opheílēma comes from a verb meaning “to owe, to be under obligation.”
It is a legal and financial term—pointing to what is owed, a liability.
When Jesus teaches us to pray, “forgive us our debts,” He is describing sin as something that:
Your lyrics pick this up accurately:
> “He canceled our debt on the cross that day
> Nailed it to the wood, took our sins away”
This connects directly with Colossians 2:13–14:
> “And you, who were dead in your trespasses… God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”
The phrase “record of debt” translates cheirographon—a handwritten legal certificate of indebtedness. Jesus has dealt with our debt fully.
But the same concept applies horizontally: those who have sinned against us “owe” us something—apology, restoration, justice. In forgiving them, we release that claim.
### 2. “Forgive” — Greek: ἀφίημι (aphíēmi)
This verb literally means:
In the New Testament, it is used for:
To “forgive” in Jesus’ use is not to say, “It didn’t matter,” or “It wasn’t serious.”
It is to consciously release the person from the debt they owe you—emotional, relational, or material.
This connects with your line:
> “Teach us to release, to let mercy flow free”
Forgiveness is a deliberate act of release. You release the person to God’s justice. You cancel your own claim to collect.
This deepens our understanding:
---
### Stanza 1
> Forgive us our debts, our sins against You
> Just as we also have forgiven those who wrong us
> Don’t let bitterness root in our hearts
> Teach us to release, to let mercy flow free
> For if we hold grudges, we bind ourselves too
> But in forgiving, we’re set free by You
Here we have several biblical themes woven together.
#### 1. Vertical and horizontal forgiveness
“Forgive us our debts, our sins against You”
— This is vertical: our sin against God.
“As we also have forgiven those who wrong us”
— This is horizontal: others’ sins against us.
The Lord’s Prayer ties these together. We are asking God to use our own standard of forgiveness as the basis of His dealings with us. That is deeply serious.
> “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
> — Matthew 5:7
#### 2. The root of bitterness
“Don’t let bitterness root in our hearts”
Hebrews 12:15 warns:
> “See to it… that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled.”
Bitterness is not just a feeling. It is a root—it goes down out of sight, then produces fruit of resentment, anger, defilement. Unforgiveness nurtures this root.
Bitterness is often the hidden spiritual cause of:
#### 3. Spiritual bondage through grudges
“For if we hold grudges, we bind ourselves too”
This aligns precisely with Jesus’ parable in Matthew 18. The unforgiving servant was:
Unforgiveness places us back into a prison:
You do not imprison the offender; you imprison yourself.
#### 4. Freedom through forgiveness
“But in forgiving, we’re set free by You”
Forgiveness is not primarily an emotion. It is an act of the will in obedience to God. When you choose to forgive, God releases His power to set you free internally.
> “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
> — 2 Corinthians 3:17
### Refrain
> And forgive us our debts
> As we also have forgiven our debtors
This is the constant returning theme. It reflects the daily nature of this prayer. Jesus intended the Lord’s Prayer as a regular pattern, not a one-time event. So forgiveness must become a regular practice.
---
### Stanza 2
> If you forgive others when they sin against you
> Your heavenly Father will forgive you too
> But if you refuse to forgive from the heart
> Your Father won’t forgive your sins either
> Seventy times seven—keep letting it go
> There’s no limit to grace that we’re called to show
Here the lyrics quote and summarize Matthew 6:14–15 and Matthew 18:21–22.
#### 1. Conditional forgiveness
Scripture states it plainly:
> “If you forgive others… your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
> but if you do not forgive… neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
> — Matthew 6:14–15
This is not teaching that we earn salvation by forgiving. It is teaching that continuing fellowship and ongoing cleansing are conditional on our forgiving others.
1 John 1:7,9 shows us that forgiveness and cleansing are ongoing processes in the believer’s life. Unforgiveness blocks that flow.
#### 2. Forgiving “from the heart”
“But if you refuse to forgive from the heart”
Jesus ends the parable in Matthew 18 with this requirement:
> “if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
> — Matthew 18:35
Real forgiveness is not superficial. It does not mean we deny the pain, but we let go of the right to revenge or resentment. The heart—our inner will and attitudes—must agree with God.
#### 3. “Seventy times seven”
“Seventy times seven—keep letting it go
There’s no limit to grace that we’re called to show”
When Peter asked, “Up to seven times?” Jesus replied:
> “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times” (or “seventy times seven”).
> — Matthew 18:22
The point is not the number; the point is no limit. As long as the offense continues, your forgiveness must continue. This mirrors God’s dealing with us: constant, repeated mercy.
---
### Stanza 3
> Be kind and compassionate, tenderhearted too
> Forgiving each other just as Christ forgave you
> He canceled our debt on the cross that day
> Nailed it to the wood, took our sins away
> Bear with one another, make allowance for faults
> Love covers over a multitude of wrongs
Here we move from Jesus’ teaching to the apostolic application in the church.
#### 1. Ephesians 4:32 — the pattern of Christ
> “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted,
> forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
> — Ephesians 4:32
The standard for our forgiveness is not our feelings, not the severity of the offense, but how Christ forgave us:
#### 2. Colossians 3:13 — bearing and forgiving
> “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another,
> forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
> — Colossians 3:13
“Bear with one another, make allowance for faults” echoes this. To “bear with” (anechomai) means to endure, to put up with one another’s weaknesses.
Many church conflicts arise simply because God’s people refuse to “bear with” one another’s imperfections.
#### 3. The cross as debt cancellation
“He canceled our debt on the cross that day
Nailed it to the wood, took our sins away”
As we saw, this is Colossians 2:13–14. Our entire legal record of sin was nailed to the cross. God did not forgive by ignoring justice; He satisfied justice in Christ.
Since God has written “Paid in full” over our record, we are commanded to write “Released” over the small accounts others owe us.
#### 4. Love covers
“Love covers over a multitude of wrongs”
This reflects 1 Peter 4:8:
> “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
This does not mean love hides abuse or criminal acts from proper justice, but it does mean:
---
### Stanza 4
> We’ve been forgiven an unpayable sum
> Ten thousand talents—yet mercy has come
> How can we withhold what was freely given?
> The servant forgiven must forgive in return
> Let go of the hurt, release every chain
> In the freedom of grace, we live once again
This draws us into the heart of Matthew 18:23–35.
#### 1. An unpayable sum
“Ten thousand talents” was an enormous amount. Some estimates put it in the billions in modern terms. Jesus deliberately uses an absurdly large figure to show:
#### 2. Mercy received, mercy required
“How can we withhold what was freely given?
The servant forgiven must forgive in return”
The logic of the Kingdom is simple and uncompromising:
To cling to unforgiveness is to place yourself above God’s mercy, as if your injuries were more significant than your sins.
#### 3. Freedom by releasing
“Let go of the hurt, release every chain
In the freedom of grace, we live once again”
Forgiveness breaks chains:
Often, inner healing does not begin until forgiveness is granted. Many pray for healing, but the Holy Spirit points to a name, a face, a memory that they must forgive. When they obey, the prison doors open.
---
### Stanza 5
> When we pray this prayer from deep in the soul
> We open the door for His healing to flow
> Forgive and be forgiven, the circle complete
> A heart full of mercy is humble and sweet
> Lord, help us forgive as You’ve forgiven us
> Till Your kingdom of grace lives in each of us
Now we see forgiveness as a channel for God’s healing and Kingdom life.
#### 1. Deep, sincere prayer
“When we pray this prayer from deep in the soul”
God is not interested in mechanical repetition. The Lord’s Prayer must be prayed from the heart, with genuine submission to its conditions.
If you pray, “Forgive us… as we also have forgiven,” while secretly holding resentment, you are in effect asking God to withhold from you the forgiveness you are withholding from others.
#### 2. Healing flows through forgiveness
“We open the door for His healing to flow”
Forgiveness removes spiritual blockages. James 5:16 connects confession and prayer with healing:
> “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”
Many times, inner healing, and sometimes physical healing, only come when we forgive those who wounded us—parents, leaders, spouses, ourselves.
#### 3. The “circle” of mercy
“Forgive and be forgiven, the circle complete”
The Kingdom operates on this cycle:
Break the circle at the point of showing mercy, and you block the incoming flow.
#### 4. Kingdom life within
“Till Your kingdom of grace lives in each of us”
The Kingdom of God is not only future; it is present wherever God’s rule is acknowledged. When we forgive, we yield to the rule of the King in our hearts. The Kingdom is manifested in:
> “The kingdom of God is… righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
> — Romans 14:17
Unforgiveness destroys peace and joy. Forgiveness restores them.
---
Forgiveness is not theory. It must be practiced. Here are four clear, practical steps.
### First, agree with God’s standard
We must accept that God’s Word is our authority, not our feelings.
Proclamation of agreement:
Read aloud Matthew 6:12, 14–15; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13 until your mind is renewed.
### Second, identify those you need to forgive
Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind:
Often, the real roots go back to:
Write down the names and hurts. Bring them into the light.
### Third, forgive by an act of your will
Forgiveness is a decision, not a feeling. You may still feel hurt. That does not mean you have not forgiven. You forgive by faith, in obedience.
You can pray something like this (name each person specifically):
Do not rush this. Take time. Do it specifically.
### Fourth, maintain an attitude of ongoing forgiveness
“Seventy times seven” means this must become a lifestyle.
Practically:
You may also need to:
Romans 12:18 gives a wise limit:
> “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
You cannot control the other person’s response, but you can keep your heart clear.
---
### Proclamation
Speak this aloud, deliberately and clearly:
> **In the name of Jesus, I confess that I have been forgiven an unpayable debt through the blood of Christ.
> God has canceled the record of my sin and nailed it to the cross.
> Therefore, I choose to forgive every person who has sinned against me.
> I release them from every debt they owe me—emotional, spiritual, or material.
> I refuse bitterness, resentment, and revenge.
> I forgive from my heart, just as God in Christ has forgiven me.
> I declare that unforgiveness will not rule me; the peace of Christ will rule in my heart.
> I open myself now to the healing, freedom, and grace of God.
> I will walk in kindness, compassion, and tenderhearted mercy.
> By God’s grace, I will forgive, and I will be forgiven.
> The Kingdom of God—His righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit—works in me now.
> In Jesus’ name. Amen.**
### Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You that through the cross You have forgiven all my sins and canceled my debt. I acknowledge that I have often held others to a standard I could not keep myself. I confess any bitterness, resentment, or grudges as sin. I ask You to cleanse me.
Holy Spirit, search my heart. Bring to my mind every person I need to forgive. Give me the courage to obey and the grace to release them fully. As I forgive, I ask that You break every chain of torment, every root of bitterness, every stronghold of the enemy in my life.
Lord Jesus, reign in my heart as King. Let Your forgiveness flow through me as a river of mercy—to my family, my church, my enemies, and myself. Establish Your Kingdom of grace within me, so that my life reflects the forgiveness I have received.
I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and my Lord. Amen.
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