The Most Important Petition
Friday, April 11
Matthew 6: 12
These Lenten devotions are primarily about the Lord’s Prayer and the passion of Christ, especially the prayers Jesus prayed leading up to and during His suffering.
As we look at the Lord’s Prayer, we note that it is nicely laid out with an introduction, seven petitions, and a conclusion. An argument could be made that the introduction is the most important. It reminds us that even though everyone who is created could properly call God “Father,” only those who have a faith relationship with God through His gifted invitation washed, renewed and regenerated through the waters of baptism, have the right to call God “Father” because of their baptismal adoption.
I would grant that our adoption is the very blessing that permits us to confidently pray these words to God: “Our Father Who art in heaven.” But as I look at the seven petitions, it seems to me that forgiveness of sins remains the primary blessing of our adoption and the essential fruit that we bear because of our intimate relationship with God our Father through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The fifth petition is “And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” (Matthew 6:12) Interestingly, Luther’s explanation of this petition does not reference what appears to be God’s forgiveness to us – linked with our forgiveness of others. Luther’s exposition admits from the outset: “We pray in this petition that our Father in Heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, nor have we deserved them, but we asked that He would give them all to us by grace…”
Fortunately, the catechism has a question directly on this: #279: “Does our forgiveness from God depend upon our ability to forgive others?” [The first part of the answer is the shortest sentence in the catechism: “No.”] That abrupt and direct comforting answer is followed by this explanation: “It may appear that Jesus makes our being forgiven dependent upon our forgiving others when He says, “forgive us.. As we also have forgiven….” Regarding this, the Scriptures teach two complementary truths. First, God has forgiven the sins of the world solely for Christ’s sake; thus, I cannot earn forgiveness by forgiving others. Second, if we stubbornly refuse to forgive others, we reject God’s forgiveness for them and for us.” Some verses are offered to support these two truths: Romans 5:2, 10 & Colossians 3:13, Matthew 6:15 & 18:35. [Please read all these verses].
Forgiveness of sins for others is the essential fruit of a genuine faith. Our heart to forgive is rooted in the forgiveness which we have received, found in our heart (Eph. 3:17 & Lk. 17:21). This takes us back to the original Reformation argument: faith alone saves, but faith that is alone… is never true faith. In Matthew 18, Jesus said we must forgive “from your heart” (vs. 35). What is in my heart is forgiveness and the Forgiver. Forgiveness is actually from God; I’m simply His conduit. If I don’t forgive, it seems that the heart is absent the Forgiver. Jesus’ commentary on the fifth petition of the Lord’s Prayer (Mt. 6:14,15) is a warning that if we are not forgiving others, our soul is in jeopardy. The parable in Matthew 18 teaches the same truth.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, bless us with the assurance of forgiveness from You, and with a cup that overflows with forgiveness.