The fifth petition is “forgive us our debts.” A consideration of God and his holiness, will, and kingdom will necessarily make us cognizant of our own sin and need of forgiveness. We can’t draw near to God without simultaneously recognizing how far we are from him. Repentance is always the appropriate response to a holy […]
Forgive us Our Debts and Trespasses
May 12, 2016 By
In our last post, we considered the variety found in praying the petition for forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer. Forgive us our…sins? debts? trespasses? Each of these forms of the petition has something to be said for them. But, let’s drill down a little bit into the two metaphors Jesus uses for sin: “debts” in […]
Forgive us Our…Debts? Trespasses? Sins?
May 5, 2016 By
Despite an enormous variety of denominational (and non-denominational) bodies, there is remarkable unity around the praying of the Lord’s Prayer. Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants of all stripes pray this prayer and the prayer is prayed nearly verbatim in all traditions…except for the “forgive us our…” section of the prayer. For some it is “Forgive us […]
