Mat 6:12; All Believers Have an Enormous Debt to God – Are You Convinced It Is Forgiven?

Tuesday September 3, 2024

Intro: Most people do not know that the debt they have to God is enormous. I wonder how many believers know that it is larger than can be counted – it is a multitude.

If we cannot forgive others, all others of all they’ve done, then we will stand aloof from God in our experience, for the reason that in some corner of our soul (or perhaps a grand room) we stand proud before God in our own merit. 

Since this is all too frequent a practice in the church, it is vital that this fifth petition be taught with clarity. We continue with it: “Forgive us our debts as we ourselves also forgive our debtors.” 

The only way to keep going, and serve God in joy and commitment, is through forgiveness, Rom 7:24-8:4. 

Christ wants us to daily seek pardon. 

It is obvious that we do not gain pardon by asking or seeking, Eph 1:7; Col 2:13; Heb 9:22. 

To ask, seek, or desire forgiveness on a daily basis is the proper attitude of the child of God snatched from the fire of judgment, as opposed to an attitude that takes it for granted. That attituded makes us like the Old Testament apostates who offered God their diseased animals (Mic 1:6-8).  

God’s demand upon us is acknowledgment and confession of a great, incalculable debt and complete reliance on His forgiveness so as to confidently serve Him as His steward. 

Luk 12:42; There are consequences to the wicked slave. He does not see his inability before his master. He does not think there will be consequences because in his heart he does not submit to his lord. 

Ti 1:7 Good steward vs. rebellious men (overseer is addressed but all are to aspire to service). 

We have to bring the whole debt before God and not some portion. We are completely guilty of far more than we know and we are bankrupt before God. 

Only then can we know how precious is the gift that we must receive from the Lord (complete forgiveness). 

We receive from the Lord and distribute to others.

If we are not fully forgiven, it would be impossible to forgive others their debt to us. 

Our debt to God is always far greater than any debt another has to us, Mat 7:4; Luk 6:42.

Your brother or sister could not remotely amass the debt that you have with God (Eph 4:32; Col 3:13).  

The Lord has the power to forgive based on faith; Eph 1:7; Col 2:13-14; Mat 9:2; 18.

Application: When you think that you have less debt than others or that it gets into your mind that your debt to God is not all that big, you put faith in your own goodness (not the good that God gave us).

This is a lack of faith towards God and you are dealt with as one who wishes, in some way, or in some place in your soul, to stand proud before God on your own merits.

God makes war with the proud and gives grace to the humble. 

To not forgive others of everything is to do this, and this is why Jesus says, “Your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” 

Why? You basically said to God that you did not have them.

All of us must know the enormity of our debt to God and also allow God to completely forgive us with no merit of any kind from us other than confession, acknowledgment of our incalculable and enormous debt to Him that we add to daily. 

Acknowledge your debt daily, multiple times a day, and seek His forgiveness through faith in the cross. 

Forgive others all their debt against you and when you struggle to, leave them for a bit, and bring your own debt honestly and humbly before God and then return to them; and you will find forgiveness sin your heart, even to your enemies.