GPS Guide – August 14, 2019
FORGIVE
Wednesday
Read: Matthew 6:12, 14-15; Luke 11:4
“12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors. “
“14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (NIV Matthew 6:12, 14-15)
“4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. (NIV Luke 11:4)
Study: In addition to hamartia (which meant “missing the mark”), Greek used other words for “sin.” Luke 11:4 used hamartia about our sins, but it used a form of opheleima, which meant “a debt owed to someone,” about what we forgive in others. Matthew 6:12 also used opheleima, while Matthew 6:14-15 used a form of paraptoma, which meant a lapse or slip-up. As in English, sometimes writers used synonyms simply to give variety and life to their writing—but it’s also possible that the different words used give insight into nuances of Jesus’ meaning. For Jesus, forgiveness was a fundamental Kingdom reality. If God did not forgive, no fallible human could have hope. But Jesus also knew that it’s simply not credible to claim God’s forgiveness for ourselves if we aren’t willing to forgive others. Do your background and temperament make it easier or harder for you to believe that God truly forgives you, and for you to extend that forgiveness to others?
Prayer: : Lord Jesus, all the Greek words apply to me—I have sins, debts and lapses aplenty toward you and others. Forgive me and strengthen me to forgive others. Amen.