Mtr Kelli Joyce

“Forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.”

Dear friends in Christ,

I do not want God to forgive my sins “as [I] forgive everyone indebted to [me].” On account of how I, in general, don’t want to forgive everyone who is indebted to me. It doesn’t seem fair, the forgiveness of debts. If someone owes me, I want them to pay what they owe me, fair and square, no more, no less. Surely that’s reasonable. Just what’s owed - no more, no less.

This, of course, is the point. God’s forgiveness is not about fairness or about what’s reasonable - thank heaven. God forgives our debts. God’s posture toward debt is to write it off, cancel it, refuse to hold us to what we owe. This isn’t fairness, it’s grace.

Now, the trick is, Jesus draws a connection directly between God’s forgiveness of our sins with our forgiveness of other humans’ debts. Not because they’ve earned it or are good, or because it’s fair, or because it won’t cost us anything. It will. The forgiveness of our sins cost Christ something too.

Forgive relational slights. Forgive transgressions. And, to the extent that it’s in your power, forgive literal, monetary debts.

In peace,
Mtr Kelli