Debts Forgiven

The second request (of four, Matthew 6:9–13) having to do with the petitioner’s needs is a request to have one’s debts forgiven. Debt is defined as something owed or due, and becomes a problem, a failure, when it is not paid. Since one’s sinful flesh makes full obedience impossible, a debt to God is incurred. The only thing one can do is to ask acquittal for the failure. The Bible defines sin in terms of guilt, not failure. So, the reference here is to failure, not sin.

All God’s creatures owe Him sincere and perfect worship, which is evidenced by earnest and perpetual obedience to His Word and will. None can ask to be released from these obligations. Since one’s sinful flesh makes the full payment of this debt impossible, the only thing one can do is to ask acquittal for failure.

Paul argued, “So then, brothers, we are debtors” (Romans 8:12). How so? Paul explains, “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Romans 8:13, ESV). Paul’s discussion here (Romans 8) ties it to the Lord’s Prayer by the principle that underlies both. The principle is expressed in the first petition, “Hallowed [to cause to be revered and respected] be your name,” a request instituted by the divine/human connection in creation. Humans were created to glorify God by doing His will in the earth.

Jesus previously addressed the blessedness of those who are persecuted for righteousness sake (Matthew 5:10, 11). He then stated the cause of the persecution: “You are the salt of the earth. ... you are the light of the world. ... Let you light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (vv. 13, 14, ESV). In other words, earnest and perpetual obedience to the heavenly Father by His children is the means whereby they reflect His holiness and hallow His name; and, for which they will be persecuted by those who love sin and darkness.

Believers fail to glorify God when they live according to the flesh, by which they incur debt to God. Therefore, they must ask forgiveness. This failure also involves sin, as is clear in Luke’s version: “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us” (Luke 11:4). To sin is to “come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) through violation of God’s law (1 John 3:4); debt is what one owes another due to the failure of obligation. Jesus took on Himself the wrath incurred by the sins of His people and, in so doing, He canceled their debt also. “God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses [offenses], by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands” (Colossians 2:13, 14, ESV).

Paul gives a fuller development of the means whereby believers can hallow His name. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:14–16, ESV). Is there not a clear correlation here with the Lord’s Prayer?

Daily Bread

Returning our attention to the model prayer, we note that it consists of seven petitions; the first three relate to their God (three being the divine number) and four concerning the personal needs of the ones praying (four being the number of creation). The fourth petition briefly addresses the believer’s concern about daily needs: “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11a).  This brief statement is the only part of the prayer that relates to one’s physical needs. It does not ask for weekly or monthly bread. It does not seek permanent security for life. Later in the passage, Jesus developed the folly of unwarranted concern over these necessities (vv. 25–34). “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (v. 25). Christ-followers are to leave the concerns about their daily needs in the hands of their loving Heavenly Father.

Bread is used symbolically of what is necessary to sustain life, both physically and spiritually. Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 51). John 6 records the miraculous multiplication of a boy’s simple lunch of five biscuits and two sardines by which a hungry multitude was fully satisfied. Afterward, the people sought Him out again, but He rebuked them, “You are seeking me, not because you saw signs [proof of my Messianic office], but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (John 6:26). In other words, the people were not seeking Jesus to be their Savior and Lord; they just wanted the food He could provide for their empty stomachs.

People generally tend to be far more concerned about their physical wellbeing than their status with God. The gospel is about eternal life. Although one needs food, raiment, and shelter in this life, these things have only temporary value if one does not have eternal life. “Our daily bread doth but fatten us as lambs for the slaughter if our sins be not pardoned” (Matthew Henry). Therefore, Jesus urged, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you” (John 6:27).

The will of God, for which we are to pray in the third petition, was the driving consideration of the Savior’s life. He said, “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38). God’s will must likewise be the motivation of all He creatures. Jesus concluded, “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40). Eternal life is the greatest need and Jesus is the Bread that satisfies that need. “This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:50, 51).

A Powerful Church

“The Lord added to [the church’s] number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

In an article entitled, What Did They Mean, “Believe in Christ?” (April 17, 2020) on the Midwestern Theological Seminary’s resource website, For the Church, Jim Elliff wrote:

“In the early days of Christianity, scores of people believed. It is the suddenness of belief that shocks you. In a moment, before a day was over, or before a few days had elapsed, so many turned from paganism or centuries-old religious traditions to Christ. ... In all cases, it seemed that it was a sudden experience that turned them from unbelief to belief.”

The article develops what believing in Jesus meant—fully embracing His person, His values, and His vision. When one genuinely believes in Jesus, he becomes a follower, or in Elliff’s words, “Believing is buying in fully to the way of Christ, his vision for the world and for life.” This requires that believers count everything once valued as worthless because they now embrace the superior worth of Jesus.

Turn the focus now to the church. Why was the church more powerful and influential in its beginning than it is today? The Lord has not changed (Hebrews 13:8). His purpose for His church has not been thwarted (Matthew 16:18). His commission has not been withdrawn (Matthew 28:19). So, why is there such a difference between the powerful early church and her seeming fruitless modern version?

The reason is found in Revelation and the letters to the seven churches (Chapters 2 and 3). It did not take long for these congregations besieged by the enemy to succumb to serious errors. All the epistles in the NT support this fact.

The churches referenced in Revelation are typical of churches throughout the gospel age. Of the seven, only two (Smyrna and Philadelphia) escaped Christ’s criticism. The rest either failed in obedience to Christ or tolerated corruption of His doctrine. For example, cold Ephesus abandoned the love she had in her founding. Dead Sardis did not complete her assigned works. Luke-warm Laodicea did not recognize her miserable condition. On the other hand, Careless Pergamum allowed false teachers. Tolerant Thyatira encouraged shameless doctrines. Nevertheless, whatever the error or sin, there remained in each church a few saints faithful to Jesus. They had ears to hear, receiving Christ’s instruction to overcome and persevere for which they were promised rewards in the glory of the eternal kingdom (2:7, 17, 24–29; 3:4–6, 20–22). So it is today.

Thus, in Elliff’s closing words, the key to this faithfulness is “seeing the beauty and power and excellence of Christ.” A friend recently posted: “If you don’t miss the church when you miss church, there’s sure to be something missing somewhere else.” What is missing is one’s devotion to Christ. A church is a congregation of devoted Christ-followers united to enthusiastically worship of Christ, longing for Him through prevailing prayer, hungering to know more of Him in His Word, loving and serving Him and His people through fellowship, and selfless stewardship of possessions (Acts 2:42–47). Oh, that God would grant us in these last days a revival that would return His church to her original condition for His glory.

Struggle in Prayer

Colossians 2 begins with Paul’s statement of intention with respect to the churches in Colossae and Laodicea that had never seen the apostle personally (v. 1; note 1:4, 7). He expressed a great struggle (ESV; the AV has conflict; the Greek is agon, meaning “to contend” or “to fight”) for (not against) these saints. The context begins with 1:29 where Paul alludes to his intercessory prayer life in the behalf of these churches. Although prayer is not specifically mentioned, the terms he employed are used of his prayer life (Romans 15:30). His praying involved, laboring “to the point of exhaustion, agonizing [Greek; agonizomai, the participle form of agon, used in 2:1] with the energy He [God] works in me” (a literal translation). Laboring and struggling (agonizing) describe serious praying that few believers understand or experience.

Of course, this does not mean that one’s prayers are more effective if somehow one is able to “wrestle with God” in order to persuade Him to meet some need. Rather, Paul describes a spiritual striving in and with God’s power, not for personal benefit, but interceding for others. It recognizes the total impotency of efforts in the flesh to achieve the desired result. True prayer is and must be directed to the Father (Matthew 6:9), in the Son’s authority—name (John 14:13, 14), and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Jude 20). When the Spirit is at work, one’s praying will be mighty and effectual.

True “treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (v. 3) is what Paul desired for these saints. He wanted them to have full assurance and understanding with respect to the will of God in Christ. The evidence of God’s will in them was their “being knit together in love.” Paul could see in them “good order and the firmness of faith in Christ (v. 5). Sadly, this state was endangered by some who would “delude [them] with plausible arguments,” that is, specious discourse leading them into error. (The Greek term translated delude is paralogizomai, means to cheat by false reckoning.)

Thus, Paul sought to encourage (ESV; the AV has comfort; the Greek is parakaleo, meaning “to come along side” to help them (aid, counsel, or comfort, in this case, by prayer) “to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery” (v. 2, ESV). Absent, Paul interceded in prayer for them, enlisting the Lord to intervene and divert them from the danger threatening them. This was the will of the Lord and prayer was the means God used to help these saints.

This passage teaches us that prayer, the kind that is done in the Spirit—wrestling and striving—the kind that characterized Paul’s life and ministry—is what we need in our present hour. God requires this of us. We are duty bound as soldiers of the cross to press this warfare in the heat of battle. We must also be on guard against the enemy’s efforts to deceive and distract us. We must not despair. We must not surrender ground. We must stay strong, stand firm, and continue “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18). May we be faithful to this call.

The Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13) is commonly recited in liturgical worship services. However, the Lord Jesus gave it to His people, not as a ritual prayer, but as a model on which to base their prayers. Although I have no objection to repeating the prayer (as I have done many times), Jesus specifically stated, “pray then like this.” In other words, use this as a template and pray your own prayer. This understanding is supported in Luke 11. The chapter opens with our Lord’s disciples observing His praying. When He finished, they asked, “Teach us to pray.” It is not readily obvious how the creature is able to approach the unseen Creator to address his needs and concerns. Nevertheless, Jesus makes it very clear that His people are invited to come into God’s presence and plead their cause. In Luke 18:1 Jesus “told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” He closed the parable with this assurance: “Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? . . . He will give justice to them speedily” (vv. 7, 8). In John 15:7 Jesus taught, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” What a promise!

So, let us examine the model. It is basically divided into three sections. The first section honors God and provokes the need of the one praying to recognize and understand His superior and exalted status. Jesus introduced a powerful and glorious truth—the eternal God is our Father. It also elevates the importance of His will over everything.

The second section humbles the heart of the creature by acknowledging his utter dependence upon God for one’s physical needs, even life itself. Bread is the symbol what is needed to sustain life (John 6: 35, 51). Jesus is the Bread of Life—the source of one’s greatest need, life from spiritual death.

The third section extends the humbling to the greater need of the soul for forgiveness of sins, the need to escape temptation, and the deliverance from the evil one, Satan. The prayer ends in the AV with an affirmation that the kingdom, power, and glory belong to God. (Although the statement is absent in many early manuscripts, it appears very early in the first century in Christian liturgy. It is suggested the sentence comes from David: “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all” [1 Chronicles 29:11]).

Prayer is hard because it requires humbling since true praying is utter dependence on God for everything. Praying is difficult because narcissistic human nature exults in self-adoration, the pride of independence, and the rush of self-confidence. Much “praying” is but a request for divine assistance in the pursuit of one’s own life plan. However, only those who do the will of God will enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 7:21). Thus, the ones possessing this eternal life must and will focus on the priority of God’s kingdom over all personal desires by eager submission to His will. All godly beggars thankfully accept only a daily provision without worry or concern for tomorrow. These broken saints also bask in the wonder of God’s forgiveness and thus extend that mercy to all personal offenders. Lord, teach us to pray.

The Fear of Sudden Terror

“Do not be afraid [yareʾ, verb] of sudden terror [pachad, noun] or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught” (Proverbs 3:25, 26 ESV).

The Authorized Version reads, “Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence and shall keep thy foot from being taken” (Proverbs 3:25, 26).

Several words in the Hebrew language are translated fear. The verb translated afraid is yireʾ, which describes a state of mind—afraid, terrified, or in the shock of awe. Scripture consistently forbids one to fear anything but God. “The fear [yirʾah, noun] of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding” (Psalm 111:10).

Spiritual wisdom results from practicing the fear of the Lord. Proverbs begins with an exhortation for the wise (the God-fearer) to hear and increase learning (1:5, 6). This is followed by a factual statement: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (1:5, 6). Fools hate knowledge (1:22). A fool is one who rejects God and chooses to follow his own course (iniquity). Because the fool refuses to listen to the Lord and ignores His counsel and reproof, the Lord declares, “I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror [pachad, noun] strikes you, when terror [pachad, noun] strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me” (1:26–28).

Pacḥad is the experience of terror, particularly the abject terror of those experiencing the wrath of God: “In that day the Egyptians will be like women, and tremble with fear [pachad] before the hand that the Lord of hosts shakes over them. And the land of Judah will become a terror [chagaʾ, a reeling or spinning due to fear] to the Egyptians. Everyone to whom it is mentioned will fear [pachad] because of the purpose that the Lord of hosts has purposed against them” (Isaiah 19:16, 17).

In other words, the fear and terror experienced in a calamity, that is, whatever causes distress or burden like the pandemic we are experiencing, must not be experienced by the people of God. These calamities fulfill the purpose of the Lord. And, those who listen to the Lord and fear Him exclusively—who practice the fear of the Lord, being wise in the ways of God—will not fear. Rather, they will trust the Lord because He is their confidence, their hope; and He will keep them from the ruin of destruction. Sudden terror, however, will be the ruin of the wicked.

“Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught” (Proverbs 3:25, 26 ESV).

A Proper Response

As I sit and ponder the sudden events that have radically altered our lives in the last week, I am reminded of this passage in the Revelation: “For this reason her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine . . .  and in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste” (18:8, 17 ESV). I am not suggesting that this is being fulfilled now. I don’t know, but it is eerily applicable to this hour. The “her” of the verse refers to “the great prostitute who is seated on many waters . . . the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth” (Revelation 17:1, 18 ESV). This city, the identity of which has been the object of much speculation, certainly reflects our modern culture: “She glorified herself and lived in luxury . . . and in her heart she says, I sit as a queen” (18:7 ESV). Ah, but overnight nothing but uncertainty. 

One would think this plague would drive people to God. Sadly, we see apparently little concern for that, possibly due to the godless evolutionary views of our origin. Instead, lots of prideful bravado touts our strengths as Americans who can deal with anything and overcome. Oh, that God would open the eyes of the prideful to humble themselves and recognize their need for Him. Trials and hard providences should humble people.  

We are in such a plague as described in the Old Testament  and used by God to awaken His people. Churches are closed and trivial measures replace congregational worship on the Lord’s day. We have met the challenge with online streamed services, online giving (of course), and frivolous memes suggesting that now might be a good time to read your Bible, reach out to others, and “be the church” (whatever that means). The Lord has done this to awaken His sleeping church. “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (Ephesians 5:13). His people must leave the realm of darkness and walk in the light that they may glorify Him. 

Jeremiah exhorts: “Give glory to the LORD your God before he brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the twilight mountains, and while you look for light he turns it into gloom and makes it deep darkness. But if you will not listen, my soul will weep in secret for your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive” (Jeremiah 13:16, 17). Where is brokenness over sin and the idolatries that have distracted believers, disrupted churches, and destroyed her power and influence over the culture? Where is repentance, pleadings after God in the night seasons with fasting and humbling before His awful majesty? On the positive side, however, Jesus promises: “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32 ESV).