Luke 11:4 (NIV) “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.”
The last two petitions of the form-prayer that Jesus taught His disciples deal with the spiritual dimension.
The first spiritual issue is forgiveness. Everyone in the world needs forgiveness, a forgiveness that became available with the coming of Jesus in a way that was never available before.. Before Jesus, forgiveness required the sacrifice of a spotless animal for every sin committed. But after Jesus’ death and resurrection forgiveness simply required confession (1 John 1:9), genuine repentance (Acts 2:28), and asking (Luke 11:4). The sacrifice has already been made.
I say simply, but for some this is genuinely complicated. Repentance is more than simply saying “I’m sorry.” True repentance requires a change of mind with regard to the sinful actions and attitudes, and a change of direction away from the sins. And that can be very difficult, impossible even, unless the will is there to make those changes.
And notice that Jesus included a condition in this petition. He instructed His disciples to pray for forgiveness of their sins on the basis of their having already forgiven everyone who had sinned against them. Matthew’s version, especially the explanation that He gave following the prayer (Matthew 6:14-15) provides additional clarification. Jesus taught there that without our actually forgiving others, we cannot be granted forgiveness for our own sins.
The final petition is for God’s help in avoiding temptation. The enemy is continually looking for opportunities to lead God’s people astray. But God can help us to overcome the enemy if only we will ask. Just as Jesus did not ever get ensnared by the enemy’s temptations, so we, His followers, can have victory over every test as we walk in God’s grace.
Father, we do need Your forgiveness for sins committed, and Your grace and power to resist sins in the future. Thank You for making them both so freely available to us, just for the asking. Help me to never block my own forgiveness by withholding my forgiveness from anyone else. Amen.