Forgiveness and Grace

Matthew 6:12-15, NIV
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.


Forgiveness is the greatest grace of the Cross. When Jesus died on the Cross, He forgave those who crucified Him. Jesus bore all the sin of human beings on the Cross, so that whoever believes in Him can be forgiven from all sin. No other love is greater than this. When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He emphasized the importance of forgiveness.

1. Forgive us our debts.
All human beings are born sinful and live with sin. Therefore, they cannot live a victorious life even a single day without the forgiveness of sin through the blood of Jesus on the Cross (Eph 1:7). The forgiveness of sin must be done in the relationship between God and us, but also between our neighbor and us (Mt 5:23-24). Anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen (1Jn 4:20). Jesus told us to love our enemy (Mt 5:44). Forgiving one another is God's will. When we forgive, the grace of God is upon us (Jn 20:23).

2. Lead us not into temptation.
At times we may be tempted in our life. When faced with temptation, we must not shrink back but overcome temptation (Ro 5:3-4). Trials produce character and maturity of faith, but there is temptation that puts us in the snare of the devil. In particular, the temptation in today's Scripture is from the devil, which signifies enticement. Believers must pray, so that they will not be tempted to sin. Joseph avoided temptation and overcame it, but Samson was seduced by temptation, his two eyes were gouged out, and he had to move a heavy millstone around. We must always be awake spiritually. I pray that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit at all times, fighting and overcoming temptation in the name of Jesus.

3. Deliver us from the evil one.
When we move on in the name of Jesus, we become winners in spiritual warfare. The Cross is the place of great victory and blessing. Therefore, we can always rely on the Cross of Jesus, and pray for deliverance so that He can save us from evil and from the evil one. Keep your faith firm, resist the devil and defeat him (1Pe 5:8-9). Spiritual battles will continue endlessly until we enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus defeated the devil with the Word. I pray that you will resist and defeat the devil, the evil one, with the Word of God, the power of Jesus' blood, and with the authority of His name.

When we are in the Lord, we can receive forgiveness of sin forever and live by God’s grace. Through the grace of the Cross that the Lord has given, I pray that you will live a life of forgiveness, overcome temptation, resist the devil, and live a victorious life.