Forgiveness (4 of 5)
Series: Virtue
Jason Dees
Matthew 6:9-13
Our scripture reading for today comes from Matthew 6:9-13
9 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
This God’s Word
Most of us when we say the Lord’s Prayer add this awesome conclusion that goes like this, For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever Amen.
Now you notice that this is actually not in the Bible but it is a nice conclusion and I am not saying that it is bad to say that but what we do read after the prayer is this very weighty warning, 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Forgiveness is one of the central themes of Christianity, but it is also one of the parts of Christianity than can be a little troubling. I remember listening to Christopher Hitchens, who died in 2011 but was one of the Four Horseman of the New Atheism, and one time and he was talking about the immoral nature of Christian Forgiveness. He said that you cannot relieve people of their responsibility and it’s immoral to offer this, “the moral rot of Christianity is exposed in its central doctrine of vicarious forgiveness, it’s an abdication of moral responsibility.”
And you there is part of us if we have to be honest that kind of wants to agree with Hitchens. I think we all struggle with this. Can a person really just be forgiven because of something Jesus did? Can I be forgiven for something Jesus did? Surely I have to do something, surely I have to take responsibility for my wrong. It’s the old thief on the cross scenario, if he gets to live a life
of sin and then just be forgive ...
Series: Virtue
Jason Dees
Matthew 6:9-13
Our scripture reading for today comes from Matthew 6:9-13
9 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
This God’s Word
Most of us when we say the Lord’s Prayer add this awesome conclusion that goes like this, For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever Amen.
Now you notice that this is actually not in the Bible but it is a nice conclusion and I am not saying that it is bad to say that but what we do read after the prayer is this very weighty warning, 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Forgiveness is one of the central themes of Christianity, but it is also one of the parts of Christianity than can be a little troubling. I remember listening to Christopher Hitchens, who died in 2011 but was one of the Four Horseman of the New Atheism, and one time and he was talking about the immoral nature of Christian Forgiveness. He said that you cannot relieve people of their responsibility and it’s immoral to offer this, “the moral rot of Christianity is exposed in its central doctrine of vicarious forgiveness, it’s an abdication of moral responsibility.”
And you there is part of us if we have to be honest that kind of wants to agree with Hitchens. I think we all struggle with this. Can a person really just be forgiven because of something Jesus did? Can I be forgiven for something Jesus did? Surely I have to do something, surely I have to take responsibility for my wrong. It’s the old thief on the cross scenario, if he gets to live a life
of sin and then just be forgive ...
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