When people do us harm, they become our debtors. They owe us compensation for the injury. Whether or not any court of this world recognizes our right, the supreme court of heaven may. In Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus defines those who sin against us as our debtors. They owe us. Yet, he encourages us that when we ask God for forgiveness of our debts towards heaven, we also should have forgiven others their debts towards us. This is the only part of the Lord’s Prayer which Christ specially commented on. If we refuse to pardon others, our heavenly Father will not forgive us. In other words, how can we expect to be forgiven of our faults by God, if we habitually and stubbornly refuse to exonerate others? The obligation of God’s forgiveness is that we forgive too.
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