Matthew 6:12

… and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

We have all been plagued by the media feeling responsible to expose celebrity’s indiscretions. It used to be that adultery was a career-killer for high-ranking politicians or media-idols but now, like Thomas Beckett’s King, it seems that all they have to do is to go under the lash of a self-humiliating public apology and they can go on with their merry life under the simple reprimand of the shaking of a finger. We see them all rebounding either in other public fields or even in politics like nothing ever happened. The idea of course is that technically no-one can really shake a finger of accusation at them because everybody does it and those who don’t dream to. Non-religious people don’t care and religious people believe that they are forgiven as soon as they say ‘sorry’, but really how does forgiveness work? Actually I’d like dare ask the question: is there such a thing as pure forgiveness from God?

I know that Scriptures in both Hebraic and Apostolic texts exhort us to forgive, but let’s look at this a little closer. The Scriptures compare sin with the idea of a debt. When we sin we owe one to God just like when we break traffic rule we owe one to the city. In the wilderness, God forgave the Children of Israel for the spiritually adulterous sin of the golden calf, but it wasn’t without Moses’ offering his life in exchange. The people were forgiven by God by virtue of Moses. Moses forgave them and in doing so he lay down his life. A price had to be paid; a ransom had to given (Exodus 32-34).

To forgive someone, is never free. It is always at the cost of someone ‘swallowing’ their pride and the psychological, emotional or financial price of the sin. You don’t pay for it so it may seem free to you, but in reality it is because somebody else does. God is a God of justice. Justice requires for the price to be paid, by us or by somebody else. When God forgives us, it is solely by virtue of Messiah’s payment!

I heard this politician insert in his apology: “I hope my family forgives me and that people forgive me. I know also that God already forgave me.” This politician continues now to live the same life he did before enjoying everybody’s forgiveness. Is that what the Master died for: to allow us the so-called freedom of sinful indulgence without payment? To dance to the proverbial fiddler and never pay?

Good leadership dictates that a law that is not enforced is not a law. How then do we expect people to be obedient to God’s Word when we tell them that their sins are automatically forgiven but they are not expected to change their lives in repentance? It is a travesty of God’s justice.

A mother one time was so frustrated with her disobedient little boy that she said to him. OK; each time you disobey and are mean to me I will have you slap my hand. The boy enjoyed it for little while but he loved his mother; he didn’t want to continue slapping her.. Do we love Messiah enough to stop ‘slapping’ Him?