Forgive us Our Debts

I would expect most Christians to know the Lord's Prayer by heart. We often recite it religiously and, in some cases, repetitively in other forms of liturgy.

However we do it, we must pray it reverently and look to obtain wisdom from it. We should also understand the meaning and context of its words. It is a model prayer that Jesus taught. It would help us break down the individual parts. In doing so, we can pray in context and submission to the precepts of God. The prayer opens and closes with a declaration of God's sovereignty, including His will and provision. Thanksgiving and gratitude follow, and repentance and forgiveness thereafter. We also find that there is a promise that reminds us that God is forever watching over us and protects us during times of temptation.

In this article, I want to focus on the middle of the prayer where the subjects of forgiveness and trespass or debt, lie.

The word 'trespass' entered the Anglican Book of Common Prayer in 1549 following William Tyndale's previous translation in 1526. Prior to this, the Greek term for 'debt' was used in John Wycliffe's translation of the English Bible in 1395.

What has transpired through the replacement of the word debt, is the removal upon the emphasis of sin. Debt, in essence has been down graded. is it a sin or isn't it? If it remains so, then millions of Christians are living with debt, and don't see it as a causal factor to many of their problems.

In context, Jesus teaches this prayer to a Jewish audience, and thus, the idea of forgiveness and repentance is not a foreign concept. The sacrificial system provided atonement for transgression on behalf of all sectors of society. Civil, priestly, corporate, national and personal transgression all have various forms of observances and sacrificial requirements. Many of those observances were made throughout the day and at other appointed times.

Having acknowledged the sovereignty and will of God over all creation, Jesus reminds us of His provision. This daily bread refers to the manna YHVH gave His people throughout the wilderness journey. Jesus will later confirm Himself as the manna, the bread of life, and the manner or the way of life for all who will come to Him once He has ascended to heaven after His resurrection.

His death upon the cross was an atonement for the sin of man. YHVH taught that there is no forgiveness of sin unless there is shedding of blood.

Hebrews 9:22

In fact, under the Law almost everything is cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [neither release from sin and its guilt, nor cancellation of the merited punishment] AMP.

When forgiveness is sought, some form of restitution should be made. Repentance opens up the communication link between the parties involved. In the Lord’s prayer, it is said,

‘Forgive me my trespasses/debts as I forgive those who trespass against me or are indebted to me.' The custom in Judaism is to ask those you have offended for the way to make any restitution if it is required.

In some cultures, this is a serious undertaking as it may involve, for example, the commitment to look after the family of a person who has suffered the loss of a husband if you have been the cause of the accident.

This passage in Leviticus, restitution and sacrifice must be made for breaking the precept.

Leviticus 6 The Lord said to Moses: 2 “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbour about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbour, 3 or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if they swear falsely about any such sin that people may commit— 4 when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, 5 or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering. 6 And as a penalty, they must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, their guilt offering, a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. 7 In this way, the priest will make atonement for them before the Lord, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty.”

This passage in Luke brings conviction upon Zacchaeus the tax collector when he realises that his dealings in collecting the taxes of the people have not been all that kosher.

Luke 19:8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Matthew 5:21 speaks about first being reconciled to a person before making your offering.

21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

In the parable of the unmerciful servant, Jesus highlights the dangers of not showing forgiveness.

Matthew 18:32

32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

We also forget that the next passage, after the Lord’s prayer, in Matthew 6:4 speaks of how important it is to forgive sin.

 'For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Do you know that you can forgive sin? I believe that a lot of the problems we have today between Christians, especially, are due to this forgotten ordinance. As a result, sin is piling up waiting to be judged. Forgiveness is crucial when it comes to restitution. Repentance is therefore not one-sided.

How is forgiveness related to debt?

The Lord’s prayer in the Hebrew, refers to the forgiveness of debt, specifically, and not to general sin. However, to understand this concept, we must look a little into the language.

The Hebrew word for trespass is:

Strongs’s H817 ‘Asham’ - Guilt, guilt offering, trespass, offence.

The word ‘debt’, is H2326 ‘Chov’, obligation, indebtedness, (bound)

The Greek confirms the meaning.

G3783 (ὀφείλημα, opheilēma): Refers to that which is owed, a debt, or an obligation.

 • G3784 (ὀφείλω, opheilō): To owe, to be under obligation, used in both literal and figurative senses.

 • G3781 (ὀφειλέτης, opheiletēs): A debtor, one who owes anything to another, used in both financial and moral contexts.

We see that the inference is financial in context. This now brings us to why YHVH has stated periods when debt must be dealt with. These periods are known as the ’Shmita year and the Year of Jubilee'. Let’s break these down.

The Shmita is a seven-year period, known as a sabbatical year. Every seven years, debts must be forgiven. On a side note, how would you work this out practically? Would you, for example, loan money a year before the Shmitta?

Deuteronomy 15:1-2: "At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed."

 In the spiritual context, the penalty for sin is cancelled by the paying of the debt by Jesus Christ. The law stated that forgiveness must be atoned for by blood.  If we understand this, then the passage in Romans 6:23 which states  ‘the wages or the cost of sin is death’, and that through the atonement of Christ we have eternal life, because clear. 

The year of Jubilee is a 50-year period of seven sabbatical years. This period is also referred to as 'the Year of the Favour of the Lord’, and should not to be confused with the ‘day of the Lord’, 

Leviticus 8 “‘Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. 10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan. 11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.

13 “‘In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to their own property.

14 “‘If you sell land to any of your own people or buy land from them, do not take advantage of each other. 15 You are to buy from your own people on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And they are to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. 16 When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what is really being sold to you is the number of crops. 17 Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God.

18 “‘Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. 19 Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety.

The year of YHVH’s favour is a year of redemption when property and land must be returned back to its original keepers and slaves are to be set free.

In verse 23, note that YHVH emphasises that the land does not belong to the people. It is His land and they are the caretakers   “‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers. 24 Throughout the land that you hold as a possession, you must provide for the redemption of the land.

Noting that YHVH reminds the people that the Land belongs to Him, reminds us, He, as the landlord, can also remove His people from the land and give it to others. Which has happened several times.

In this agreement, we see that this transaction is relational, based upon the promise within the covenant where YHVH states that He will restore His people to the land once there transgressions have been dealt with.

Debt is a significant concept within the biblical culture of Israel. The cancellation of debt allows people to be free again, no longer obligated to their debtors. Sin and debt are therefore linked. Sinfulness puts people under bondage. YHVH placed His people, having erred from His ways, into exile. They come under the bond of another power, which subjugates and enslaves the people. We can see throughout the history of Israel, as they have come under the powers of the various kingdoms.  The years of the exiles were prophesied by Isaiah a hundred years before the prophecies of Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. 

YHVH the redeemer tells us that His people, after serving the sentence for their sin, will be redeemed and returned to the land. We saw this in the first Exodus, and subsequently after the Babylonian exile. However, we must understand that, though Israel had been thrown out of their land, the prophets still emphasised a way out; it would be through the way of repentance. Some hard nuts had to be cracked and a lot of pride broken. Israel, we could say, had become complacent and too familiar with YHVH. Sacrifice was enough if they kept up with the rules. But their hearts continued to sin, and their worship to YHVH had become an abomination to Him. Their spiritual adultery had to be dealt with. 

Isaiah 29:13 The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.

YHVH’s response to the wickedness of the people, show us that He is long-suffering and patient, and that though great, His grace has limits and He will not be mocked.

Despite all the backsliding of the people, YHVH will make the final way of redemption and pay the ultimate price for the people's sin. A one-time sacrifice must be made. No more sacrifices can ever be made again. YHVH had drawn the line in the sand.

Debt, at one time, was considered a civil offence in Western culture. If repayment could not be made, a long and terrible sentence in a debtor's prison would be the outcome. What horrible and destitute times these would have been. It would have been almost impossible for anyone to gain standing in society having once been found guilty of this offence. Not so long ago, if a person could not pay his debts, he would have been forced into bankruptcy and would carry the stigma of a bankrupt. He would never be able to borrow again. Today, debt is normal. It is something almost all of us have in some way. In ancient times, a person could sell himself into slavery to pay a family debt.

Does this idea of debt conflict with what Jesus taught us? I have known people who have lived a life in debt, and some people still live week to week on borrowed money. For some, this is sadly a way of life, for others, they have no choice.

 Is it ok to live in debt, or maintain debt, and still ask for forgiveness? Does YHVH want us to be in bondage to a person, bank or state? 

The Scriptures tell us that this is the case. God wants us to be free people, beholden to no man, to owe no man anything except love.

Romans 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.

If Jesus gave us freedom, redeeming us from sin and debt, then why do we still live shackled in some way to a system that forces us into debt?

Does debt bring upon us a curse?

I think it does. The temptation of Christ by Ha’Satan shows us the cunning way He tried to put Jesus under his bond. Jesus was offered the kingdoms of the world, but he would have to forfeit His calling. How could Jesus deny who He is? 

The temptation to be in debt is the devil's voice that tempts the person to give up their freedom. Think of this; how would Jesus fulfil His task to set the captives free if He himself had become a captive?

Isaiah 61, lets us hear the Lord’s statement and His promise. The release of the captives and the prisoner, speak of those bound in exile and servitude. Shackled to a system that watches and restricts their every movement they are them into a state of hopelessness. Christ the living hope and redeemer, will come and restore the years. The land and the prosperity of the people will return, but it will come at a great price. The Son of God must die.

Let us read on: 64:4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. 5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. 6 And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. 7 Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. 8 “For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them.

My friends, sin and debt are linked. The Lord spoke to me many years ago about being in debt. My wife and I worked hard to pay off every form of debt; We went without, if we could not afford it.  Apart from our monthly bills and rates, we are free.

The financial system of the world wants every man to be in debt. We purchase almost everything through debt. Credit card payments, loans on cars and houses, holidays and personal items bind us to a satanic culture. Remember the temptation of Jesus, Ha’satan tempted Him with the world in exchange for godly obedience and the call upon His life.

Debt will do the same to you. Your focus will be upon the way of paying it off.  Debt will cause you to increase your debt as it becomes a natural way. You will live under an illusion of wealth and you will become deluded in your spiritual mind.

Work and worry will overtake you, and your disobedience will make way for dissatisfaction and pride. Greed will cause us to have holes in our pockets. We must realise that debt is transferable across the physical and spiritual realms. 

Revelation 3

16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth!

17 For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realise and understand that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

18 Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, that you may see.

This passage speaks of the state of the Laodicean church. It is considered to be the end-time church. This church is deluded and lukewarm. Its heart is upon its wealth and considers itself worthy because of its works. Jesus draws our attention to what it has done and that it is almost worthless. He counsels this church to buy a new kind of wealth, gold refined in the fire.

As I finish, let me present you with some truly astronomical figures from the ‘Money Charity’.

People in the UK owed £1,886.6 billion at the end of February 2025. This is up by £43.1 billion from £1,843.6 billion at the end of February 2024, an extra £794.54 per UK adult over the year. The average total debt per household, including mortgages, was £66,430 and per adult was £34,811, around 93.2% of average earnings. This is up from the revised £34,732 a month earlier. Based on February 2025 numbers, the UK's total interest payments on personal debt over a 12-month period would have been £84.2 billion, an average of £231 million per day. The average annual interest per household would have been £2,965 and per person £1,554, 4.2% of average earnings. According to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2025 forecast, household debt of all types will rise from £2,332 billion in Q1 2025 to £2,927 billion in Q1 2030. This would raise average total household debt to £98,190 (assuming household numbers track ONS population projections).( Money Charity.)

To be completely staggered, even more, by the numbers you can visit:

https://themoneycharity.org.uk/media/April-2025-Money-Statistics.pdf

Friends, we have to consider that times are coming when levels of debt will restrict the movement of many populations. A global financial crash is going to happen and empires are going to fall as a result. The love of money is a root of evil. 

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

A time is coming when those who have created the banking and financial system will look to cash in on their investments at the cost of everyone else’s freedom. 

Because this sin will abound, enslaving millions, the love of many will grow cold. Selfishness and greed will rule the hearts of the people, and a delusion will come, turning the minds of the foolish to wealth-building schemes. These will be tools to legally steal money and force the ignorant into more debt to finance their investments.

Just as God has given His children the power to forgive sin, He has also given us the mind of Christ. The route for us is to attain wisdom in order to gain wealth beyond our earthly boundaries.

Let us pray that we can be satisfied with our status given by God, and learn to reflect these words of Paul. 

Philippians 11 Not that I speak from (any personal) need, for I have learned to be content (and self-sufficient through Christ, satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or uneasy) regardless of my circumstances. 12 I know how to get along and live humbly [in difficult times], and I also know how to enjoy abundance and live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret (of facing life), whether well-fed or going hungry, whether having an abundance or being in need. 13 I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me (to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.)

Finally, God wants us to be a free people. It sounds idyllic, but it is possible. I encourage you to work out your debt and pay it off as quickly as possible. Remember that what you have attained through debt, if it is still owing, is not yours. Don't be tempted to take on debt out of desperation. As Paul writes, Christ will strengthen you and give you wisdom in finding your way out.

Shalom.