Jesus Christ taught his students to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). This is a direct appeal to God to forgive us for what we owe Him and are unable to recompense. But the condition of feeling God’s forgiveness is to forgive others for what they owe us and are unable to recompense.
God gave us life. How could we possibly pay God back for giving us life? We can’t. It’s what God does, and are we blessed. We “pay God back” with gratitude, love, and appreciation for what He has done. Not just to God, but to our fellowman in treating them in the same way God treats us.
As Mary Baker Eddy interprets the prayer, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” with “Love is reflected in love,” (Science and Health, p. 17), the love we show others reflects the love and appreciation we have for God.
We find forgiveness in giving forgiveness.
Forgiveness and gratitude for all we’ve been given is key to a full life. Thank you Evan for this post.
Really appreciate this inspiration, Evan. Thank you. It seems so easy to hold onto “unforgiveness” for what others have done. Yet to follow your admonition to treat others the way God treats us feels like inspired justice and is necessary for our spiritual growth.
Thank you, Evan. This is so important. It can be very hard to do if you are constantly turning the other cheek and seeing no change or progress. But, “pause, wait in God,” and then press on. God will show you the way. Forgiveness otherwise known as Love is the way. God Bless.
In Matthew 6:9-13, where we find the Lord’s Prayer, notice the verses immediately following “amen” In verses 14-15, Jesus emphasizes the importance of forgiving. It seems as though he goes back and underlines the Christian requirement to forgive
This is a beautiful new take on forgiveness, Evan! “ We pay back God”with gratitude and love through forgiveness. It has to do with loving God and expressing that love to everyone. God is the source of our love and he never stops loving us. So we don’t need to depend on what others are doing or not doing for us . That is not relevant. All the love there is comes from God and we can’t be separate from it. I think the trouble lies in looking to mortals for our love and approval instead of God.
Thank you Evan for these wonderfully insightful thoughts.
I love this comment by Dorothy Holder Jones: “Prayer in Christian Science is based on the two great commandments of Jesus. We can’t really love God without loving His children. We can’t think of ourselves as God’s man and see our neighbor as a sinful mortal.”
“Love and forgive” By Inge Hake. From the November 17, 2014 issue of The Christian Science Sentinel:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/1nrpgav3hkw?s=copylink
Thank you, Evan. Nice take on forgiveness. And thank you J. You always find such great articles to share!
I’m so glad you’ve found the articles helpful Jeffrey!
Thank you, Evan. Nice take on forgiveness. And thank you J. You always find such great articles to share!
Thank you for this wonderful and insightful perspective on forgiveness Evan. It goes wonderfully with today’s Daily Lift.
True forgiveness is to see them as God created them, in God’s image and likeness. It happens on the Spirit/God level. Not on the human level of various personalities…..am I correct in this. Also, is it still good to know them/others as God’s Divine Child….eternally. And not be involved in human personality traits that “seem” to exist?
If we hold grudges toward others and fail to forgive them, we are dishonoring God, since He is the sole creator of those other individuals. So we are actually breaking both the first and second great Commandments.
Thank you Evan! Thank you J for the helpful article! Forgiveness is something I’m constantly trying to improve.
Jacqueline, yes, I would say you are correct in knowing others on a higher, spiritual level, rather than human personalities, and not to be taken in by the mortal or human picture so much. I often find helpful this re-interpretation of the Scientific Statement of Being (S&H p. 468), substituting Love for Mind or Spirit, as opposed to hatred and fear instead of matter:
There is no life, truth, intelligence or substance in hatred or fear. All is infinite Love and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Love is immortal Truth; hatred and fear are mortal error. Love is the real and eternal; hatred and fear are the unreal and temporal. Love is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not hateful, hated or hateworthy; nor is he fearful, feared or fearworthy; he is loving, loved, love-worthy, beloved.
Thank you very much Evan for such important topic like today. As Margaret says, I am also praying steadily to forgive where I see the neccessity to forgive. But actually there is nothing to forgive, as God is endless Goodness and Love and we as His creation are idea, the image of Love, as Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health under the heading of “What is Man”? And so we all are the full expression of divine Love! Wow, now I’m aware, that this is already the correction needed.
Thank you J. for Inge Hake’s article on Forgiveness which is very helpful
Thanks to all SV friends for the inspired comments!
Thank you J for the article: Love and forgive. I’ve read it twice and will again before bed.
I think learning to forgive ourselves is also very important and quite a challenge too!
Yesterday I found an old letter my Dad wrote me back in 1979 that reminded me of the abusive behavior both my parents put me through growing up. I’ve been struggling since to cope with the memories. Then this reading this morning brought me back to a place of forgiveness and the focus of their love and the good they provided for me. I will today pray and focus on that goodness and love. I’ve read Mary Baker Eddy’s interpretation of forgiveness many times, but today it has never been more clear that forgiveness is a demonstration of Love.