Bible Society of South Africa
Reading plans
Forgiveness
Forgiveness – Day 15
Ds Hein Barnard

Forgiveness – Day 15

The Lord’s Prayer can be a very convenient prayer to pray, but we often forget that verse 12 requires a particularly important act from the person who prays this prayer.

Bible text(s)

Matthew 6

Teaching about Prayer

5“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners, so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. 6But when you pray, go to your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private, will reward you.

7“When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans do, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. 8Do not be like them. Your Father already knows what you need before you ask him. 9This, then, is how you should pray:

‘Our Father in heaven:

May your holy name be honoured;

10may your Kingdom come;

may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us today the food we need.

12Forgive us the wrongs we have done,

as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.

13Do not bring us to hard testing,

but keep us safe from the Evil One.’

14“If you forgive others the wrongs they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you have done.

Matthew 6:5-15GNBOpen in Bible reader

Forgiveness in the Gospels – 2

When we take verse 12 as it stands, we ask God to forgive us in the same way as we forgive others who have wronged us.  The explanation of verse 12 can be read in verses 14-15.  When we do not forgive others, we think that we are not sinners and have no need for forgiveness. 

It is imperative that we forgive others, as God has graciously forgiven us for every sin that we have committed.  A spirit of unforgiveness should never be present in the life of a believer or the church.

Forgiveness is the process of the restoration of a broken relationship with God, and with our neighbours and with ourselves.

Bible Society of South Africav.4.26.9
Find us on