By Jeffery M. Leonard, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Religion, Samford University
A Prayer of Confession
Matthew 6:12–13; Psalm 51:1–7, 10–12
As we continue our study of the Lord’s Prayer we arrive this week at two verses that revolve around the issues of forgiveness and temptation.
Ask for forgiveness and protection from future temptation. (Matt. 6:12–13)
Jesus first instructs the disciples to appeal to God, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (v. 12). That we should ask God to forgive us for the sins we have committed seems obvious enough. What is somewhat jarring is the fact that Jesus links God’s forgiveness of our sins to the manner in which we have forgiven other people’s sins against us.
It is easy for us to slip into a highly individualized expression of our faith. We often think of our faith as a relationship that exists solely between ourselves and God, something that we practice privately and keep separate from our public lives. The authors of Scripture would find such a version of faith incomprehensible. For them faith was something that was meant to be lived out in community. Their emphasis lay in assembling together, sharing meals with one another, bearing one another’s burdens and holding one another accountable.
Jesus instructs the disciples that their relationship with God is integrally linked to their relationship with other people. Maintaining a right relationship with God is tied to maintaining right relationships with others.
Jesus emphasized this point in places other than just the Lord’s Prayer. In Matthew 5:23–24, Jesus urges His disciples that if they are preparing to offer a sacrifice and remember that a brother or sister has a grievance against them, then they should set aside their sacrifice, go and be reconciled to that person. Only then should they approach God again with their sacrifice.
In Matthew 18, Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant, the one whose forgiveness was thrown into jeopardy because he would not forgive one who owed him in turn.
Confess sin and ask God’s forgiveness. (Ps. 51:1–7)
When we have followed Jesus’ instruction and forgiven those who have sinned against us, we can find in Psalm 51 a wonderful example of how we can approach God asking Him to forgive us. The psalmist reminds us to approach God with an attitude of brokenness and repentance. “Have mercy on me, O God,” the psalmist exclaims. God’s forgiveness is a gift not a right; it is an act of kindness on God’s part as He gives us what we do not deserve.
Seek restoration and renewal. (Ps. 51:10–12)
The second unexpected turn in Jesus’ teaching is found in His words, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” What Jesus is expressing is not so much a statement that God might actually lead us into temptation as it is a recognition of our own human weakness. Knowing the frailty that comes with being human, Jesus urges the disciples to ask God to act as their shield, to protect them from the kinds of traps that they could but ultimately may not successfully avoid.
These are the same sentiments expressed again in Psalm 51. The psalmist asks God, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Knowing his own innate sinfulness, the psalmist asks God to change him from the inside, to create an inner defense that can match God’s outer defense against falling once again into temptation.
Share with others: