True blessing is being forgiven by God the Father (Psalm 32:1). Thankfully our God is a forgiving God full of grace and compassion. So much so, that Jonah ran away in an attempt to hinder God from forgiving the people of Nineveh (Jonah 4:2). Jonah knew the loving and patient nature of God would result in the repentance of Nineveh and their forgiveness. God is truly a forgiving God but sometimes we doubt God’s forgiveness. This could be because of our difficult circumstances or our struggle with sin. There could be sins we can’t shake the feeling of guilt. But God can forgive any sin we commit completely.
“Forgive us” (Luke 11:4) It’s a little strange for Jesus to use the word “us”. Is Jesus including himself in this prayer and asking for forgiveness? Does this mean Jesus is a sinner? Absolutely not. Jesus was perfect and never committed a sin, the sinless Messiah, the spotless Lamb (1 Peter 2:22). John the Baptist knew that he was the one who needed to be baptized by Jesus meaning John was the sinner and Jesus was the holy Son of God (Matthew 3:13-14). Yet, John baptized Jesus, not because Jesus was a sinner, but to fulfill all righteousness as a man (Matthew 3:15). In a similar way, Jesus died on the cross as a man, in our place, sinless but with our sin (Hebrews 2:14,4:15). Jesus was saying “Forgive us” because He needed forgiveness. In actuality, our forgiveness is only possible through Jesus Christ.
So in what way does Jesus use the word “us”? In this prayer, when Jesus says “Forgive us our sins”, He is including Himself relationally. Jesus fully experienced and accomplished His work as a man, such as baptism and death, all without sin. Also in prayer, as our representative, Jesus is taking up two roles of the mediator and the substitute (1 Timothy 2:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus never sinned but as our mediator and substitute, Jesus takes our sin, not His sin, but our sin, upon Himself. As a result, God treated Jesus as if our sin was His and punished Him on the cross. This is why Jesus says “us”, even though the sin is not His but ours. He puts Himself in our place. Therefore, in Jesus, we are fully forgiven. We can know more deeply God’s forgiveness as we trust in Jesus’ work on the cross (Psalm 32:10).
God’s forgiveness is supernatural. His forgiveness is truly a miracle accomplished by His divine power. Miracles do not happen every day but when they do happen they are effective. When Jesus healed the person was instantly and fully healed. A true miracle is astounding because it is surprising and wonderful, so naturally, people get excited about miracles. Why are we not similarly excited about a sinner’s forgiveness? When we hear that a person repents and becomes a Christian we act like it’s normal. This is because we have a light view of sin. We forget that sin grieves God and is offensive to Him. It is more than a disobedient act. Sin is not something we can defeat and it’s gone but sin is our nature.
What is sin? Sin is any attitude, thought, or deed against God and His law. It is an act of rebellion and hatred against God. It is deliberate treason against the majesty of God. We sin because we are sinners. Sin is not an accident or unintentional. It is a serious crime. It is an abuse of the freedom God has given us. Sin is unbelief. Our fallen nature continually leads us into more carnality. Sin begets more sin. There is nothing nice or good about our sins.
In Luke 11:4, Jesus uses the word hamartias for sin which means missing the mark. It conjures the image of an archer aiming his bow and missing the target. Sin is godlessness or the absence of righteousness (Leviticus 10:3). Sin is a transgression, an overstepping and doing what you should not do (Leviticus 10:1). All sin leads to death (Ephesians 2:1). Sin is the iniquity which means “a guilt worthy of punishment”. Some sin is an abomination that God hates the most (Proverbs 6:16-19). Notice in Proverbs 6, that the abominations are not typically what we would think God hates the most.
Sin is also a debt. This is why sin weighs you down and drains you of your joy and strength. We owe God immensely. The worst part of debt is the interest which keeps growing and growing. When we look at the servant with overwhelming debt, we see the harsh reality of debt, the pain, and the consequence of sin (Matthew 18:24-25). The servant and his entire family were about to be sold as slaves to pay off his debt. Be assured that sin’s debt will always demand a payment, whether in this life or the next (Numbers 32:23). When sin happens, there is guilt. No amount of blaming others or rationalizing, no amount of excusing will remove your guilt. You cannot negotiate with God. You cannot escape sin or its consequences. Sin curses you, cutting you off from the presence of God. His blessings are withheld from the sinner. How horrible sin is.
However, hope is in Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, we have redemption in His blood and the forgiveness of sin. This is why forgiveness is a miracle.
“God demands that justice be done. The price must be paid. The debt will be paid in full, in both a pecuniary sense (monetary) and a penal (moral) sense. He judges our crime. Our crime is punished. The debt is paid. God does not negotiate His justice. Yet at the same time, our debt and the punishment for our crime are paid by a Substitute. Thus the cross shows both perfect justice and perfect mercy.” – R. C. Sproul
How can we be forgiven? Through the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus was cut off and cursed on our behalf. He was forsaken so that we might be forgiven. You must be surprised at your forgiveness. Our forgiveness truly is a miracle. God forgives us! Be amazed and rejoice.
BIBLE COMMUNITY CHURCH 
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