“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8
Dear Ones:
There is a direct correlation between owing God and owing man. On the one hand with regard to our obligations to God, there is a total indebtedness, as our need of salvation is an entire one, and only Jesus Christ by the Spirit can accomplish this. But what about our indebtedness to man? It too is an obligation, and primarily spiritual. In the matter of forgiveness, the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray, and petition the Father: “…and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” (Matt. 6:12) What is the Lord teaching here? In the matter of salvation, there is the element of sin, and God’s dealing with it. Every sin, or transgression of the law, or truth, is an act of indebtedness to God. It is a declaration of what we owe Him in righteousness by virtue of creation an redemption. But it is an indebtedness that, as a sinner, we cannot repay. In essence, whether a believer or not, with regard to sin, we are hopelessly indebted to God for all sin. It is only in looking to the cross, and seeing Him who died for us there, that we see the Father placing upon his Son the totality of our indebtedness to Him. God alone can forgive our indebtedness. Nothing but the precious blood of Christ can remove not only the condemnation associated with it, but the guilt, and wickedness of it. As the old hymn puts it, “…and His blood can wash away each stain.” But what about our indebtedness to others, for the Lord said, “…as we forgive our debtors.”
In using the words, “…our debtors,” the Lord Jesus makes it very clear that in this sinful world, by our attitude and actions towards others, we become debtors to them, owing them that which is good as opposed to that which is not of Christ. Again, by every faithless and loveless action towards our neighbor, we are accumulating an indebtedness toward those around us. How then can this issue, this debt, be paid, and resolved? Again, it is by looking to Calvary. It is only as we know the power of Jesus’ blood to cleanse from all sin, and the quickening Spirit of God, enabling us to live by faith, that we can truly love our neighbor. What then is this correlation between indebtedness to God and that to man, and its resolution?
The reason for which we are indebted to God is very clear, as it involves the sinner who owes the Creator and Redeemer, everything pertaining to his existence and salvation. But with regard to another sinner, why is the matter of the forgiveness of debt, of sin, so vital to resolve? And how is it to be resolved? The answer to the first question is that the Lord Jesus has instructed us: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48) The believer is to BE as his Heavenly Father, who has the authority and power to forgive debt, wiping every trace of it away. We are to BE as He IS. This is how we honor Him. The Lord Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, instructs us to go to a brother, if we remember, “…THY BROTHER hath anything against thee.” (Matt. 5:23) The issue here is dealing with any wrong between two brothers, so that there be communion. Mark, in his gospel, reiterates this by saying: “And when you stand praying, forgive, if YOU have anything against another.” (11:25) Whether the believer, or the brother, sees a debt, it must be dealt with. Paul sums up the matter in his letter to the Colossians: “If any man have a quarrel against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” (3:13) He then adds: “And above all these things, put on charity (love), which is the bond of perfectness.” (v.14) Love covers a multitude of sins, and is the antidote to indebtedness.
Dear Father, Give us grace to keep short accounts with You, and to love in wisdom those around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad