Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Then He adds a warning postscript to the petition: “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Matthew 6:14-15 NASB). We do not like the prayer nor its postscript; we had rather simply say, “Forgive me.” It does not work that way, because our relationship is not just with God; it is with each other. We are asking the Father to treat us like we treat others. If I don’t give mercy I can’t receive mercy. If I cannot forgive others, I have not understood the magnitude of my sin against God. When I understand the greatness of God’s grace toward me, I cannot but give that same grace to others.
