The Fifth Petition: And Remit Us Our Debt, As We Remit What Our Debtors Owe
Luther begins this section, “This petition has to do with our poor, miserable life.”
Need we be reminded that we are sinners and that daily we fall short of pleasing God with our words and actions? Even though we try to be faithful we still stumble and fall daily, not only that but, as Luther reminds us, the devil is always after us! But let us not despair, we are taught that even before we ask for forgiveness God has given it to us through the gospel. This is such good news for us who are in need of God’s mercy! We are simultaneously saint AND sinner! Wretched and beloved; horrible and redeemed; trapped and freed; filthy and made clean again.
The good news is showered upon us so that we might not despair but coming to terms with this saving message can be one of the most difficult things for a believer to do. “But the point here is for us to recognize and accept this forgiveness,” Luther says knowing that we are a troubled species, troubled by guilt, restlessness, and shame. The problem is, that as human beings and that age old condition that holds us captive, namely original sin, we are unable on our own to trust God and believe that he desires to forgive us. Rather than fearing the wrath of God, Luther instructs, “Therefore it is necessary constantly to run to this petition and get the comfort that will restore our conscience.”
The next part can be quite hard to take because of our sinful nature, our desire to put ourselves above others, but Luther holds nothing back:
"This should serve God’s purpose to break our pride and keep us humble. He has reserved to himself this prerogative: those who boast of their goodness and despise others should examine themselves and put this petition uppermost in their mind. They will find that they are no more righteous than anyone else, that in the presence of God all people must fall on their knees and be glad that we can come to forgiveness. Let none of us think they will ever in this life reach the point where they do not need this forgiveness. In short, unless God constantly forgives, we are lost."(Large Catechism)
We deserve nothing but wrath and punishment, but instead God grants us forgiveness. Through Christ we are given a second chance, every day, whenever we ask (and even when we forget to ask.) What joy is ours over this daily renewal! How will we show our gratitude? How can we share this tremendous blessing with others? Simple Luther says, we can forgive others as we have been forgiven. This is actually a requirement and not an option; if we are to be forgiven then we must practice forgiveness. What God gives to us as a pure gift of grace, we are to give to others. We are forgiven, to be sure, but we must also forgive our neighbor! If we fail to forgive others then we cannot expect to receive forgiveness. When we do practice forgiveness we are given “comfort and assurance” of our own forgiveness.
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