“I’m Not A Sinner!”
I was remembering a conversation I had with a missionary once about sin. I mentioned something that a friend in seminary had mentioned, which was that we’re all riding on the “S.S. Sinner”…or maybe it was the part about how we should hang a sign above our churches that says, “Sinners only”. Either way, the missionary denied being a sinner. He actually said, “I’m not a sinner!” Now, I’m sure he got that from the scriptures where it basically says that Christians don’t continue to sin. The correct translation however, after going through all the textual criticisms and Greek grammar, is that we don’t continue to sin “intentionally”. It’s one of those context-things that I often talk about. But after listening to his sermon, I could honestly say that he was a man who liked to take scripture out of context.
Lord’s Prayer
So while praying, for some reason this conversation came to mind. Then I remembered in Matthew’s version of the Lord’s Prayer, the place where it says “forgive us our debts”, you would think it would be in the present form so that it would say, “continuously forgive us…”, or “forgive us now and forever”, meaning that we would only have to ask it once. But it doesn’t, which suggests that we need to continue to ask for forgiveness. And so if we need to continue to ask for forgiveness, then that must mean that we still sin, for why else would we need forgiving? Then I remembered the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11, and wondered about it, also.
Forgive Us Our Debts,…
Now, in Matthew, it’s “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”. But in Luke, the word in place of “debts” is sins…different meaning, too, but this may have something to do with the fact that Matthew was a Jew, writing to Jewish Christians, and Luke was a Greek, writing to Gentiles. The meaning behind Matthew’s version also goes back to the Hebrew language, for the debt that he’s talking about is in the sense of one that can’t be paid back…it can only be paid off if it’s taken away by the one that it’s owed to. And being that Matthew was previously a tax collector, it would also make some sense that he would have related it in such a way.
Sin Against Us
Now with Luke’s version, people recite it by saying, “forgive us our sins (or trespasses) as we forgive those who (sin/trespass) against us.” In a sense, that’s right, but it loses its full meaning because the word used for the second part, where they’re agreeing to forgive others, is actually the same word as used in Matthew’s version, meaning “debts”. Only, in Matthew, it’s a noun, whereas in Luke, it’s a participle/verb. But the root of the two words is the same, meaning that the way to translate it in Luke should not be “as we forgive those who trespass/sin against us”, but “as we forgive those who are indebted to (or bound to) us.”
We’re Forgiving Other
It’s like they’re saying to God, “we’re forgiving others, trying to take on Your character, therefore please forgive us in the same manner that we’re forgiving them.” But I think people tend to take it today as if saying, “you forgive us, while we forgive others”, but with no equality in the meaning – and there’s supposed to be. The first time I looked at it the other day, though, I thought that maybe they were saying it like, “OK God, we’re keeping up our side of the bargain by forgiving others. Now keep up your side by forgiving us.” But that too would be theologically incorrect.
Becoming Like Him
Now, in both letters, the focus of the forgiving is on taking on God’s character…becoming like Him. For in Matthew, Jesus says that if you forgive others, you’ll be forgiven, but if you don’t, then you won’t. Luke says it like we’re asking God, ‘in the same way that we’re forgiving others, please forgive us, too.’ So in both cases it’s like, if you want to be forgiven fully by God, then you need to forgive, fully, LIKE God, thus taking on God’s character…which is sort of scary, when you think of it. I mean, say your neighbor betrayed you. If you want to be forgiven of betraying God (sinning), then you must forgive your neighbor in the same amount and the same way that you asked for God to forgive you (which talks more on “treat others as you would have them do to you”). But then also, if you don’t forgive them in the same way, then you’re also betraying God. So you’ve betrayed God by sinning earlier, and you’re betraying Him again by not fully forgiving your neighbor (hypothetically speaking).
So It’s Impossible Not to Be a Sinner, Even As We Have Christ
So now back to this missionary fellow. He claimed not to be a sinner since he has Christ. But then why should we continue to ask for forgiveness? Also, these letters in the New Testament were written not to non-believers, but to the Church…full mostly of believers. So it’s impossible not to be a sinner, even as we have Christ. Also, as if we say that we don’t sin, then we’re calling God a liar and the Truth is not in us (1 John 1:8), which confirms my suspicion about that particular missionary.
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