It's a Wordle of the two words I'm pondering today...in the Greek and English...I heart Wordles!!
First there’s Matthew…
eye witness to Our Lord’s ministry.
Then there’s Luke…
hearing the story second hand…
researching…writing the story down.
And there are two versions of the Lord’s prayer…
Matthew…
…and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors… (MT 6:12)
And Luke…
…and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us. (LK 11:4)
So we are to ask forgiveness of two things…
sin…
debt.
Matthew heard our Lord speak in Aramaic.
He wrote his Gospel in Greek.
He chose the Greek word “debt”…
makes sense…being a tax collector and all.
Luke writes without having heard the Aramaic word Our Lord used…
but asking the original hearers what was meant, and uses the word for “sin”.
Two authors…same story…different perspectives…
Not all debt to God sin…
yet all sin is debt…
and Our Lord says…
I am to ask forgiveness for both.
The Greek word for “sin” is ἁμαρτία (hamarteeya – emphasis on “tee”)
The word for “debt” is ὀφειλήματ (ophayeelaymat – emphasis on “lay”)
We stockpile debt…
and if it’s not handled well…
it passes the point of repayment.
Sin is a more direct choice of words…
and a more direct offense against God.
We can’t have any part of God if we have even one part of sin.
We all have at least one part of sin – so we all need Grace. No?
Bit this word, “debt” for which we also have to ask forgiveness…
In addition to the obvious, it means…
“a falling away after being close”…
“a deviation from what’s true”.
So it’s broader in scope then the more narrow word “sin”.
Yup - I made this *smiling in pride* (and that's more debt than sin I think ツ)
Sin…pretty easy to spot. I lie – sin. I steal – sin.
But what about if I doubt?
What if I worry?
What if I skip church?
What if I pick a flower instead of taking 3 minutes to read a Psalm?
What if I settle for God’s good…
rather than charging like a racehorse after his best..
life…but not abundant life?
None of those are “sins”…
but all of them create “debt”.
This picture is from my friend Sharon @ Hiking Toward Home - HEART This!!
All that is in this picture – if we (I) dwell on all these things – all the time – that will be heaven on earth. But we’re human – we can’t all the time. And there are things we can dwell on that are not these things, not praise, not lovely – but not sin. Those accumulate debt, because anything not perfect and holy accumulates debt we can’t pay. We live, we create debt just by broken – and living in this broken world.
I added this picture after I wrote the post – I heart the things I read and the things I see from the blogs I heart. Thank you Sharon. This fit perfectly!
Anyway…
Father, I am your debtor. I owe you not something, whether it be little or much, but quite simply, my person in its totality…I am your creation, sustained and nourished by your goodness. I am your child, called by your Word, admitted to the service of your glorification — and I quite simply come short of what I owe to you. (Karl Barth)
Oh, Lord…
I owe you me!
So my sins…forgive.
And my debts…forgive.
One blocks me from You…
The other leads me away from You.
I want neither…
I want You.
Please. Forgive. Both.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for helping me understand this better. I think I tried not to think about it too much . . .in case it was all sin and I was sunk. God bless you as you keep discovering how to stay close to Him, and share it with is too!
The whole thing doesn’t have to be sin to be sunk – just ONE thing. We need Grace!!! I think I could have made the diagram better “sinful acts” “acts that accrue debt” maybe – the point is there’s a whole bunch of stuff BESIDES sin that does damage. We (I) need to ask forgiveness for both. God bless you Deb!!
My “brainwashed” Christian upbringing taught me (or that’s what I THOUGHT I was being taught) was that everything was sin that was not holy and perfect like God. I struggled hard and long with that, as there was NOTHING I did, thought, said, or even dreamed of that could be perfect and holy on that level. Somewhere, somehow I gave up on those knawing thoughts as the guilt of it all was overbearing and was much too heavy to carry. I could not handle the “confess your sins” if I had to do it on this level. My whole 24 hours a day, every day, would be laden with confession with no time to even commit a trespass or a sin. Craig, I really like this digging deeper. Nothing better than to learn about words, the difference in them when on the surface, they look the same. trespasses. . . sins. . . . somewhere, at some point, I guess I came to the conclusion that they were the same. I’m so glad to know the difference.
But there is something inside of me — that part that is sooooooo stuck in the brainwashed stuff —– that is very uneasy about letting go of my much too heavy burden of guilt. Isn’t that the strangest of things???? I didn’t know I was so black and white, full and empty, etc. I know what to do with sins and sin. Trespasses???? I’m so glad that you said BOTH need forgiveness. I’ve gotten pretty good at claiming that as it seems I’m always in need of it.
Lately, I’ve been irritated at the lack of good teaching I got during those years spent earning perfect attendence in Sunday School, etc. Never missed. When I packed my bags for Bible School at age 18, I had 17 bar pins for perfect attendance. And I learned almost nothing. And the little I did learn only led me to wrong conclusions as I mixed it with life experiences, hurts, pains, scars, and such. I’ve been on this mission to get things right, to hear God’s Word right and to understand what He says. I’m just so glad I can come here and get a mouthful of good stuff to chew on. You have certainly stirred up the fog in this old brain here!
I’m putting this part at the beginning of each of the replies to the comments for this post. This way I only have to explain it once. My bloggy host company did a server upgrade – and suddenly I stopped getting e-mail notices of comments. I actually have to admit that I was kind of sad since posting this on Thursday that I hadn’t had any comments – or at least I thought I didn’t – because I hadn’t gotten any e-mails. ¯\(°_o)/¯ So I just checked so I could actually see the “zero” comments – and maybe have a little pity party. But comments were there – and YOURS was there – just sitting waiting for me to respond – but I didn’t know – until just now…
and the rest of this everybody doesn’t get – just you…
and Cora, there is so much to talk to you about – I’m sorry I didn’t get to do so until today – I’ve been dying to talk about this all weekend. Anyway, in the Gospels the two words are actually “debt” and “sin”. When we say the Lord’s prayer we tend to use either the word trespass, or transgression, or debt. I got a little mixed up – transgression actually does mean “sin” – but it’s this debt thing – that thing which also needs forgiveness – the word Matthew chooses – though not in direct opposition to any commandment of God – and so therefore not sin – THIS is the thing that’s different. To be avoided at certain times because it messes up our relationship with our Lord, or makes it less but it could be, or makes our life less than it could be, but it isn’t sin, yet still needs forgiveness, because we love God, and we want to do our best for him, and he wants to do his best for us, and accumulated debt gets in the way. I may have to study this deeper later. And Cora, so much of what you learned is so well ingrained in your head and spirit – you learned a lot of good stuff during those years – you learned some harsh judgmental stuff, but you also learned a lot more than you give yourself credit for – I grow from your wisdom, so different than mine, so necessary. God bless you my friend!
We owe everything we are and everything we have to God – debt.
When we neglect to thank Him, to remember the price Jesus paid for our salvation, do those things we ought not to, or think the unkind thoughts that wound both another and ourselves – sin.
Craig, I heart how you have juxtaposed these here and pointed out their sources in the gospel. Once again, you have enlightened me in my journey with our Lord and helped to focus me into a deeper understanding.
God bless you, my friend!
I’m putting this part at the beginning of each of the replies to the comments for this post. This way I only have to explain it once. My bloggy host company did a server upgrade – and suddenly I stopped getting e-mail notices of comments. I actually have to admit that I was kind of sad since posting this on Thursday that I hadn’t had any comments – or at least I thought I didn’t – because I hadn’t gotten any e-mails. ¯\(°_o)/¯ So I just checked so I could actually see the “zero” comments – and maybe have a little pity party. But comments were there – and YOURS was there – just sitting waiting for me to respond – but I didn’t know – until just now…
and the rest of this everybody doesn’t get – just you…
Martha,I think my favorite line in this entire post is the one that says to God, “I owe you me”. a debt we cannot repay. Right on Karl Barth! Anyway, thank you Martha, and God bless you my friend!
No apologies necessary! When my blogger site updated, many beautiful comments were spammed.
At least, you got yours back . . .
“I owe you me” – in all and everything. When God first spoke to me about turning my meandering blog into a venue for daily devotions, I knew. What I must do. What I must be. For Him.
There was no question.
Nor, should there be any in your mind and heart, Craig, for you inspire with His Word in your soul. I am so blessed, so blessed, to call you my friend. And, you bless countless others with your reflections.
Know that. Believe that. Trust that!
And, blessings always, my friend!
Thank you for this timely and helpful little lesson. It’s funny how I can realize and accept His forgiveness for sins, and yet keep agonizing and beating myself over the head for falling so far short of what I hoped to do for and offer to Him. When I now see the latter as part of the debt the prayer asks Him to forgive, it strangely soothes me! How great His love and provision is!
Sylvia, I’d have to do more study into this – deeper study to draw any bigger conclusions. I do know this, today, in praying “lead me not into temptation” I talked with our Lord about the things in my life which are debts – not sins – what we talked about was worry. It’s not a sin to worry – but it creates debt – heavy debt for myself, a victory for the evil one, and it needs to be forgiven – even though it’s technically not sin – and I need help with the temptation to worry. If I haven’t written about this again within a few months – say by June, remind me – I need to. I think I’ve only scratched the surface – but I’ve got so much I want to write – everything in its time. The prayer for this “not” sin was soothing for me too . Anyway, thank you Sylvia, and God bless you!
**Quote**
But what about if I doubt?
What if I worry?
What if I skip church?
What if I pick a flower instead of taking 3 minutes to read a Psalm?
What if I settle for God’s good…
rather than charging like a racehorse after his best..
life…but not abundant life?
None of those are “sins”…
but all of them create “debt”.
**End Quote**
Can you help me understand this section better? Reference email above.