If you haven't already, please read "Jesus Teaches The Law, Part 1" first.
The Lord's Prayer
Over the years I have heard preachers say that we shouldn't use the term "The Lord's Prayer" because Jesus could not have prayed that prayer. Jesus never sinned and therefore would never need to ask to have His sins forgiven.
However, that does miss the point that a thing can have someone's name attached to it because they came up with it rather than because they use it.
But that's not the real issue. The real issue is whether we should pray the Lord's Prayer. Have you ever questioned what you are praying?
We are told that our sins are forgiven because of what Jesus did for us on the cross and all we have to do is believe. But the Lord's prayer tells us our forgiveness is conditional on whether we forgive others.
In Matthew, the Lord's Prayer comes in the Sermon on the Mount. This whole teaching is often misunderstood as being Christian teaching aimed at Christians. However, it addresses many matters of the Law, which we are not under. This is Jesus speaking to the Jews who are still under the Law about God's Law. It goes further than that. A person can look at the Law and be very casual about it. They may say, "I haven't committed murder or adultery." But then Jesus comes along with a magnifying glass and shows what the Law really means. He shows that no one escapes from it. No one can say they are righteous under the Law.
There are smart people who will say the Sermon on the Mount was given to Jesus' disciples. However, they were still under the old covenant of Law. Jesus never mentioned the new covenant until the Last Supper. Even then, it was pointing forward to the cross.
It's quite easy to spot a Law passage because it will be in the form of "do in order to receive." A grace passage will be in the form of "do because you have received." Notice how in Matthew 6:12, our forgiveness is conditional on forgiving others:
'Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.' Mat 6:12
In case that wasn't clear enough, Jesus repeats this in verses 14 & 15:
'For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive people their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.' Mat 6:14-15.
It is very clear, Jesus is speaking of forgiveness being conditional on forgiving others. So, how can the Gospel be "Believe in Jesus and your sins will be forgiven?" Surely, the not-so-good news needs to be, "Believe in Jesus and forgive every sin done against you and your sins will be forgiven."
We could assume from some passages that Jesus only wants His audience to forgive those who repent, for example:
'Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.' Luke 17:3
However, in Mark 11:25, He makes it very clear that His listeners are to forgive full stop:
'Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions.' Mark 11:25
If we want to assume that Jesus is giving new covenant teaching and that every word He said applies directly to us, then there is no escaping it. However, this does create contradictions in the Bible. Paul tells us we are to forgive because we are forgiven, not in order to be forgiven. So, which is it?
We must remember the dividing line between the old and new covenant is the cross. The old covenant did not end until the cross and the new covenant did not begin until the cross. Even then, the new covenant did not begin in earnest until Pentecost.
Whereas Jesus is speaking to Jews concerning matters of the Law, Paul is speaking to Christians, giving new covenant teaching as was given to him by Jesus. Notice how Paul tells us to forgive because we have been forgiven. This is the new covenant of grace. It also fits with the gospel message, the actual Good News:
'And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.' Eph 4:32
'bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if anyone has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so you also do.' Col 3:13
In other words, your forgiveness isn't conditional on your forgiving others. We are still to forgive others, but that forgiveness is because we are forgiven and not in order to be forgiven.
Was this just a pattern
We often say that the Lord's Prayer is a pattern of prayer. Jesus said, "When you pray, pray like this" (In Mat 6:9). However, in Luke 11:2, there is no ambiguity. He says, "When you pray say." It is in the present imperative, which forms a command or request. Similarly, the word translated as "Like" in Matthew 6:9 can mean "in this manner" or "Exactly this way."
So, we want to have our cake and eat it! We want Jesus to be talking to us, but we don't want Him to be giving us commands on exactly what to say in our prayers! Yet both are reversed. Jesus is speaking to those under the Law and giving them a command on exactly how to pray. Whereas, under the new covenant of grace and filled with the Holy Spirit we are free to pray any way we feel led.
Back to the point!
The main issue here is that we are forgiven, so we do not need to ask God to forgive us. We need to thank Him that He has forgiven us. We are not leveraging our forgiveness based on forgiving others. No, our forgiveness comes from His work and His work alone. Instead, being people who enjoy the benefit of having our sins freely forgiven even though we did nothing to deserve it, we likewise freely forgive other people's sins, regardless of whether we think they deserve it.
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