如同我们免了…
你知道“quid pro quo”这个短语吗？这是拉丁文，意思是“如果...那么...”——或换句话说，“如果你为我做这事，我就为你做那事。”
乍一看，这就像主祷文的第五个祈求的意思：“免我们的债，如同我们免了人的债”（太 6:12），或“赦免我们的罪，我们也赦免凡亏欠我们的人。”（路 11:4）
我们可能会说：“且慢——神的恩典和赦免不是无条件的吗？如果我们必须饶恕别人才能被赦免，那不就是’如果...那么...’附带了条件吗？”不是的。圣经教导说，我们在神面前都有罪，不能靠自己赢得宽恕。耶稣站在我们的位置上，在十字架上为我们的罪承受了刑罚。藉着耶稣，我们得与神和好，这是白白的恩典。这的确是个福音！
我们自己无法赢得宽恕，但我们的生活方式显出我们是否愿意敞开，被神的恩典改变。因着我们得到赦免，耶稣也呼召我们饶恕那些得罪我们的人。如果我们拒绝饶恕他人，就是固执地拒绝承认我们自己同样需要被饶恕。
当我们祷告说：“赦免我们的罪，因为我们也赦免…”这并不是“如果...那么...”，而是更像是“因为…所以…”。因为我们被赦免了，所以我们能饶恕他人。
父啊，你以极深的怜悯，赦免了我们诸般的罪。请帮助我们也饶恕那些得罪我们的人。阿们。
马太福音 18:21-35
21那时，彼得进前来，对耶稣说：“主啊，我弟兄得罪我，我当饶恕他几次呢？到七次可以吗？”
22耶稣说：“我对你说，不是到七次，乃是到七十个七次。
23天国好像一个王要和他仆人算帐。
24才算的时候，有人带了一个欠一千万银子的来。
25因为他没有什么偿还之物，主人吩咐把他和他妻子儿女并一切所有的都卖了偿还。
26那仆人就俯伏拜他，说：‘主啊，宽容我！将来我都要还清。’
27那仆人的主人就动了慈心，把他释放了，并且免了他的债。
28“那仆人出来，遇见他的一个同伴欠他十两银子，便揪着他，掐住他的喉咙，说：‘你把所欠的还我！’
29他的同伴就俯伏央求他，说：‘宽容我吧！将来我必还清。’
30他不肯，竟去把他下在监里，等他还了所欠的债。
31众同伴看见他所做的事，就甚忧愁，去把这事都告诉了主人。
32于是主人叫了他来，对他说：‘你这恶奴才！你央求我，我就把你所欠的都免了。
33你不应当怜恤你的同伴，像我怜恤你吗？’
34主人就大怒，把他交给掌刑的，等他还清了所欠的债。
35你们各人若不从心里饶恕你的弟兄，我天父也要这样待你们了。”
As We Forgive...
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or your sister from your heart." — Matthew 18:35
Do you know the phrase quid pro quo? It's Latin, and it means "this for that"—or, in other words, "Do this for me, and I'll do that for you."
At first glance, that may seem to be the meaning of the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer: "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12), or "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us" (Luke 11:4).
And we might say, "Wait—aren't God's grace and forgiveness unconditional? If we must forgive to receive forgiveness, isn't that a quid pro quo?" No. The Bible teaches that we are all guilty before God, and we can't earn our forgiveness. Jesus stood in our place and bore the punishment for our sins on the cross. Through Jesus, we are made right with God, an act of pure grace. This indeed is good news!
We can't earn our forgiveness, but the way we live shows how much we are open to being changed by the Lord's grace. As we have been forgiven, Jesus calls us to show forgiveness toward people who sin against us. If we refuse to forgive others, we are stubbornly refusing to see that we ourselves need forgiveness.
When we pray, "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive . . ." it's not "this for that" but more like "this out of that." Because we are forgiven, we can show forgiveness to others.
Father, from the depths of your mercy, you have forgiven our many sins. Help us to forgive anyone who sins against us. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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