The petition before us has been much anticipated by us as we realize so much in our lives do not answer the petitions properly with much sin that cleaves to us. That is why we anticipate the forgiveness of sins. it is a prayer for the APPLICATION of the atonement in the Lord's prayer. Not a petition for the atonement but that I am aware of the atonement in my life that we may enjoy our forgiveness as we forgive our brothers.

Content: Prayer is for the forgiveness of sins. We pray this petition in the plural...OUR sins. We seek forgiveness as we stand in fellowship together as sinners. if we think we can hold sins as an "ace in the hole" against one another than we truly do not understand this petition. We are called and must live with a forgiving spirit! We are indebted to HIM to live in a sanctified and holy life. Sin is a generic term for "missing the mark of God." We have particular sins that we must focus on and deal with but the point is that this petition is all encompassing...and we must CONFESS our sins that need to be forgiven! Note that the old testament has a beautiful picture of this in the scape goat released into the wilderness never to return. The sins of God's people were taken away and were sent into oblivion never to be remembered or recalled. Forgiveness means to wipe from memory...blot out of mind and from heart and that is the prayer here. We ask that He forgive our sinful nature. He sees our new beginning in Christ but we must work them out in our sinful nature.

Basis: This is through our Godly sorrow. Not the sorrow of the world who is sorry because they got caught and the consequences that is associated with being caught, but God brings us to repentance! Then we desire mercy which brings us to the foot of the cross as that is the ONLY basis for forgiveness. You cannot be forgiven and have forgiveness without the atonement as you cannot separate God's mercy and His justice which kiss each other and meet each other on that very cross. God does NOT wink at sin, but it is only because we are justified in Christ the Lamb of God. The ONLY way we are forgiven as the payment for our sin went on Christ's account! Do not impute to me my sins, but impute unto me the payment for them that I have received in Christ!

Possibility: The way that we can experience OUR forgiveness has to be there. Read the parable of the master and his servant. That man who turned his servant over never had experienced forgiveness. Being and having the greatest gift in Christ we live in a forgiving spirit with those who confess their sins against us to us. Never apart from confession or sorrow, or amendment in our life, but always living with a forgiving spirit even as Christ has imputed unto us our iniquities and has forgiven us.

And so we forgive our brothers having tasted of the forgiveness we have received in Christ.