When I was a child, I learned the Lord’s Prayer using the phrase, “Forgive us our trespasses.” Most translations of the Bible use the word debt.
“And forgive us our debts.” Matthew 6:12
I would suggest that the word trespass is more graphic than debt.
In today’s language, the word trespass means to enter another’s property without permission. The archaic definition of trespass is to commit an offense against a person. Both cases reflect someone doing something to another without that person’s permission.
I talk often about setting personal boundaries in order to protect your well being. This applies to your physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual well being. When someone trespasses against you, they break through the boundary you have put in place without your permission in a way that would cause your harm.
The root word for the Greek word debt describes the moral implication of failing in duty. It is so much more behaviorally inclusive than we in modern society think of the word debt. That is one reason I prefer the word trespasses here.
When we ask the Lord to forgive us our trespasses, we are asking Him to forgive us for the times when we have entered another person’s space—when we have caused harm by crossing their boundary without permission.
A look at the Aramaic confirms this much more personal insight into the phrase. It says, “detach the fetters of fault that binds us.”
Wow!
One could ask oneself,
“Who do I feel indebted to because I have caused them harm?
- “When, where, how, and who have I breached boundaries for my own good at another’s expense?”
- “What binds me to my guilt because of my behavior and choices?”
Then say, “Abba Father, who is in Heaven, forgive me.”
Whether you use the word debts, trespasses, or even sins doesn’t matter. The point is to acknowledge times when you have crossed the line and then humbly ask the Lord to forgive you.
The good news is He stands ready to say, “You are forgiven.”
With those words, we are unchained—unfettered—from the debt, the sin, or the trespasses. We are free to soar!