The Lord and His Prayer (3): Forgive & Deliver: A Book Review

Forgive Us Our Debts As We Forgive Our Debtors

Today’s world trivializes forgiveness. As N.T. Wright points out in his fourth chapter of this delightful little book, when you live by the philosophy, “If it feels good, do it,” there is nothing to forgive. To replace genuine forgiveness,

…our generation has been taught the vague notion of ‘tolerance’. This is, at best, a low-grade parody of forgiveness. At worst, it’s a way of sweeping the real issues in human life under the carpet.

To illustrate the radical forgiveness Jesus teaches – and teaches us to pray for – he turns to the parable of the prodigal son, or (as he calls it) The Parable of the Running Father.