Matthew 6:12
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Cross-references
In Matthew 6:14, Jesus immediately explains that forgiving others leads to the Father's forgiveness, making the prayer's condition explicit.
In Matthew 6:15, the inverse warning states that not forgiving others blocks the Father's forgiveness, contrasting with the prayer's plea.
In Matthew 18:21-27, the parable of the unmerciful servant illustrates that those forgiven a huge debt must also forgive small debts.
In Matthew 18:22, Jesus answers with seventy-seven times, demanding limitless forgiveness just as the prayer implies we should forgive others.
In Matthew 18:28-35, the parable of the unforgiving servant illustrates the same principle: forgiven debt demands reciprocal forgiveness.
In Matthew 18:34, the king delivers the unforgiving servant to tormentors — a warning of consequences for refusing to forgive as prayed.
Matthew 18:29 shows a fellow servant begging for patience, mirroring the 'forgive us our debts' plea and setting up the parable's lesson.
Matthew 18:35 warns of divine judgment for unforgiveness, directly reinforcing the conditional 'as we forgive' in the Lord's Prayer.
In 1 John 1:7-9, forgiveness requires confession and is secured by Jesus' blood, adding the conditions for receiving what the prayer asks.
Colossians 3:13 echoes the same standard: forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32 grounds forgiveness in Christ's forgiveness: forgive as God in Christ forgave you.
Luke 17:3-5 teaches unlimited forgiveness when a brother repents, expanding the forgiveness command beyond a single petition.
In Luke 11:4, the parallel version reads 'forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us,' closely echoing the prayer.
In Luke 7:40-48, Jesus uses a debt parable to show that the one forgiven much loves much, linking forgiveness to gratitude.
Luke 6:37 includes the same reciprocal principle: forgive and you will be forgiven.
Mark 11:26 explicitly states the negative consequence: failure to forgive means God withholds forgiveness from you.
Mark 11:25 directly parallels the condition: forgive before praying so your Father may forgive you.
Nehemiah 5:13 pronounces a curse on those who break the debt forgiveness oath, echoing the warning that unforgiveness brings judgment.
Luke 7:41 introduces the parable of two debtors, using the same debt metaphor for sin as in the Lord's Prayer.
Luke 7:42 depicts the moneylender forgiving both debts, directly paralleling God's forgiveness of our sins.
Luke 17:4 commands forgiving repeated sins, echoing the call to forgive others as in the Lord's Prayer.
Genesis 50:15-21 is a narrative example: Joseph forgives his brothers fully, embodying the debt cancellation prayed for.
Deuteronomy 15:2 prescribes literal debt release every seven years, providing the OT background for Jesus' metaphor of forgiving debts as sins.
Exodus 34:7 reveals God's character as forgiving sin, yet not leaving unpunished—the divine forgiveness Jesus teaches us to request.
Nehemiah 5:12 shows a communal debt cancellation, providing an OT example of forgiving debts as a social and spiritual act.