In the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:5-15), we see a forgiveness from God that is conditional and based upon forgiving other people first. But when we read the passage in the context of the Sermon on the Mount, we discover that Jesus is wanting His Jewish audience to imagine receiving only the same type and degree of forgiveness that they’ve given to others. In this way, Jesus is pointing out their hypocrisy, their slavery to bitterness, and their inability to merit God’s forgiveness. Ultimately, this realization is what drives a person to see their need for God’s grace. Today, on this side of the cross, we believers are totally forgiven people, apart from our forgiving of others (Colossians 3:13; Ephesians 4:32; Hebrews 10:14).