Jesus said in the Lords prayer that if we forgive others then God will forgive us. That seems conditional, how does one reconcile this with the unconditional nature of grace?
The Lord’s prayer (or better, the model prayer) is found in Matthew 6:9-13 and in Luke 11:2-4. In these verses Jesus teaches that we will be forgiven only as we forgive others. This seems to contradict the unconditional nature of grace and of total forgiveness. The solution lies in considering when Jesus ministered in the redemptive plan of God. Jesus ministered under the Law. He said in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” During His earthly ministry Jesus functioned under the Old Covenant of the Law. He did not break the Law, He fulfilled the Law. The New Covenant was initiated by the death of Jesus on the Cross. Therefore, our way of relating to God changed after the Cross and the initiation of the New Covenant. So, the believer on this side of the Cross is totally forgiven (past, present, and future) at the time of salvation. For further reading refer to Grace Rules pages 150-154.
