The Lord's Prayer Is Misunderstood

The Lord's Prayer, from the Bible:

​

Matthew 6:9-13 ISV Jesus said:

​

This then, is how you should pray:

​

Our Father who are in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

​

Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

​

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

 

​

Summary:

​

According to the Bible, God only sees us as one of these, nothing in-between:

​

• Sins forgiven daily = Righteous   

Flooded with God's blessings!

​

• Sins not forgiven daily = "Evildoer"

No matter how nice a person you are!! Living in a world in random motion.

​

Churches, theologians, internet sources, and some Bible versions, went in all kinds of wrong directions misinterpreting the Lord's Prayer. The most essential part of God's new covenant has been ignored and destroyed over the years by completely missing the meaning! In this page, strong biblical references showing how precious every word of this prayer is. 

​

Examples of missed meanings:

​

• The "daily Bread" - is the sacrifice of Jesus, the "Bread of life" that God gives us by faith, for the forgiveness of our sins. This is the real meaning of "by faith alone"!!

- John 6:35: Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of life..."

- John 6:32 Jesus: "...my Father gives you the true Bread from heaven."

- 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:17 Paul said: "... there is one Loaf… we all share the one Loaf."

​

​

• "Your kingdom come" - means "give us the Holy Spirit". Jesus said it in these verses:‭‭

- Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭17‬ “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”.

- Luke 17:21 "...the kingdom of God is within you."

- Luke 11:13 "...how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

​

​

• "As we forgive those who trespass against us" - God strictly means it; it is not negotiable! If we don't forgive everyone, He won't forgive us!

- Matthew 6:15 Jesus: "But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, your Father will not forgive your sins."

- Mark 11:25 Jesus: "...if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

- Colossians 3:13 Paul: "...Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

​

​

​

The Lord's prayer involves all 3 Persons of the Trinity, and is essential for our proper daily relationship with God as He intended, and our spiritual sustenance - We ask God the Father, to send the Holy Spirit to reside in us, and to give us the Bread of life, Jesus Himself, for the forgiveness of our sins.

​

​

Content

​

1. The Daily Bread of Life

2. Must Forgive Others 

3. Your Kingdom Come

4. Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil

5. The Complete Lord's Prayer Explanation Summary

6. Did Jesus Give Us the Pattern to Pray? Or Should Use His Words?

7. The Overlooked Commandment

8. ​How Does the Lord's Prayer Fit with the Catholic Eucharist?

9. Closing Notes

10. Bible references supporting this clarification of the "daily Bread of life"

​

​

1. The Daily Bread of Life

​

Jesus said that His sacrifice on the cross turned into a redemptive "Bread of life" that we need daily, by faith, in order to become forgiven of our sins and remain righteous in the eyes of God, receive His blessings, and truly be saved. 

​

Question: Why did Jesus tell us to pray His prayer for the forgiveness of our sins daily? If we're covered by the blood, saved by grace, born again, and predestined, nothing else to do, why did He say to ask God the Father for the forgiveness of our sins every day? 

​

Answer: Our sins are only forgiven on a daily basis and when asked properly as Jesus commanded. Covered by the blood, saved by grace, and predestined, are only true if we've been praying the Lord's Prayer daily.

​

No blanket forgiveness for life! Yes, Jesus paid the price once and for all, which meant no more sacrifices needed. But asking God for forgiveness of sins is still required daily, according to Jesus. Our redemption from sin is still daily just as God had it throughout history. Jews and Gentiles need the "Bread of life" daily!

​

1 John‬ ‭2:4‬

“The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and yet doesn’t keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

​

Jesus has specific new-covenant commands. What are they? Here's one of them, the Lord's Prayer:

​

Matthew 6:9-13

This then, is how you should pray: Our Father who are in heaven...

​

Three main problems with Christians and churches today:

​

1. Most think the "bread" is our earthly and/or spiritual needs.  It's not!  "Spiritual needs" could mean many things. Jesus here had only one meaning - the "Bread" is the "Bread of life", for the forgiveness of our sins. Only one specific precise meaning!!!

2. Most are not praying the Lord's Prayer "daily" as Jesus commanded, "Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins". The Bible says God renews us day by day. And He also desires to hear from us daily, and properly. If you think Jesus gave us the pattern to pray, see Section 6 below.

3. Protestants think this page is a Catholic thing and doesn't concern them. I want to cry! So many are lost! Protestant theologians explained this prayer as, "Jesus meant it only for the Jews". But they missed this verse from Jesus, Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, ... and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. "Go to all nations and teach them to obey everything I commanded you!" But Protestant churches cannot obey this verse. Because to pray the Lord's Prayer daily would be contradicting to their "do nothing" theology!! More details here.

​

This part is 1 sentence, not 2:

​

“Give us this day our daily Bread and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 

​

There was no punctuation in the original Aramaic Bible version. Verse-numbering and punctuation were added later. And in this case, they were added based on the "bread" = earthly needs.

​

The forgiveness of sins is the result of receiving the Bread for that day!!!

 

The Bread represents the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf - the spiritual Bread of life that God gives when we ask Him:  

​

 

John 6:33-35:  

33 For the bread of God is the Bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this Bread.”

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of life..."

​

God's Redemption Sacrifice is not Effective Unless "Spiritually-Eaten" Daily

​

John 6:53

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

​

God has not changed! His root-ways are the same across Old and New Testaments!

​

The sin-redemption has always been through both Sacrifice and eating of the Sacrifice!

​

The Jews were required to eat the daily sin-offering in order to receive forgiveness! Leviticus 6:25-26 …the sin offering shall be slaughtered before the Lord; it is most holy. The priest who offers it shall eat it; it must be eaten in a holy place... And Jesus' prayer accomplishes the same! Using the Bread as a representation of His sacrifice. And we eat It spiritually by genuinely asking God the Father for It when we pray Jesus' prayer! More details on this here: Christianity & Judaism - A Parallel.

​

The Lord's Prayer daily is one of Jesus' commands - John 14:15: If you love me, keep my commands. Jesus word-smithed the words in the Lord's Prayer perfectly inline with the new-covenant. Which is consistent with what God did throughout history: 

​

• After the fall God was the One that taught Adam and Eve how to present a sacrifice fitting to Him so He could forgive their sins.

​

• God was the One that crafted the Leviticus law to Moses that had to be executed precisely for the daily forgiveness of sins.

​

• And finally God was the One that word-smithed the Lord’s Prayer for the daily forgiveness of sins. 

​

Is "The Bread" our Basic Earthly Needs?

​

NO!! Jesus, God Himself in the flesh, comes to earth and walks among us, the grandest event in the history of humankind, and He teaches us how to pray for food?!! As in we didn't know how to ask God for food; He had to show us?!! And then most people ignored it as, "Jesus is showing us how to be humble and just ask for the basic necessities of life..."   So most people and churches are not praying this prayer! Even the Catholic church, although they recite it in their mass, would not acknowledge "the bread" = "the Bread of life". Obviously because, it makes it a DIY version of their Eucharist. Which would belittle their bishops' and priests' roles - if people can receive the Bread of life at home by directly praying to God, then they won't come to church and donate! Catholics, see Section 1.8 below on how the Lord's Prayer relates to the Eucharist / Communion.

​

John 6:26-27 [after the miracle of feeding the 5,000, the next day:]

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you...”

​

Jesus always used the word "Bread" to mean His sacrifice. He would never instruct us to pray for earthly bread. Examples, in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:31-33: “[...don’t worry about earthly needs], but seek God first…”. And in John 6:26-27: "... Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you...". Also see all the Biblical references below, in this section.

​

If you're not praying this prayer with the Bread meaning the Bread of life for the forgiveness of sins, then you're just asking God for lunch! And you remain in your sins!

​

Is "The Bread" Both Earthly & Spiritual Needs?

​

NO IT IS NOT!  Trying to include more meanings into it, as in, one of them will hit it right, shows lack of understanding of the scripture! Only one meaning - the Bread in this prayer is strictly the redemptive "sacrifice of Jesus" that we must "eat" by faith, daily, for the forgiveness of sins. ​

​

In Bible terminology, the scripture for our learning is not "the bread". There are many references in the Bible precisely pointing to "the Bread" as the sacrifice of Jesus. We can't go off getting creative and confusing people!

​

So how Exactly do we Receive this "Bread of life"?

​

It is not actual bread to chew on, it is a spiritual Bread, that we receive by faith when we genuinely pray the Lord's Prayer and mean it correctly. The Bread of life represents the physical suffering and death of Jesus' on the cross on our behalf. It is this part: "Jesus' substitutionary death on our behalf" that mandates eating the "Bread of life" daily in order to be forgiven and receive the Holy Spirit daily - John 6:53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. We eat this Bread by faith when we mean it in our hearts that the Bread is indeed the "Bread of life", Jesus Himself for our forgiveness. This will "renew us day by day" 2 Corinthians 4:16. Which is the same way God commanded the Jewish priests, in the old covenant, to eat the sacrifice daily for the forgiveness of the people's sins. 

​

For Catholics, see Section 1.8 below on how the Lord's Prayer relates to the Eucharist / communion.

​

​

2. Must Forgive Others - Those who Don't Forgive Others Are Not Forgiven = "Evildoers"!!

​

Pay attention "by-faith-aloners", "Catholic confessions penalty prayers", and "Calvinist TULIPers", Jesus did not just casually tell us to pray His prayer, he went on stressing that if we don't forgive others then God would not forgive us. The prayer specifically says to forgive others, then Jesus re-stressed it in these verses:

​

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive other people when they trespass against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, your Father will not forgive your sins.

​

Notes: It doesn't get any clearer than this! These verses need no explanation. If we don't forgive others we remain as "evildoers" in the eyes of God - there is no such thing as "I'm not that bad".

We must forgive others in order to receive forgiveness and God's blessings!! God singled-out this one common human behavior as a non-negotiable condition. Did Jesus mean this for the Jews only? Obviously not! How many people do you know that truly forgive everybody? And how many therefore are forgiven by God and have the Holy Spirit? Every day we're not forgiven, we distance ourselves from God. And when we distance ourselves from God, we will not receive His blessings. The longer we go without forgiveness, the worse it gets.

​

Then Jesus further kept stressing "forgiving others" by dedicating a whole parable to it, in Matthew 18:21-35!

And also in this reference where Jesus was explaining to His disciples why they could not perform a certain miracle:

​

Mark 11:24-25

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

​

No wonder there is no peace on earth! All we have today is Christianity people's way, not God's way!!

​

Why would anyone want to pray to Mary and other dead people? Why is this prayer not preached in Protestant churches today? Why do we ignore Jesus, OUR GOD, and not pray it daily?

​

​

3. Your Kingdom Come

​

"Your Kingdom Come" means "Give us the Holy Spirit"

​

Luke 17:20-21

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.

 

 

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭17‬ “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

​

In this verse, Jesus used the term "kingdom of God" with 2 meanings:

1. Something we receive - The Holy Spirit.

2. A place to enter - Heaven.

​

God the Father gives us the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, and only when we ask Him!

​

Before you frown on this because your church does not explain it this way, take a moment to look at the strong Bible references I provide here.

​

Jesus explained it a few verses after the Lord's Prayer in Luke 11:2-4:

​

Luke 11:13

Jesus said: "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

​

Notes: This, "...your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" is a clear reference to our request, "your kingdom come" in the Lord's Prayer a few verses before; Jesus in this verse was continuing His explanation of His Prayer in Luke 11:2-4. So, God is giving the Holy Spirit, “to those who ask Him”. This is how we become filled with the Holy Spirit; it's daily!! And only when we ask!!! No wonder no one is filled with the Holy Spirit anymore!

​

2 Corinthians 4:16 Paul said: …our inner Person is being renewed day by day.

​

Notes: "Our inner Person" is the Holy Spirit!! We receive Him day by day!! How? By praying to God and asking for Him, daily!

 

Another example of the kingdom of God = the Holy Spirit is in this verse when Jesus sent the 72, filled with the Holy Spirit, to perform miracles:

​

Luke 10:8-9

“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

 

The Holy Spirit - one of His roles as revealed to us, is to reside in people as a representation of God within us, and also to provide a communication link between us and God the Father. This is how the Father hears us when we pray in our hearts! And this is how we better understand the scriptures when we study the Bible. So receiving the kingdom of God, is equivalent to entering it. Jesus said don't look for it, the kingdom of God is within us. When we're truly filled with the Holy Spirit, it feels as if we're in heaven!

​

2 Corinthians 5:5
...God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

​

​

4. Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil

​

We ask you not to allow the devil to tempt us, and protect us from evil

​

God does not tempt us.

​

James 1:13

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone

​

But God may lead us into temptation, that is allow the devil to tempt us. He led His own Son into temptation:

​

Matthew 4:1

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

​

This was God, "the Spirit", "leading Jesus into temptation!" - So "a Holy God does not lead people into temptation?" Think again, He does. If He did it to His own Son, He'll do it to you. Jesus did not fall in the devil's trap, but we likely would! So pray that God does not lead you into temptation, as Jesus instructed us. 

​

Sure God already knows the results. He may choose to lead people into temptation to show them what He already knows. There are two cases for this:

1. The case of Jesus - The Spirit led Jesus to temptation. Why would God do this? Jesus is a part of Him! God did it to show us, that Jesus in His human form, did not fail. And that Jesus is indeed the sinless Messiah; the perfect first born sacrifice for our sins. 

2. The case of the rest of people on earth - We, being not Jesus, will always fail. Although God already knows the results, He may choose to lead those who think highly of themselves, into temptation to show them that they failed. This also saves Him any arguing from people on judgement day. This is why He selectively leads some into temptation. But obviously according to Jesus, we can change His mind when we ask Him not to.

​

A side-note, the Bible says there will be arguing with God on judgement day. Where does it say this? Here is an example reference:

​

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

​

Notes: This is Jesus showing us an example of how He will respond to "nice people" by earthly standards, declared "evildoers" by God, arguing with Him on judgement day. 

​

"Temptation" is the temptation to leave God and get lured into the world and its ungodly ways.

​

Jesus used the term "fall into temptation" in another place, which helps us understand the meaning better.

​

Matthew 26:40-41

Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” He asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation...”

​

Jesus asked Peter to keep praying to stay 100% focused on God in this crucial hour Jesus was going through. However, Peter fell into temptation later by giving into the worldly scene around him, denied Jesus 3 times shortly after!

​

This is why we renew our pledge to God daily, in this world, which is full of worldly scenes all around us.

​

But Deliver Us from Evil: Means protect and save us from evil. This is exactly what Jesus said when He was praying for His disciples just before He was arrested to be crucified:

​

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭15 ”My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.“

In other words, for now, keep them in this lost world, but protect them from evil.

​

​

5. The Complete Lord's Prayer Explanation Summary

​

Our Father who are in heaven:

Getting God's attention with a respectful parental term of endearment.

​

Hollowed be Your Name:

May Your name always be Holy and respected.

​

Your Kingdom come:

Give us the Holy Spirit to reside in us.  (Interpretation unknown to most)

​

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven:

We lovingly submit to your will, by choice. God's will is already done in heaven - I add my vote to that from earth.

​

Give us this day our daily Bread and forgive us our sins:

Give us our daily "Bread of Life" for the forgiveness of sins, so we "wash our robes" and become "righteous". Because we repent of our sins.

(Interpretation unknown to most)

​

As we forgive those who trespass against us:

We promise to forgive others. Acknowledging that unless we forgive everyone who wronged us, we would not be forgiven, would not become "righteous", and would not receive the Holy Spirit for that day. (Interpretation unknown to most)

​

Lead us not into temptation:

We ask you not to allow the devil to tempt us.

​

But deliver us from evil:

Protect and save us from evil.

​

How Fast Should We Pray This Prayer?

​

No less than 10 to 15 minutes. It is not about "recite it and be done with it!"  You're visiting with God during this prayer! All 3 Persons of the Trinity are involved! If you meet with the president of the company you work for, how proper and attentive would you be? Take that and multiply by a hundred. That's how you should be while praying this prayer - You're standing in the presence of God!!

​

Start by clearing your mind from all the noise of today's world. Take your time, meditate on each loaded-word that Jesus took the time to put together for us. Sometimes I find myself having to repeat the prayer once or twice because my mind wonders off; we're humans; this happens to all of us. I make sure my visit is properly completed with the prayer words all genuinely meant in my heart.

​

And here's what not to do. I recall when I was younger, the Catholic priest saying this prayer in less than 5 seconds!!! It would have been better for him to go work at the auctions, than be a church misleader!

​

​

6. Did Jesus Give Us the Pattern to Pray? Or We Should Use His Words?

​

You may be thinking, "Surely God did not want us to recite these exact same words every day?" And you want to use your own creative wording? Why? You think you can do better than Jesus? Forget what your church said. The Bible said, God does not want your creative prayers. Because they are rubbish to Him. He wants this prayer, which fills you with the Holy Spirit. Then He could hear you!

​

When you fully understand the meaning of each word, you wouldn't want to say it any other way!

​

• As you can see, the prayer is loaded with precious meanings directed to God. Every word in this prayer is perfectly worded by Jesus, so that "He remains in us and we remain in Him". Without these exact prayer-words we'd be leaves on the Vine that wither and die (spiritually), as Jesus explained in His parable. We need to learn that Christianity is not "be creative" and "anything goes". God demands respect. He commanded to pray this prayer. You ignore it and get creative, shows arrogance - makes you the opposite of the humble person God is interested in.

​

• Which of the words do you want to modify? Or find synonyms for and say differently? Or which part of the prayer do you want to omit today?

​

• You see, you cannot receive God's Kingdom (the Holy Spirit) for today, unless your sins have been forgiven through the Bread of life!

​

• And you will not be forgiven of your sins and receive God's blessings, unless you forgive others!

​

• How do YOU prefer to say it? Anything you answer this question with, will make you an arrogant person not genuinely seeking God. But rather seeking to look sophisticated and different, so people admire you. The focus is on God, not on you! And God loves the prayer exactly as He said it.

​

We need not think of this prayer as a legal requirement, as in the law of Moses. It is rather a "pure love" prayer, and "proper worship" directed to our heavenly Father. It is the minimum we should do, springing from within as a true believer, to obey Jesus' commands.

​

​

6.1 The Lord's Prayer prayed once a day is not a repetitive "babbling on" prayer. Look at what Jesus said:

​

Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

​

Those who tell you it is repetitive and against Bible teaching are still trying to defend their Protestant church!! This format of the Lord’s Prayer once a day, is 100% consistent with the Bible teaching and God’s previous plan for the Jews, which was sacrifices daily, that they also had to eat for the forgiveness of their sins. For thousands of years, every day, God had them repeat this same process daily. For what? For the forgiveness of their sins. And they did it! Without complaining!! And now, for us, Jesus' sacrifice is final; no more daily sacrifices, instead we have the same daily prayer.

​

Jesus said in the Bible (not me), that His sacrifice turned into a Bread of life that we ask for daily. Then how did the people of today receive this amazing news? They don't want it! I keep getting emails from people complaining about it!! - "Do I have to keep saying the same words every day?!" and "Are you basing your whole website on the Lord's Prayer? Really?" Listen to me. God in the Bible is correlating His whole new-covenant redemption to the Lord's Prayer!! and I clarify accordingly!! I hear His words and I explain them, to those who have ears that hear.

​

Regardless of whether we use King James Bible version that says, "...in this manner you should pray...", or NIV Bible version that says, "... this is how you should pray...", the "daily" requirement to pray is still Jesus's command. He said "daily", you want to change it to "monthly" because King James said "in this manner"???!!! Who is even preaching to pray the Lord's Prayer in any manner today? It is completely ignored!!! No one is even close to praying it "in this manner". This is Christ's prayer, are we Christians??!!

​

​

7. The Overlooked Commandment​

​

What do you want to say? "Why did Jesus do it this way? using tricky terms etc..."  Why so perplexed? Jesus used this method of speaking throughout the Bible. There are parables He told that are still not fully understood!

​

​

God in His infinite wisdom did not give us a simple fully explained Bible written in precise chronology etc. Instead, He purposely kept it vague - Jesus spoke in parables giving hints of what He meant without giving the full message. Old Testament prophets embedded crucial messages within long chapters of prophesying. Example Isaiah would include 2 sentences about the Messiah in a completely unrelated paragraph (example, they pierced His hands). God chose to make us work for it:

Proverbs 8:17

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.

​

And Jesus gave us enough hints to interpret the Lord's Prayer properly!! We must forget the years of church brainwashing. Set that aside for a moment and look close at all the undisputable Bible references I provided here. Your church did not go there because it contradicts their theology and business-agenda!! Act wisely before you send yourself to hell.

​

Jesus commanded us to pray this prayer daily as God's new covenant. It does not matter when He did it or to whom He gave it. THIS IS GOD! telling us what to do to be reconciled to Him on a daily basis, and truly be saved!!

​