Words take on new meanings as the usage changes with time and culture. But I’m ‘cool’ with that… for example. Nobody’s going to say I’m misusing the word ‘cool’, because we all know what it means.
‘Aught’ (spelled ‘ought’ in KJV), is one of those words. When we talk about having aught, we generally think of feelings of resentment, or bitterness, or prejudice, or unforgiveness. That’s fine. It’s commonly understood that way. We can read it in the Word, or hear it preached that way, and get a true, helpful, serious lesson from it. Throughout the scriptures, it’s very clear that we are to forgive, and hold no resentment of bitterness against anyone.
However, understanding the original, literal meaning of ‘aught’ unlocks even deeper truths of the Word. ‘Aught’ simply means anything , or something. The opposite is ‘naught’… nothing
Here are a few examples in scripture:
Matthew 21:3 “And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them;”
Mark 8:23 “ And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.”
John 4:33 “Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?”
So aught is something or anything, and it’s real… more than just an attitude or feeling.
In Mark 11:25-26, Jesus taught His disciples, “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
When Jesus says “Forgive”, it means that they have truly wronged you. They are at fault. If they didn’t do you any wrong, there would be nothing to forgive.
Matthew 6:12 says, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Trespasses are debts. When a man trespasses (sins) against God, he racks up a debt. That debt must either be paid or forgiven. In the same way that God is saying that He is willing to forgive us of a very real debt, He is requiring us to forgive others of very real debts. When he says, “if ye have ought against any,” he is saying, “if somebody owes you something (ought)”, then forgive them… forgive their debt to you. Yes… real debts… whether they owe you something as small as an apology, or a thank you; or as big as a million dollars. It’s not a question of whether they’ve really done you wrong, or really do owe you. Forgive.
Not having aught against someone is more than not harboring bad feelings. It’s about releasing them from owing you ANYTHING. Even if you don’t have any resentment or bitterness toward someone; if you think they owe you something, you have aught against them.
That makes it real simple. If someone owes you, and can’t or won’t pay… forgive. Then if later they do pay you what they owe… that’s a nice bonus. If they want to make it right, and they can find a way… hey, that’s wonderful. But, if you are unwilling to forgive others’ trespasses against you, you are trespassing against God, and YOU need His forgiveness.
Don’t think forgiving others is just some burdensome commandment that’s going to leave you cheated. It’s life. It’s freedom. It releases God’s forgiveness toward you, which means that all the sin that separates you from God is GONE! That means nothing left standing in the way of the awesome goodness of God flowing directly into your life! THAT is ABUNDANT LIFE!
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