Doom
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The following is an excerpt from Hank's comments concerning the teachings of Andrew Farley and Andrew's response. I suggest reading the entire article. I found it to be very telling...
Source
Hank Hanegraaff: Andrew Farley teaches that the Lord’s Prayer is an Old Covenant prayer, and therefore it doesn’t apply to new covenant saints. One of the reasons for this is that, in his view, a Christian need never to pray “forgive us our trespasses.” And this is old covenant stuff; once Christ has come, that kind of prayer doesn’t apply anymore. This kind of biblical interpretation is chilling.
Andrew Farley: If anyone would like to pray the Lord’s Prayer, they certainly can. But to be consistent, make sure that you include Jesus’ conclusion (Matthew 6:14-15) to the prayer by saying this to our God: “Father, if I forgive others for their sins, then you will forgive me. But if I fail to forgive those around me, then you will not forgive me either.” Logically, then, this would be your gospel: God’s forgiveness of your own sins would be entirely contingent upon you fully forgiving others first.
Meanwhile, I’ll be praying a very different prayer, an opposite prayer in fact, based on the finished work of Jesus Christ accomplished at the Cross: “Father, I choose to forgive those around me, because you have already forgiven me first according to Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13. Thank you, Father, for initiating through the Cross so that I could be a totally forgiven person today. Thank you for a forgiveness that is not contingent upon my own performance as a forgiver of others but instead is fully dependent on the blood of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Take a few moments to compare Matthew 6:14-15 (the conclusion to the Lord’s Prayer) with Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13. When given an honest look, do they not convey opposite messages? So why is this the case? Simple. Matthew 6 is directed at Jews before the Cross, while Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3 are taught after the Cross. Don’t we believe that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his shed blood make a difference when it comes to the forgiveness we enjoy today? They certainly do!
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus was showing how hopeless we would be if our forgiveness were truly contingent upon our performance in forgiving others. Similarly, he told the Jews around him to amputate body parts in their fight against sin, and he urged the rich man to sell all of his possessions to gain entrance into the kingdom. Yet these are moves that we know do not earn us salvation.
Meanwhile, after the Cross, the Apostle Paul is showing us that Jesus did it all. He fully forgave us “once for all” by His blood, so that we can now rest in that forgiveness, celebrate it, and then pass it on to others, forgiving others just as God already forgave us (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13).
Source
Hank Hanegraaff: Andrew Farley teaches that the Lord’s Prayer is an Old Covenant prayer, and therefore it doesn’t apply to new covenant saints. One of the reasons for this is that, in his view, a Christian need never to pray “forgive us our trespasses.” And this is old covenant stuff; once Christ has come, that kind of prayer doesn’t apply anymore. This kind of biblical interpretation is chilling.
Andrew Farley: If anyone would like to pray the Lord’s Prayer, they certainly can. But to be consistent, make sure that you include Jesus’ conclusion (Matthew 6:14-15) to the prayer by saying this to our God: “Father, if I forgive others for their sins, then you will forgive me. But if I fail to forgive those around me, then you will not forgive me either.” Logically, then, this would be your gospel: God’s forgiveness of your own sins would be entirely contingent upon you fully forgiving others first.
Meanwhile, I’ll be praying a very different prayer, an opposite prayer in fact, based on the finished work of Jesus Christ accomplished at the Cross: “Father, I choose to forgive those around me, because you have already forgiven me first according to Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13. Thank you, Father, for initiating through the Cross so that I could be a totally forgiven person today. Thank you for a forgiveness that is not contingent upon my own performance as a forgiver of others but instead is fully dependent on the blood of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Take a few moments to compare Matthew 6:14-15 (the conclusion to the Lord’s Prayer) with Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13. When given an honest look, do they not convey opposite messages? So why is this the case? Simple. Matthew 6 is directed at Jews before the Cross, while Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3 are taught after the Cross. Don’t we believe that the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his shed blood make a difference when it comes to the forgiveness we enjoy today? They certainly do!
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus was showing how hopeless we would be if our forgiveness were truly contingent upon our performance in forgiving others. Similarly, he told the Jews around him to amputate body parts in their fight against sin, and he urged the rich man to sell all of his possessions to gain entrance into the kingdom. Yet these are moves that we know do not earn us salvation.
Meanwhile, after the Cross, the Apostle Paul is showing us that Jesus did it all. He fully forgave us “once for all” by His blood, so that we can now rest in that forgiveness, celebrate it, and then pass it on to others, forgiving others just as God already forgave us (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13).
