But now arises a question which has sometimes occasioned difficulty in thoughtful minds. A complete forgiveness is the starting-point of the Christian’s life; and accordingly this forgiveness of sin is described as a complete and present privilege, so we read, ‘In whom,’ _i.e._, in Christ the Beloved One, ‘we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.’ The apostle speaks of it there as something of which we are now in the present enjoyment, for he says, ‘We have it.’ It is ours now. But yet in other passages, such as the Lord’s Prayer, the children of God are taught to ask for it with as much regularity as for their daily bread. How is it, then, that we are told to ask for that we have already? Why do we pray the Lord’s Prayer every day when we already have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins? It is a very natural question, and I cannot be surprised if persons feel the difficulty. But I believe that if we look carefully at the real work of redemption it will throw great light on the subject. We shall find if we do so that there are two kinds of forgiveness described in the word of God, the one the immediate, and the other the consequent, result of redemption. There is judicial forgiveness as the foundation, and parental forgiveness as the consequence: the two being closely connected with each other, and both resulting from redemption. Let us study them separately. * * * * * I. Judicial forgiveness.