Answer:
Very good question. I actually looked them up in Hebrew and Greek to see exactly what the differences might be.
Debt (in this context) refers to a sin that is due to something we don’t do. For instance, if God puts on our heart to go and help our neighbor or witness to someone and we decide we don’t want to do it, it is a sin of omission or “debt”.
On the other hand, a transgression is an act where we do something wrongful like break one of the Ten Commandments. It is a sin of offense rather than omission.
So the verses you gave me refer to asking forgiveness for the things we do that we shouldn’t (transgression) as well as forgiveness for not doing the things we should (debt).
Oh, by the way…sin means a perpetuation or continuance in doing the things we shouldn’t. The opposite of sin is repentance which means turning away and going in the opposite direction from sin.
I hope this explanation helped,
Pastor Brad