Sometimes I think, that if we ALL would fully understand and apply forgiveness, this world could find peace. Forgiveness is one of the biggest components of our faith. 1 John 1:9 says:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Thank God for that! There may be moments from your past that you think God can’t forgive, but he will forgive us and purify us from ALL unrighteousness (not just some).
Stop giving yourself a hard time. We all do it. We constantly repeat our sins over and over in our head, and consequently feel a ton of guilt. In Hebrews 10:17 it says: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” That’s it! Repent of your sin, ask for forgiveness, and your sin is permanently forgotten. You no longer need to dwell on it.
Although, what does it really mean to repent? The Merriam-Webster definition of ‘repent’ is: “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.” Turning from sin doesn’t just mean “I’m sorry.” It means “I’m sorry and I’m going to make it my honest goal to never do that again.” None of us are perfect, and it is likely that we will sin again, but if your heart is pure and your motives are true, then God will extend His grace again and again.
So here’s where it gets interesting…
It’s easy enough to accept forgiveness, but how often do you forgive others. This is the difficult and seemingly impossible (in some situations) aspect of forgiveness, that is just as important to understand. Matthew 6:14-15 reads:
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
These verses are saying that if we can’t forgive others, why should God forgive us? We must come to the realization that we are all sinners, and none of us deserve to be forgiven, but if our Savior, who was crucified even though he did nothing wrong can forgive, then we should also. If our God, who watches us fail Him every single day can forgive, then so can we.
Forgiveness is simple. Forgiveness is very complicated. Forgiveness is an attribute of our God. Forgiveness needs to be an attribute of us.
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