Forgiveness

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

While researching the topic of forgiveness I ran across an article titled Why is Forgiveness so Rare? I’ve never thought of forgiveness as being rare, so this got me thinking: (1) Why is it so difficult to forgive others and believe that we can be forgiven for our sins; and (2) Why do Christians struggle with the concept of being worthy of forgiveness? Matthew says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (11:28)

In Hebrews, Jeremiah talks about the blood of Jesus being the ultimate forgiveness for our sins. There is no greater statement as that. And the Apostle Paul preaches to Philemon about forgiving those who sin against us as God forgives our sins against him for Jesus’ sake. “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6: 14-15) Forgiveness is certain if we ask God.

In fact, the words forgive, forgiveness, forgiving, forgiven, forgives and forgave are mentioned approximately 27 times in the New Testament (NIV version of the Bible). So what does this all mean? It’s simple: We serve a merciful God who is both loving and forgiving. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)