3 Things You Need to Know About God’s Forgiveness
Forgiveness can be defined as “the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well.”
Wow, that sure is hard to do. I don’t know about you, but when I am hurt by someone, I want to retaliate! Yet, God forgives every one of us every single day a number of times, and He still loves us just as if we had never sinned. How can that be?
Here are 3 things you need to know about God’s forgiveness….
1. Christ forgives us so that we can have an eternal home in Heaven.
Ephesians 1:7- “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”
Christ paid for our sins on the cross of Calvary so that we can live FREELY in Heaven. The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is DEATH, but the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We were supposed to die in our sinful nature and spend an eternity in Hell, but God gifts us a life eternal with Him in His Heavenly Paradise. We just have to accept His gift.
Psalm 130:3-4 reminds us that if God were to look at all of our sins, none of us would deserve to go to Heaven. “But there is forgiveness with (Him).” What an amazing thought!
Acts 26:18- “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”
Not only do we receive forgiveness, but we receive the inheritance of a Heavenly home from our Father just simply by believing.
2. He will not remind you of the things you now regret.
Once you ask God for forgiveness, He will never remember your sin again. How loving is our God? In our sinful, human nature, we tend to remember and sometimes bring up past offenses even after we have forgiven the offender. But God FORGETS FOREVER. He chooses to let go.
Psalm 103:12- “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
If you recall a sin from your past and feel the same shame and guilt after asking for God’s forgiveness, God isn’t the one reminding you. Satan is trying to tell you what a horrible person you are when God has already forgiven and forgotten!
3. We should forgive others, because Christ forgave us!
Colossians 3:13- “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
Luke 6:35-38- “But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.”
Sometimes people in our lives can just be plain nasty and our nature is to retaliate and lash back. The best thing we can do is forgive them! Forgive them, move forward, and be a good testimony by loving them and praying for them.