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THE FORGIVENESS PRINCIPLE:
We are to forgive, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us. [Eph. 4:32]

FORGIVENESS PRINCIPLE

We are to forgive, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us. [Eph. 4:32]

We are instructed to "forgive one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you." Entering into God's forgiveness forms a pattern for the forgiveness we experience one with another. Could it be that we sometimes have a hard time forgiving others, because we have not fully appropriated the forgiveness God has granted us?

Forgiving Ourselves?

Much is said today about forgiving ourselves. Those sins from the past haunt us. Also we have those regrets that may not technically be labeled "sin", but nevertheless keep surfacing to bother us. Forgiveness means to let a matter go. We seem unable to let it go.

What are some regrets that we cling to, that might not be called "sin"?

The Dr. Fix-its of this world try to make us feel okay by minimizing the seriousness of the sin. They want us to sear our consciences by seeing the sin as something which is viewed as such, because we have too much religious conditioning with unattainable moral values. This is a humanistic approach. But rationalizing guilt does not get rid of it.

Many have found that no matter how hard they try, they cannot do enough to feel forgiven. They try all kinds of actions to make penance for what they have done. In extreme forms it may even include the continuous washing of hands or irrational fears.

What are some other things we might do to offset the wrong we feel we have done?

God's Forgiveness

We cannot forgive ourselves. We must receive God's forgiveness. As Paul recounts his call to ministry, he states a purpose that Gentiles "may receive forgiveness of sins (Acts 26:18)."

The way that they were to receive forgiveness was not to attempt to block the deed out of their minds, but that they would come to Jesus and accept the penalty He paid for their sins by dying on the cross.

The Pharisees were right for once, when the asked the rhetorical question "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (Luke : 5: 21 ). Only God can really forgive sin. God forgives us not because we have earned it, but because He has already taken care of it through sending Jesus.

When we try to forgive ourselves we minimize what Christ has done for us in shedding His blood for our sin. If our sin is too big for God to forgive, then we don't know how big God really is. No sin is beyond his ability to forgive.

Why do we keep remembering the guilt-producing deed, when God doesn't?

Remember:

God's forgives, but we must accept His forgiveness.