“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" (Eph. 1:7) When we repent of our sins, the Lord always forgives us. However, man is usually not so merciful. Do not be shocked when others, even fellow Christians, fail to extend the same grace to you as the Lord has to them. Man can be vengeful, but God will deal with them, and that should not be our focus.
In the eyes of God, it does not matter whether people will forgive us—that is between them and God. Only 3 things matter!!! 1) Humbly repenting of our sin—to God and to any we have directly offended. 2) Knowing, on the authority of Scriptures, that we are forgiven by our Lord, and 3) forgiving ourselves! This third issue is where we usually get tripped up.
If we have a basic working knowledge of God’s Word, we know the Lord calls us to repent to God and to our fellow man that is affected by our sin. (Matt. 5:23-24) God’s grace and mercy offer the unfathomable love to forgive us. The core of the community of faith is based upon the richness of God’s mercy to release us from the debt we owe before the holiness of God.
However, forgiving ourselves can become a struggling issue. We expect better of ourselves, and many times we are the last person we forgive. Think of this: If the God who created us, who came to die for us, and is now making intercession for us has forgiven us, who are we to not do the same? Most of the time, it is unforgiveness toward ourselves that holds us down or keeps us back from spiritual victory.
You may say, "But you do not know what I've done!" True, I may not, but God does, and His love and mercy are still extended. Mankind may be vengeful, wrathful, and belligerent, but God is kind, tenderhearted, graceful, merciful, and forgiving. All we have to do is repent through faith. The beauty of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ died for our sins—not Muhammad, not Buddha, not Confucius, not some politician or preacher. God’s only begotten Son gave His life, bore our sins, and offers us salvation and deliverance.
Oh, weary soldier, forgive yourself and release your own soul from the prison that unforgiveness has built around your heart. Forget what others think or do with your trespasses. They will have to answer for their spirit of unforgiveness, and He will deal with them. The harshest words in the New Testament are toward those who refuse to forgive others.
If God has forgiven us, we stand in the righteousness of Christ! Let us forget those things which are behind... look forward... look to the Cross... look at His merciful hands and bleeding heart... It is done! And as His children, let us offer the same forgiveness toward others. "He that has been forgiven much loves much!" (Luke 7:47) Grace, grace, beautiful grace. Thank God for forgiveness!
