God’s Forgiveness of Sins
One of the worst feelings for me is the feeling of letting down or sinning against my husband. My heart feels like it’s sunk down into my knees whenever my husband is hurt or upset by something that I did or said. Guilt and shame weigh me down, and the only thing that will lift such a burden are these three words: I forgive you. Once those words are spoken, relief washes over me, and I feel like I can breathe easy again. Every time I experience my husband’s forgiveness, I’m reminded of God’s forgiveness. If having my husband’s forgiveness makes me feel instant relief, it’s even more relieving to remember that I have the forgiveness of the God of the universe.
Yet, there may be some of you who have struggled when it comes to God’s forgiveness. You feel so broken because of your sin that it seems to you like you are unforgivable. The fact that you sin time and time again makes you wonder if it really is true that God never stops forgiving you. The Bible meets us in these questions and doubts by reminding us that if we are in Christ, God’s forgiveness is ours forever. There will never come a day when God stops forgiving you. If you’re still unsure, let’s take a little journey throughout the Bible.
Why We Need God’s Forgiveness
When God created the world, He lived in harmony with Adam and Eve. Until they disobeyed Him and brought sin into the world. Because of their sin, each one of us is now born into sin, which makes us guilty and deserving of judgment. That judgment is death, as Paul writes in Romans 6:23: “the wages of sin is death.” The unfortunate thing is that we can’t do anything on our own to save ourselves from the punishment for our sin. But God had a plan to rescue us—not by our own works but by His.
As we journey through the Old Testament, we see God slowly unfold His plan. He began by forming a people for Himself and establishing a covenant relationship with them. It was through this relationship that these people, the Israelites, would be representations of God’s goodness in the land that they lived. They would point the other nations to God’s glory and encourage them to worship Him. How? By their obedience. God gave the Israelites the Law made up of certain commands that—if followed—would cause the Israelites to emulate God in their conduct. Out of their love for God, the Israelites would walk in God’s commands, and their actions would point back to the holy God they worshiped and obeyed.
Sadly, Israel fell short in walking in God’s ways. They turned away from God to worship other gods. They broke God’s commands and looked more like the other nations rather than a set-apart nation for God’s glory. Yet God extended grace and forgiveness time after time. One of the ways God showed His grace to His people was in sending prophets to them. These prophets warned of God’s judgment if Israel remained in their disobedience. They called Israel to repent and be restored in their relationship with God. This is the situation in which Israel found themselves in the book of Amos. Throughout this book, God speaks through the prophet Amos to confront them about their sin and call them back to Himself.
How God Forgives
Though God pronounced judgment upon Israel for their sin, He gave them hope of restoration (Amos 9:11–15). While Israel would go on to be exiled for their sin, God’s words to His people in Amos would come true, as God would go on to restore Israel and bring them back to their home. But God’s promises to Israel are ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Jesus restores the brokenness that sin created. Jesus took on the punishment we deserve for our sin on the cross. Because of His sacrifice, Jesus forgives our sin, removes the punishment for our sin, and brings us into a relationship with God. God’s plan of forgiveness was fulfilled through Christ. Now, anyone who places their faith in Christ receives this forgiveness, no matter what they have done.
What It Looks Like to Live Forgiven in Christ
Christ’s forgiveness meets us in the every day moments of our lives. It assures us that when we sin against God, a friend, spouse, or stranger, we have Christ’s forgiveness for that sin. When guilt and shame feel like they are eating away at us because of our sin, the truth of God’s forgiveness reminds us of Christ’s grace and love for us. The forgiveness we have in Christ also compels us in our obedience to the Lord. Christ’s forgiveness does not give us licence to keep continuing in our sin (Romans 6). As we reflect on the grace and forgiveness we have received through Christ, we are encouraged to fight against our sin and walk in obedience to the Lord. As we look back at what Jesus has done for us and the forgiveness we have in Him, we look forward to the day He will return. When Christ returns, He will restore all of creation. This means that if we are in Christ, we will one day experience what it’s like to be without sin. Until that day, we hope in the eternity to come and allow that hope to bring us comfort and perseverance in the present.
The Bible shows us over and over again that God is a God of forgiveness. So in your daily struggle with sin, keep coming back to the gospel and the hope that it gives you for your sin. Trust that God gives you His continual forgiveness no matter what. And rest in the truth that your every sin is met by a gracious and forgiving God.
