God’s Forgiveness
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.
Hebrews 8:12
When we accept Christ as our Savior, we become a new creation in Christ. In Matthew 3, John the Baptist talks about repentance, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. (Matthew 3:2). Repentance is to turn away from our sins turn toward God’s forgiveness. We live by God’s grace, through Christ, and with a repentant heart he remembers our sins no more.
The center of God’s love is forgiveness as seen by sending his son Jesus to the cross to pay for our sins. No one wants to forgive us of our sins more than God. We learn to overcome sin and repent, that is to make every effort to stop the sinful behavior.
A forgiving heart will receive God’s forgiveness. When we are filled with his unconditional love from the Holy Spirit, we will have forgiveness in our heart. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:15). The more forgiveness we have, the more forgiveness we receive from God.
Forgiveness of those that have hurt us can be difficult. We cannot forgive the sin but we can forgive the person. When we forgive others we are stepping off the throne and turning that person over to God. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:9). When we turn the person over to God, the toxicity of unforgiveness is gone and we are free in Christ to walk in peace.
Forgiveness of self can be the most difficult forgiveness of all. However not forgiving self is as sinful as not forgiving others. God changes our past as we let him change us, as we walk in the future. People start to see a Godly forgiving heart filled with unconditional love, and over time our relationships change for the better. When we ask others for forgiveness we are free, whether they accept our forgiveness or do not accept our forgiveness.
God’s forgiveness opens the door for living life to the full. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10). We cannot live life to the full or be pleasing to God with unforgiveness in our heart. God forgave us of our sins by sacrificing his Son on the cross, and he expects us to forgive. Unconditional love is centered on forgiveness.
God’s forgiveness is a blessing because a repentant heart that fights sins, reveals us sinless before God, and we live with peace because our heart is filled with God’s unconditional love. We can now go through our day knowing we are saved through Christ and we live with God’s loving grace knowing heaven is our home. Today walk with a repentant heart, living in God’s grace and forgiveness and sinless before God.
Prayer: Lord, fill my heart with your unconditional love, because it’s only through your love and power that I can walk in freedom with a forgiving heart. Help me to experience the peace that transcends understanding, joy, confidence, security, and freedom through a forgiving heart, and the power your unconditional love can have on others. Thank you Lord for another day that I can grow closer to you, become more Christ-like, and be a light for Christ in this world. In Jesus name I pray, Amen