Banes S. Lal
The word "forgive" indicates to wipe the slate clean, pardon, and cancel a debt. When we wrong someone, we want their forgiveness to restore the relationship. Forgiveness is not given because a person is deserving of it. Forgiveness is a manifestation of love, kindness, and grace. Forgiveness is the decision not to hold something against someone else, regardless of what they have done to you.
As declared in the Bible, we are all in need of God's forgiveness. We have all committed sin. Ecclesiastes 7:20 tells us, "For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin." 1 John 1:8 says, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." All sin is, in the end, an act of rebellion against God. As a result, we are in dire need of God's forgiveness. If we are not forgiven for our sins, we will spend eternity experiencing the repercussions of our sins. (Matthew 25:46)
How do I get forgiveness?
God, thankfully, is compassionate and merciful, anxious to pardon our sins. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." says 2 Peter 3:9. God desires to forgive us; therefore, He made provision for it because death is the only just punishment for our transgressions.
"For the wages of sin is death," says the first half of Romans 6:23. We have deserved eternal death as a result of our sins. In His perfect plan, God took on the form of a human being - Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross, paying the price for our sins – death. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." says 2 Corinthians 5:21. Jesus died on the cross, bearing the punishment we deserve. As God, Jesus' death atoned for the sins of the whole world. "And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world." states 1 John 2:2. Jesus arose from the dead, declaring victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:1-28). Praise God, the second part of Romans 6:23 is true because of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection: "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Do you want your sins to be forgiven? Do you have a persistent sense of guilt that you can't seem to shake off? If you put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you will be forgiven of your sins. " In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace," states Ephesians 1:7. Jesus paid our debt for us by offering himself to God as our substitute for sin.
All you have to do is simply ask God to forgive you through Jesus, trusting that the Lord Jesus died to pay the price for your forgiveness - and He will! This amazing message is found in John 3:16-17, " For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
Is it really that easy?
Yes, it is that simple! We cannot earn God's pardon. We cannot purchase God's pardon. Only faith in Jesus Christ grants forgiveness of sins. He made the ultimate sacrifice: He laid down His own life, and by His suffering and death, He provided for us eternal life. This is coming to Christ. This is salvation by grace through faith. This is the way to heaven!
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