ABOUT FORGIVENESS OF SINS (2)

1. Introduction

a) Sin is disobedience to God's commandments, either by doing what is forbidden or failing to do what is required. (Mark 7:20-23, Galatians 5:19-26)

b) In the Bible, sin is a serious evil that disrupts our relationship with God. (Matthew 5:29-30, Mark 9:42-48, Romans 8:7-8, Romans 6:23)

2. Conditions of Forgiveness

i) Although God is always ready and willing to forgive us, He requires two things of us as conditions of forgiveness: repentance and forgiveness of others. Depending on the circumstances, confession and restitution may also be needed.

a) Repentance

i) Repentance means a sincere resolve to turn away from sin and toward God.

@1. From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." (Matthew 4:17)

ii) True repentance involves sorrow for acts of sin and leads to a fundamental change in attitude. We are all sinners in our own ways (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8), and we may fail time and again in our attempt to avoid sin. God is always willing for us to start over and make another attempt. However, if we ask for forgiveness with the intention of sinning again, we have not really repented.

iii) Related verses: Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15, Mark 6:12, Luke 3:3, Luke 5:31-32, Luke 13:3-5, Luke 24:47, Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19, Acts 8:22, Acts 17:30-31, Acts 20:21, 2 Corinthians 7:10.

b) Forgiveness of Others

i) Jesus said we must be willing to forgive people who sin against us: 

@1. If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15)

ii) Forgiving another person means pardoning the offender and ceasing to feel resentment or hold a grudge. We are not able to completely forget what happened, but we must let go of the anger and resentment and seek reconciliation with the other person.

iii) There should be no limit to our willingness to forgive others (Matthew 18:21-22). We should have a forgiving spirit whenever someone has committed an offense against us (Mark 11:25). Some people believe there is no obligation to forgive unless the offender repents, but that condition is mentioned in only one of the many passages on this topic (Luke 17:3-4). 

iv) Continued anger and holding a grudge are always wrong (Matthew 5:21-24). Holding a grudge turns a person bitter and blocks the love of God.

v) Forgiving others does not mean we are required to remain in an abusive or exploitive situation.

vi) Neither does it deny the right of governments to punish offenders. Jesus and other New Testament leaders supported the authority of civil governments (Matthew 22:15-22, Romans 13:1-7).

vii) Related verses: Matthew 6:12, 18:23-35, 5:43-47, Luke 6:37, Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13.

c) Confession

i) As part of repentance, we should confess our sins to God, and also to other people when appropriate (Matthew 3:1-6, Matthew 18:15-18, Luke 15:21, Acts 19:18, James 5:16-17, 1 John 1:8-9). 

ii) There is an old saying that "confession is good for the soul," and humbling oneself with a public confession or confession to another person can be an important step toward true repentance and healing a relationship. 

iii) However, some Christian counselors warn that we must use wisdom in deciding when and how to confess secret sins. We must consider how the other person will react and whether good or evil will result. 

iv) For example, confessing a romantic infatuation to a jealous spouse could lead to the greater evils of divorce and emotional damage to the children.

d) Restitution

i) The Old Testament had specific rules about restitution when one person sinned against another (Exodus 22:1-15, Leviticus 6:1-7).

ii) The New Testament does not specifically state that making restitution, making amends or otherwise correcting the wrong done are requirements for forgiveness. However, doing what is possible to correct the wrong done could be an important part of sincere repentance (Luke 19:2-10).