Can I be forgiven?

This is a question that worries people who are thinking seriously about life. But there are so many things that give them discomfort. Can they ever be forgiven?

The answer is Yes. Yes indeed. There is nothing too awful with God, even murder. King David was deceitful, he was also a murderer. His sins were premeditated. He knew just what He was doing. If you read Psalm 51, written by David himself, you will see that the joy of full forgiveness is possible, for God loves sinners.

There are many texts in the Bible that speak of forgiveness with God, and just as many that speak of being made clean. ‘He is faithful to cleanse us from all iniquity.’ 1 John 1:9. To be clean with God is to be as if you had never done those shameful things. These verses are a great comfort, but how does it become real? The Bible speaks of conditions for being forgiven. But these are not long hard pilgrimages and activities that hurt us, or repeating many words over and over again.

Here is what Jesus says to us in His Word. Come just as you are, give yourself up to Jesus with all your shame and your guilty feelings. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He has been searching for you and calling to you. If you turn just your face to Him He will run to you. He will pick you up and place you on His shoulders and take you Home. In fact, He will carry you Home singing! Doesn’t that soften your heart?

Now He will begin to talk to you about your soiled wool and your dirty feet from all those bad activities. He says to you, Please just admit what you have been doing. That is the hardest part! Then make a clean breast of it to Me, confess it all every detail, I want to make you clean. Do not confess and lay it open to an earthly human priest, who cannot help you, but to the One who can help you.

As you feel the sorrow for what you have on your record in heaven, Jesus tells you that your tears are not enough. You must also choose to turn away from the things you have been doing. You must forsake your evil ways. The Bible calls this Repentance.

If you follow this process the Lord will take everything from you. You will be clean. Your record in heaven will have no stain upon it! Your life will be as if you had never done or said anything wrong. Instead Jesus will place a picture of His Good Life over all your sins. Jesus is our High Priest, He can and will forgive you. He loves you. This is a very good experience. All is completely put right.

But there is one more condition! It is an important one. ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us’ we pray. This means that we are only forgiven to the same extent that we forgive others who have wounded us. This is the hardest condition of all. But note well, if you cannot find it in your heart to forgive someone, then God cannot forgive you. You can be fully forgiven by God and you can be clean, but it means that every grudge and hate against another on your part, has to be given up and put away. Then leave the ones who have hurt you with God. He loves them as well as you! And He will know how to deal with them.

The Bible describes this experience as being washed, without spot or wrinkle, being pure.

‘Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.’ Matthew 5:8