Not long ago, a woman came to my office desiring to talk with me about her life. In the past, she had committed to making correction in her life, but she had not followed through. This erring Christian was struggling with a problem-would God forgive her when she had treated Him so badly? This sister believed her willful disobedience, including at times being angry with God, negated any hope for His forgiveness. Let me share with you what I endeavored to explain to her.
God loves His children. "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" {Hebrews 13:5,6} One of God's commands is that we love Him with our hearts, souls, and minds {Matthew 22:37,38}. Our genuine and abiding love for Him, without reservation, involves total emotional commitment. Is God's love for us less than the love He asks of us? Because God loved us, He sent His Son to die a terrible death on the cross {John 3:16; Romans 5:6-8}. His love will never end.
God requires repentance. "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." {2 Peter 3:9} Yes, God requires us to repent of our sins. Repentance acknowledges our acceptance of accountability for our actions. We offer no excuses, no blame, no complaining, no attempts to justify ourselves-we simply accept guilt, along with willingness to move in another direction. People struggle to find answers to why they act as they do and why they lack the strength to comply with God's standards. God's only concern is that the one who sins acknowledge the wrong and turn from it. One example of God's longsuffering is His willingness to give us time and opportunity to repent.
God freely gives forgiveness. "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." {Ephesians 1:7} God is always willing to forgive erring Christians and alien sinners who are willing to meet His conditions. He sent His Son, and that Son died to redeem mankind from spiritual death {Romans 6:23; Hebrews 2:14,15}. Jesus died to make it possible for us to live and recover from our sins. Everything about God's love is expressed in His willingness to forgive sinners.
This is the message I gave to my visitor. We prayed together, and I asked God to forgive her sins and help her to be more committed in the future. Sometimes, the hard part isn't God forgiving us; it's us forgiving ourselves? When God forgives, He forgets. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Accept God's grace!