What Jesus Said About ForgivenessНамуна

The gospel of forgiveness

Forgiveness is one of the most fundamental aspects of the Bible's message and, therefore, of the church of Jesus Christ on earth. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is one story after another of God's forgiveness and call to forgive.

Forgiveness is the essence of the system of sacrifices in the temple (Old Testament) and Jesus' final sacrifice on the cross. The Old Testament's sacrifices point forward to Jesus' final sacrifice for the sins of all people. (Not all people are automatically saved – only those that accept him as Lord and Saviour.)

All other religions believe our sins can only be forgiven if we can do enough good works to cancel all our evil deeds. This can, for instance, be very clearly seen in Hinduism and Islam.

Forgiveness is always a choice. For Christians, forgiving becomes easier when we remind ourselves of the price Jesus paid to reconcile us with God. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. He died so that we could be forgiven.