How can God forgive me?
Psalm 51:4Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight.
Regardless of what we have done, we need to realize that God is the one who has ultimately been wronged by our sins. He is the first person we need to ask for forgiveness.
2 Chronicles 7:14“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
Ezra 10:11“So now confess your sin to the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do what he demands. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from these pagan women.”
Jeremiah 3:22“My wayward children,” says the Lord, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.” “Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply, “for you are the Lord our God.”
1 John 1:8-9If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
Honestly confessing sin is the first step to forgiveness. To confess means to agree with God that we have done something wrong. Because Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead to show his power over death, God accepts our confession and forgives us, regardless of what we have done. We can do nothing to earn it—we are forgiven by God’s grace, his undeserved favor. And his forgiveness is complete. We shouldn’t allow lingering feelings of shame to persuade us otherwise.
Matthew 26:28“This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.”
Jesus died so that God’s forgiveness would be freely available to us. On the Cross, Jesus took the punishment we deserve. He paid our debt in full. If we want to be free from our sins, we should repent, telling God that we are sorry. Then we should thank him for Jesus and his work and ask him to forgive us and change us. God will always answer that prayer.
Psalm 51:17The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
God is more ready to forgive than we may be to repent. A broken and humble heart is the quickest way to spiritual wholeness.
Acts 10:43“He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”
Acts 13:38“We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.”
We receive God’s forgiveness by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Trusting Jesus as our Savior means admitting we cannot save ourselves and accepting his sacrifice for our sins. Trusting Jesus as our Lord means giving him authority over our lives, denying sin, and striving to become more like him.
