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Forgiveness It has been said that without forgiveness this world would have blown up a long time ago, though I am not sure of that, certainly some marriages and relationships would have. Love covereth all sins Proverbs ten twelve. Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Colossians three hundred thirteen nineteen. The Bible says If we want forgiveness that we are to give it, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors Matthew six twelve. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew six fourteen to fifteen also eighteen thirty five. It is easier to forgive when we realize God will not forgive us unless we do the same to others. In Matthew eighteen twenty one, Peter asked the question Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus, in response to his question, gave a parable about forgiveness, about one man who had a huge debt and wanted his master to forgive him, but this same man then would not forgive another who owed him a small debt. Our sin debt against God is far greater than any one person's debt against us. If we do not forgive, we become bitter by repeating the offense in our minds. See bitterness. Some believe that they need to forgive themselves. Those who believe this will respond with I know God has forgiven me, but I cannot forgive myself. Even if it were possible to forgive oneself, one should be rejoicing that God forgave them. Instead, they are saddened because they cannot forgive themselves. But whose forgiveness would be more important yours or God's? They should be rejoicing that God has forgiven them. If we confess our sins, He is faithful, and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And I have good news. Nowhere in the Bible does it teach that one has to forgive himself, but you do need to receive God's forgiveness. We receive forgiveness by confessing our sins not to a priest, but to God, who paid for them. There is one place where the Bible talks about confessing our sins to men, but that is for those who are sick, that they may be healed, and it is still God who forgives, see James five fourteen to sixteen. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Proverbs twenty eight thirteen. God never grows tired of forgiving those who confess their sins to him. Some have the idea that even though they are sorry for their sin, yet because they have committed a certain sin so many times, God will no longer forgive them. But he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. I heard a preacher tell a story about a church member whom he had called on the phone to ask how he was doing. The man responded, not very good. The preacher asked, Why? Because God won't forgive me, the man said. How do you know that God won't forgive you? asked the preacher. The man said, Because I don't feel forgiven. Again, the preacher asked, What feeling were you looking for? It is God who said you were forgiven. Do you trust his word or do you trust your feelings? The preacher then had the man read 1 John 1 9 to him over the phone. If we confess our sins, he is faithful, and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He then asked the man, Do you believe the sacrifice of God's Son, Jesus Christ, is sufficient to pay for your sins? And did you confess your sins to God? Yes, was the reply to both questions. Then God says he is faithful, and just to do what? The man started to quote the rest of the verse To forgive us. But then, unexpectedly, he dropped the phone on the kitchen counter and called out to his wife, Honey, I'm forgiven. Some say, but I do not deserve his forgiveness. Well, none of us do. But God wants to give it to us. Will you let him? Even scarlet sins can be forgiven. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah one eighteen. If there be sins as scarlet, are there then sins that are greater than other sins? Some teach that there are no big or little sins, just bigger consequences for some sins, and to support this they will quote James two ten. For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. This verse tells us that if someone broke the law in only one point, but had kept all the other laws of God, he would still be considered a lawbreaker, but not that all sins are the same size. If you have a chain and break only one link, you still have broken the whole chain. Sin, even one sin, breaks fellowship with God. One does not have to commit a scarlet sin or many sins to be out of fellowship with God. But there are sins that are greater than others. Jesus said, He that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin, John nineteen eleven. See also Genesis thirty nine nine, Exodus thirty two twenty one, thirty to thirty one, second Kings seventeen twenty one, and many other verses. But even if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. In Luke seven hundred forty to forty three, Jesus taught that people who have more sins to be forgiven will love God more. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee, and he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors, the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty, and when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most, and he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.