2 Corinthians 5:14-19
Is there a sin so great that God won’t forgive?
I have struggled to forgive myself, and I have struggled to forgive others. Have you been in those tumultuous situations when you crave release from the feelings of anger, frustration, hurt and inadequacy? Knowing how to forgive is important in the kingdom of God, how we extend and receive God’s grace is part of God’s plan in developing maturity within us.
God’s plan of extending forgiveness to the world started with Him paying the price for our sins. If we want to be followers of Jesus, we must take up His offer of forgiveness and salvation. He desires to forgive and is waiting for our confession. It seems simple, but it is costly. Jesus’ gift of salvation required His death, burial and resurrection. When we take up His gift of salvation, we also need to take up the gift of forgiveness for ourselves as well as extending it to others.
Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is ourselves, other times it is the one that committed the sin that we think is abhorrent and not worthy of forgiveness. Praise God that His forgiveness is greater than any sin. 2 Corinthians 5:14-19 reveals to us His great love displayed through the ministry of reconciliation.
14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Praise God that He has made us new in Him, not holding our sin against us, but reconciling us to Himself and entrusting us with the ministry of revealing His work of forgiveness to the world. As we rest in His work of making us a new creation, can we continue in holding back forgiveness of ourselves or others? We cannot. If we are made new in Christ, He is not holding our sin against us and has asked us to release the anger, bitterness, pain and frustration that we are holding onto in our unforgiveness.
I must trust God’s plan of forgiveness and justice, for myself and others. If I truly repent of my sin, through confession and restoration, then I have received His gift of forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. It is His work to scrub us clean from our sin, He does this work for all believers. Who am I to withhold forgiveness to those that repent?
God is willing to forgive; am I willing to accept His gift for myself and extend it to others?