FORGIVENESS --- PART 1

Pardon for an offense or a wrong; also called remission of sins. Because of the fall of man and our own actions, all humans are sinful. Our sin separates us spiritually from YHVH, but our Elohim forgives us through our faith in the death of Yeshua. YHVH continues to forgive us as we continue to confess our sins -- 1 John 1:9. The Scripture tells us that YHVH forgets our sin when He forgives us. It is as far from us as the east is from the west -- Psalm 103. We are instructed to forgive one another, as we see in Ephesians 4:32: -- Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in YHVH Elohim forgave you. The Scripture commands us to forgive others when they have wronged us and to seek forgiveness when we have wronged others. We must do this to follow the example of YHVH, Who extends to us the ultimate pardon / forgiveness for our sins.

YHVH’S FORGIVENESS

HOW CAN WE EXPERIENCE YHVH’S FORGIVENESS?

EXPERIENCING YHVH’S FORGIVENESS COMES THROUGH CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE.
For I recognize my shameful deeds -- they haunt me day and night. -- Psalm 51:3. This Psalm was David’s written confession to YHVH after a particularly sinful episode in his life. David was truly sorry for his adultery with Bathsheba and for murdering her husband to cover it up. He knew that his actions had hurt many people. But because David repented of those sins, YHVH mercifully forgave him. No sin is too great to be forgiven! Do you feel that you could never come close to YHVH because you have done something terrible? YHVH can and will forgive you of any sin. While YHVH forgives us however, He does not always erase the natural consequences of our sin-David’s life and family were never the same as a result of what he had done -- see 2 Samuel 12:1-23.

WE CAN BE CONFIDENT THAT OUR SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN IN MOSHIACH.
If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven. -- John 20:23. Yeshua was giving the disciples their Spirit-powered and Spirit-guided mission; to preach the Good News about Yeshua so people’s sins might be forgiven. The disciples did not have the power to forgive sins -- only YHVH can forgive sins but Yeshua gave them the privilege of telling new believers that their sins have been forgiven because they have accepted Yeshua’s Message. All believers have this same privilege. We can announce the forgiveness of sin with certainty when we find repentance and faith.

YHVH CONSISTENTLY FORGIVES US EACH TIME WE ASK IN REPENTANCE.
Now I am giving you a New Commandment: Love each other. Just as I have Loved you, you should love each other. -- John 13:34. John describes these few moments in clear detail. We can see that Yeshua knew exactly what was going to happen. He knew about Judas and about Peter but He did not change the course of events, nor did He stop Loving them. In the same way, Yeshua knows exactly what you will do to hurt Him. Yet He still loves you unconditionally and will forgive you whenever you ask for it. Judas couldn’t understand this and his life ended tragically. Peter understood and despite his shortcomings, his life ended triumphantly because he never let go of his faith in the One Who Loved him.

FORGIVENESS IS COMPLETE EVEN WHEN CONFESSION ISN’T.
If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. -- 1 John 1:9. Confession is supposed to free us to enjoy fellowship with our Moshiach. It should ease our consciences and lighten our cares. But some believers do not understand how it works. They feel so guilty that they confess the same sins over and over; then they wonder if they might have forgotten something. Other believers believe that YHVH forgives them when they confess, but if they died with un-confessed sins, they would be forever lost. These believers do not understand that YHVH wants to forgive us. He allowed His beloved Son to die just so He could pardon us. When we come to Moshiach, He forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit. We don’t need to confess the sins of the past all over again and we don’t need to fear that YHVH will reject us if we don’t keep our slate perfectly clean. Of course we should continue to confess our sins, but not because failure to do so will make us lose our salvation. Our relationship with Moshiach is secure. Instead, we should confess our sins so that we can enjoy maximum fellowship and joy with Him.

HONEST CONFESSION INCLUDES TURNING AWAY FROM SIN.
True confession also involves a commitment not to continue in sin. We wouldn’t be genuinely confessing our sins to YHVH if we planned to commit them again and just wanted temporary forgiveness. We should also pray for strength to defeat temptation the next time we face it.