We have all at one point or another been in need of a new beginning. For those who are not churched, let me say it this way, ‘we have all been in need of a second chance’. We have all done something ridiculous and we need the Lord to forgive us, remove our guilt and grant us a fresh start. The very heart of the gospel of Christ is about forgiveness. Through faith in Jesus, we have been given newness of life and we can call on his name and be forgiven for all the sins we have ever committed.
There is one situation, however, that we must speak about. Is there a time when God won’t forgive us? Is there a sin we could commit and not be forgiven, even if we asked for forgiveness? Will God ALWAYS forgive?
We must answer this question truthfully and in order to do this we have to look at what Jesus taught.
In Mathew 6:14-15 we read:
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
While Jesus was teaching his disciples about prayer he told them something very important. He said, if they did not forgive the sins of others, they themselves would not be forgiven by their Heavenly Father!!!
Will we always be forgiven for our sins? NO, not if we refuse to forgive others of the sins they have committed against us. This is very serious!!!
Every believer desires unbroken fellowship with the Lord. At one point or another, we have been possessed by an insatiable desire to seek the face of God and to pursue Him with all our hearts. The only thing that can destroy this divine passion for the Lord is sin. Sin, with all of it’s fatal venom, seeks to kill the anointing on our lives; destroy our God-given zeal; render our ministry ineffective; deceive us and harden our hearts (Hebrews 3:13). The word of God boldly and truthfully declares: ‘The wages of sin is death....’ (Romans 6:23).
What we must never forget is that un-forgiveness is sin and it is an extremely dangerous one. What makes it so destructive is that it literally cuts us off from any type of fellowship with the Lord. Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, made it abundantly clear that if we do not forgive others of the sins they have committed against us, we will not be forgiven by our Heavenly Father (Mathew 6:15).
We can pray for hours if we want and cry tears upon tears; the Lord, however, will not forgive us of our sins as long as we choose to hold on to the sins of others in our hearts. Think about that!! You might say: ‘but you don’t understand how hurtful so and so has been to me over the years’. The answer from the Lord will still remain the same - Forgive others and then you will be forgiven.
Please understand this: We are either going to be forgiven for our sins OR judged for our sins.
There is no in-between. Not to be forgiven by God is to open the door of God’s divine judgment in our lives. Why would anyone knowingly put himself or herself in a position to be divinely judged. There is no hurt so deep, that the Lord cannot heal if we are willing to forgive. There is no pain so great that the Lord cannot help us through. The amazing thing is that the very healing we desperately need actually comes after we have forgiven those who have hurt us.
Let us never shut out God’s forgiveness from our lives. May we never know what it means to incur God’s divine judgment. Let us forgive others of the sins they have committed against us and receive forgiveness for the sins we have committed against our Heavenly Father.
If you struggle in the area of forgiveness, or you find it hard to get over the painful experiences of yesterday, get your hands on the Biblical and practical devotional 21 Days To Forgiveness. It teaches the ‘HOW’ of forgiveness and has been used to help hundreds of individuals overcome very painful experiences.
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