There are many stories of forgiveness, of how there are people who have forgiven others for truly terrible things and these testimonies move the masses since we see in it a divine work that can not be done by a human unless God puts it in the heart. However, among all those stories there is one that is superior in every sense of the word and it is the Father to forgive us.
Throughout history we have heard accounts of parents forgiving the murderer of their children, spouses forgiving infidelity, and people choosing mercy instead of revenge after suffering deep wounds. These acts astonish us because they go against our natural instincts. Human nature tends to hold on to resentment, pain, and the desire for justice at all costs. That is why genuine forgiveness stands out so strongly: it reflects something supernatural working within the heart of a person.
The Bible says:
38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Acts 13:38-39
These words preached by the apostle Paul clearly show us that forgiveness is not achieved through human effort, religious rituals, or strict obedience to the law. The law of Moses revealed sin, but it could never remove it completely. Only Christ could accomplish what the law could not: full forgiveness and justification before God. Through Him, the burden of guilt is lifted, and the broken relationship between God and humanity is restored.
To speak of Christ is to speak of forgiveness because in the moment that He died for us on the cross, the most splendid work of love that has ever happened was demonstrated. Christ endured insults, jeers, pain and the weight of the sin of all mankind for our sake, is not that the greatest forgiveness that ever existed?
On the cross, Jesus did not only suffer physically; He bore rejection, humiliation, and abandonment. He was innocent, yet treated as guilty. While hanging on that tree, He carried sins He never committed so that we could receive a righteousness we never earned. Forgiveness was not cheap—it cost the precious blood of the Son of God.
We should also know that all this forgiveness that God gave us was not something we deserved because we were good, but it was because of His grace and abundant love for us.
Grace reminds us that salvation is not a reward for good behavior, but a gift freely given by a loving Father. If forgiveness depended on our goodness, none of us would qualify. Yet God, knowing our weakness, chose to love us anyway. His forgiveness reaches the sinner, the broken, the ashamed, and the lost, offering a new beginning.
How can we receive God’s forgiveness? We should only look at the cross, at that tree where the Son of God was crucified for our salvation, there, at that moment forgiveness and love for us was poured out.
Looking to the cross means trusting in Christ alone. It means acknowledging our need, repenting from sin, and believing that His sacrifice is sufficient. Forgiveness is received by faith, not by works. When we place our trust in Jesus, God no longer sees our past failures, but the righteousness of His Son.
In Christ we are justified, we are forgiven and we have abundant grace. So dear brother, no matter what you have been going through, just look to the cross and you will receive love and forgiveness, and even though your sins are like red scarlet, He will make you white like wool.
This forgiveness also transforms our lives. Once we understand how much we have been forgiven, our hearts are moved to forgive others. The cross becomes our example and our motivation. As recipients of such great mercy, we are called to walk in humility, gratitude, and love, reflecting the forgiveness that God has generously given us through Jesus Christ.
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How to receive God’s forgiveness
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The Lord Jesus Christ, when he appeared to Saul, the apostle Paul, on his way to Damascus said to him “how to receive God’s forgiveness” of sins. Jesus, in fact, explicitly mentions “forgiveness of sins” in his commission to Paul:
“To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:18)
Paul had to preach to people that they needed to turn from the dominion of Satan, in darkness, to the light of God. That means it is necessary to repent, to change our lives, to accept and believe in Jesus Christ, who can give people forgiveness of sins.
The Lord Jesus Christ said that people ought to be changed:
By faith in Him, all believers who confess that they are sinners receive forgiveness of sins, and are made heirs to the kingdom of God among those that are sanctified, that are separated from Satan by faith in Jesus Christ.
Some time later, as Paul stayed in Antioch, in Pisidia, he entered the synagogue of the Jews on the sabbath day, and he stood up and said to them:
“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
(Acts 13:38-39)
In the same way, Paul told the Jews that, in Jesus Christ, those that believe in Him would receive forgiveness of sins and would be justified from all things—from which they could not be justified by animal’s sacrifices or by any attempts to obey the Law of Moses.
And the good tidings are these: that Jesus Christ gave up himself and died on a Cross to save men and women of all nations, anyone that believes in Him. And, yes: those people are forgiven their sins, and are made heirs to everlasting life.
May all those who believe and keep faith with Jesus Christ be grateful to Him, who has redeemed us from the power of the Devil and has made us children of God. Amen
AMEN