How Can We Be Certain That Our Sins Are Forgiven?
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Even the most faithful among us can be haunted by the sins of our past. While we know intellectually that our sins are forgiven when we believe in and follow Jesus, we still wonder if there are exceptions. Perhaps we think other people’s sins are one thing, but there are things we have done that are simply too wrong or too numerous for God to wash us clean. Maybe we think we’re “too far gone,” or that something we did was “just too bad” for God.
Or maybe we think we need to do something wildly extravagant to atone for the wrong we did; perhaps we think God wants us to beat ourselves up mentally each day and remain in a state of shame and regret. Perhaps we think simple repentance isn’t enough — God wants some grandiose gesture or major sacrificial display on our part.
Perhaps in a quiet corner of our heart, the devil’s lies blare, causing us to doubt the promises of Scripture and the debt Jesus paid.
How can we be certain that our sins are forgiven? The answer: Jesus and his disciples said so through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, and God absolutely does not lie.
What Is a Sin?
Sin is transgression of the law of God. It includes anything we might say, do, or think that goes against what God wants. We know that God is love (1 John 4:8) and cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18). Anything that creates a wall between us and the Lord, that violates the Lord’s commands and ways, is a sin. Sin is disobedience. And there is a major consequence for sin.
Joshua 1:18 says, “Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death.”
Romans 6:23 puts it another way, noting, “For the wages of sin is death.”
As Adam’s descendants, we are inherently sinful (Romans 5:12). But we also commit personal sin, even the best of us, whether this is lying, using the Lord’s name in vain, envy, adultery, or murder. No matter the sin, all sin is bad and wrong. All sin hurts God.
But thankfully, as Romans 6:23 continues, “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
What Is Forgiveness?
In the old days, before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God provided the people with a way to attempt to atone for their sins. There were elaborate rules for when and how to make sacrifices that could allow for the people to properly apologize and repent for their mistakes. But the people kept going astray. And none of those sacrifices lasted forever.
However, when God sent his son Jesus into the world, it changed everything.
As the disciples explain in Acts 13:38, “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”
The word here for forgiveness is the Greek aphesis, which means forgiveness in the sense of a pardon, release, freedom, or cancellation of a debt.
Even though the penalty for sin is death, Jesus pays that penalty for all of us — all — who believe in him.
What Did Jesus Say about Forgiveness?
One of the most beloved verses in the Bible is found in the Gospel of John. Jesus, talking with the pharisee Nicodemus, explains the core of Christianity in a simple and clear way, stating, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16-17).
Throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus talked a great deal about the importance of forgiveness, urging us to forgive others so that we, too, will be forgiven.
As Jesus said in Matthew 6:14, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
And later, in Matthew 9:6, he said, “I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
Still later, at the Last Supper before the disciples knew he would soon be betrayed, arrested, and condemned to death, Jesus offered his body and his blood through the bread and wine upon the table. As he said in Matthew 26:28, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Finally, after his crucifixion and resurrection, he spent more time among the disciples, preparing them to establish his church in the world once he had gone. Luke 24:45-49 tells us he opened the minds of the disciples so they could understand the Scriptures, telling them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Over and over, Jesus said: This opportunity is available to all. Believe in me. I have the authority to forgive. If you are in covenant with me, you are forgiven. But you must also forgive others just as you are forgiven.
What Bible Verses Assure Us of Our Forgiveness?
The disciples were clear about this when they started sharing the Gospel. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they called people to “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Acts 13:38 further notes that “through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”
In 1 John 1:9, we’re assured, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
And in Ephesians 1:7, it’s proclaimed, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
Because of Jesus, we are forgiven. Jesus is the key.
How Can I Be Assured of My Own Forgiveness?
The most important thing we must do to receive forgiveness is believe that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God and our savior. Then we need to understand that we all are sinners, no matter how kind or well-behaved we are. Not a single one of us is blameless except for Jesus himself.
When we acknowledge our sin, we are then to confess our sin and repent of our wrongdoing.
Repent doesn’t just mean regret, but to actually steer our lives back onto God’s path instead of our own. Repentance means striving to do right from here on out, even knowing we might fall short.
Next, we should cling to our faith in Jesus. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Finally, as faithful and repentant believers, we can trust that the Holy Spirit now lives inside of us, alive and active. We are now co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17) and maintain a citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20).
We are made new.
As 2 Corinthians 5:17 promises, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice because he, as the perfect, spotless, unblemished lamb of God, took on the sins of the world when he died on the cross. He stood in for us and canceled out our debt.
In return, all we must do is repent and believe — and forgive others just as we have been forgiven.
Thanks be to God!
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/shuang paul wang
