Forgiveness

1 John 1:9 states:  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (NIV).   Simple enough.  I ask GOD to forgive me for everything I do wrong, he forgives me and our relationship is restored.     However, as a Christian, I don’t always accept his forgiveness.  I rate my sins~ and I believe we all do.   White lies are not as bad as being drunk.   Gluttony is not as bad as adultery.  Who decided that we should categorize these sins anyway?   In GOD’s eyes ALL sins separate us from him.  

I rate my sins.  If it is a small scale sin, such as a white lie,  I fully believe that GOD takes that sin away and forgives me~  But what if my sin is darker?  What if it’s a adulterous thought, or even something that happened a long time ago before I became a Christian?  Are those sins forgiven too?   According to 1 John 1:9 he forgives ALL sins. 

So why don’t I feel forgiven?  Why do I hold onto the guilt and shame of my sins long after I have confessed and Christ has forgiven me?    How can GOD just forgive me for after every bad thing I have done?

Let me tell you a story.  I am a teacher and every fall my dog Rufus gets angry at me.  During the summer I spend almost every waking moment with him and once school starts back up, I leave him home alone with some toys and a bowl of water.  He gets so angry with me that he starts to have accidents inside of the house. Rufus is housetrained and he knows better.  He is angry at me for leaving him alone all day and this is his way to “getting back at me” for leaving him alone. 

I come home and clean up his mess and steam clean my carpet.  I am angry at him for his “accident” but at the same time I love him and I forgive him.   Just like that.  I love my dog and I forgive him for being angry at me and I forgive him for making a mess in the house~ and a week or two later I forget all about the mess he made as if he never did it.

GOD reminded me that he forgives me the same way.  He loves me and when I confess my sin he forgives me~ ALL sins!   He does not continue to hold me accountable for those actions and he allows me to fellowship with him again.  During my quiet time I was reminded of the verse: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us”  (Psalm 103:12).

~Sunny :D