Daily Choosing the Path of Forgiveness
- John Nolan
- Jun 12
- 4 min read
Forgiveness is meant to become a lifestyle for followers of Jesus Christ, a pathway we choose each day. Like the daily tides that come in and go out, renewing the sand on the beach, and washing away all that was etched into it, so forgiveness has the power to wash away all our failures and sins. I have found a particular verse in the Bible very comforting over the years, through times of personal failure and regret. The Bible reveals that God's mercies are new every morning, and that each new day gives me a fresh opportunity for success. By daily choosing the path of forgiveness, we can find eternal joy and fruitfulness in God's kingdom.
The Path Of Forgiveness
Our Ministry of Reconciliation
God not only extends His mercy to us as believers, but also requires us to shine forth the same light of forgiveness to others in the world.
(2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
The 3 Different Types of Forgiveness
Forgiveness Before God
Forgiveness Between Men
Forgiving Yourself
Forgiveness Before God
(Isaiah 1:18) “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool
I remember my first trip to the snow in my early 20's, and specifically a moment as we drove around a bend in the road and beheld a snow-filled panorama. Having lived in sub-tropical Queensland most of my life, I had never seen snow before, and its beauty had an impact on me.
The fact that God offered me His forgiveness and cleansing was truly empowering to me, for I had a deep sense of my own sinfulness, which I had been unable to overcome. Then, upon seeing the whiteness of the snow, I realised the depth and purity of the spiritual cleansing that was available in Christ.
Forgiveness Between Men
When we experience God's mercy and forgiveness in our own lives, it is not only a deeply humbling experience, but also one that enables us to change in our hearts and become forgiving people. Mountain lakes and ponds maintain their clarity when they have water flowing both in and out; in the same way, forgiveness in the human heart must be both received and then given away to others.
(Matthew 6:12) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors
According to what is commonly known as the Lord's Prayer, we receive our own forgiveness AS WE forgive others!
(Matthew 6:14-15) “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
If we hold unforgiveness in our hearts toward others, God will not forgive us our own transgressions.
Forgiving Yourself
Sometimes, when we fail ethically or morally, we may have asked and received God's forgiveness and mercy, but we continue to reproach ourselves for our failure and put ourselves down. If we continue to do this, we fall into one of the snares of the devil, who does his best to stop God's children from enjoying the freedom that Christ won for them on the cross.
As a new Christian believer, I often found myself torn between believing what the Bible taught and my personal feelings of guilt and shame. The Bible said that if I confessed my sins, God was faithful to both forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), but why then did I still feel shame?
What I was experiencing was a battle between my feelings (being influenced by Satan) and the truth of God's Word. The Bible gives Satan many names, but one particular name reveals him as "the accuser of the brethren", and in this role, Satan attempts to restrict the spiritual growth of Christian believers by deceiving them and holding them in the bondage of shame.
After struggling with this battle for some time and crying out to God in prayer for help, the Holy Spirit revealed a scripture to me that forever changed the way I saw myself in Christ.
(Acts 10:15)
And a voice spoke to him again the second time, “What God has cleansed you must not call common.”
The scripture that God led me to described the acceptance of the Gentiles (non jews) into the eternal covenant of Salvation in Christ. The Gentiles had previously been considered 'common' or 'spiritually unclean' by the Jewish people, who were considered clean in the sight of God.
However, God revealed this scripture to me personally in a different way. When I lived in shame, although God's Word told me I was forgiven and cleansed from my sins, it was because I believed the lie that Satan was telling me. I was essentially calling myself common or unclean, even though God's Word told me that I was clean.
(Romans 8:1) There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit
(Revelation 12:10) Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down
This is one of the reasons it is important to humble ourselves before God when we are seeking His forgiveness and cleansing, because He gives grace to the humble, and this allows the Holy Spirit to work deeper inside us and allows us to also forgive ourselves.
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning.
Great is Your faithfulness
(Lamentations 3:22-23)
I hope you found this helpful
God Bless
John Nolan
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