Forgiveness: God’s grace in action

What truly is forgiveness, and how do we know we have been forgiven? This is a question that I often hear. Some feel the sins they have committed are so great that they can never be forgiven. Forgiveness does not mean forgetfulness. To help us understand God’s love, grace and forgiveness, a story in John 8:3–11 tells of some Pharisees bringing a woman caught in adultery to Jesus.

The Pharisees brought the woman to be condemned, but Jesus freed her by extending her undeserved grace. Her accusers came to Jesus in self-righteous superiority, throwing her to the ground. But they skulked away, dropping their stones in self-defeated shame. Jesus looked at her with compassion and lifted her up. The woman who was caught in adultery stood before Jesus in disgrace but was met with divine grace.

We come before Jesus, just like that woman feeling inferior because of all our sins, mistakes and failures, having pages we would love to have ripped out! But know that the page of your story and mine does not define the entire narrative … no matter how bad it is. Because of grace, we are more than our worst pages. God’s forgiving grace is greater than any wrong we have done or will do in the future.

Lutheran Tract Mission (LTM) has many resources available to help you understand God’s grace and forgiveness and what it means to live a Christ-like life.

When it comes to God’s forgiveness, his is the stone NOT thrown!

Visit the LTM website at www.ltm.org.au and search forgiveness and Christian growth.

But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure (1 John 1:9).

Anne Hansen is Lutheran Tract Mission’s Tract Development Officer.