Forgiveness of Sins is the gracious act of God by which He removes the guilt of the sinner and no longer holds the offense against him.
It is grounded in the blood of Jesus Christ, received by faith, and results in peace with God.
Scripture presents forgiveness as both a once-for-all gift at conversion and an ongoing reality in the believer’s walk with the Father.
Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness, and there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.
From the first sin in the garden, humanity has needed forgiveness. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament pointed forward to a greater sacrifice that could truly take away sins. Jesus came announcing the kingdom and declaring that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. He demonstrated that authority by healing the paralytic and by pronouncing forgiveness on the woman who wept at His feet. At the Last Supper He spoke of the cup as His blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. After the resurrection He commissioned the disciples that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations. The apostles preached that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name. Forgiveness is therefore not a human achievement or a mere overlooking of wrong; it is the costly gift of God, purchased by the blood of the Lamb and applied to all who repent and believe.
- Forgiveness of sins is possible only through the blood of Jesus Christ.
- Jesus has authority on earth to forgive sins—an authority He demonstrated in His ministry.
- Forgiveness is received by repentance and faith, not by works of the law.
- Those who are forgiven are called to forgive others as they have been forgiven.
- Confession of sin remains part of the believer’s ongoing fellowship with God.
- The gospel is the announcement that forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in Jesus’ name to all nations.
- Full and final forgiveness rests on the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ.
- Grounded in the Cross – Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness; Christ’s blood was poured out for many.
- Authority of the Son – The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
- Received by Faith – Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.
- Repentance and Proclamation – Repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be proclaimed in His name to all nations.
- Ongoing Cleansing – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- Call to Forgive Others – Those who have been forgiven much are to forgive others from the heart.
- Complete Removal – As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.
- Matthew 26:28 – “For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
- Matthew 9:2, 6 – “And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.’… ‘But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he then said to the paralytic—‘Rise, pick up your bed and go home.’”
- Luke 24:46-47 – “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
- Acts 10:43 – “To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
- Acts 13:38-39 – “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”
- Ephesians 1:7 – “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…”
- Colossians 1:13-14 – “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
- 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- Hebrews 9:22 – “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
- Hebrews 10:17-18 – “Then he adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.”
- Psalm 103:12 – “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”
- Isaiah 1:18 – “Come now, 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 become like wool.”
- Micah 7:18-19 – “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?… He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”
- Luke 7:47-48 – “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’ And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’”
- Matthew 6:12, 14-15 – “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors… For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
- Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
- Colossians 3:13 – “…bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
- Acts 2:38 – “And Peter said to them, ‘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.’”
- Psalm 32:1-2 – “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity…”
- Romans 4:7-8 – “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
Forgiveness of sins is the heart of the gospel. It is not earned, not negotiated, and not partial. It is purchased by the blood of Jesus and given freely to all who repent and believe. The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, and He still speaks that word to every sinner who comes to Him. Those who have been forgiven much love much, and they forgive others as they have been forgiven. Confess your sins. Receive the cleansing He promises. Proclaim repentance and forgiveness in His name to all nations. The God who casts sins into the depths of the sea and remembers them no more has opened the way through the cross. Come. Be forgiven. And walk in the freedom of those whose transgressions have been removed as far as the east is from the west.
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