It’s Good to Accept God’s Forgiveness Verbally
by Gary Henry
via WordPoints.com
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).
Regarding our sins, we are grateful for two things. We’re thankful, first, that God is willing to forgive us, and second, that we can know He has forgiven us. The first without the second would leave us always uncertain about our forgiveness, so it’s important to know that our Father has, in fact, wiped out our transgressions.
Before going further, there is something we should keep in mind. In Acts 8:22, Peter said to Simon, who had tried to buy from Peter the ability to perform miracles, “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.” Since Simon was a baptized believer (Acts 8:13), was there any doubt that God would forgive him? Why did Peter say “if perhaps”? I can think of at least one reason: Simon’s forgiveness would depend on the sincerity of his request. God will not be mocked by hypocritical, impenitent prayers for forgiveness.
If we’re sincere in confessing our sin, however, God has promised to pardon us: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Could there be a more glorious, hopeful promise? Surely not. When we honestly admit the sinfulness of what we’ve done and ask to be forgiven, we can rejoice in the faithfulness of God’s promise. If we’ve asked, then He has forgiven us. God always does what He says!
I believe there is value in verbally acknowledging this confidence. Rather than vaguely “feeling” forgiven, we can make it more specific: “Dear Father, I am thankful that you are faithful and just to forgive what I’ve done. I gladly receive Your forgiveness now.”
Saying something like that to God does several things. It causes us to consider whether we truly believe God has forgiven us, it makes our gratitude for forgiveness more specific, and it sets a clear marker between the “before” and “after” — a defining moment when we reject our sin, accept God’s forgiveness, and pivot toward being a new person. And if you want to make it more clear-cut, say it out loud. It’s something we all know is true: “verbal” acknowledgments make a bigger difference in our lives than those we merely “think.”
"Today, I receive that gift of forgiveness You hold out to me. Thank You for doing a healing work inside of me that I cannot do on my own" (Suzanne Eller).
