The Natural and Supernatural Processes of Forgiveness

Ephesians 1:7

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

When we think of forgiveness, we usually think of it in terms of how it plays out in our natural interactions with others.  We may find it hard to forgive someone who has offended us, but we can usually find the mercy to forgive them under the right conditions.  They come to us and express sufficient regret and express a sincere desire that they will never do it again.  Conversely, we feel like we should be forgiven if we are willing to express our sorrow for the pain we have caused to another and we are willing to say we will not cause that harm again.  In the natural, among people of good hearts, this process works much of the time.

Almighty God looks at forgiveness in a different light.  He certainly requires the same natural interactions of forgiveness that we are familiar with.  For God to forgive us, He requires us to come before Him humbly and confess our sins.  For God to forgive us, He requires us to repent of our sins.  But Our Father in heaven also requires supernatural interaction.  Because of His holiness, we cannot approach Him with our expressions of sorrow and repentance unless we have accepted Jesus as Our Savior.  For Our Savior must first approach the Father as Our Mediator.  He must identify us as ones who have been cleansed by His atoning blood.  In the supernatural, under these conditions, this process works every time without fail.

Let us repent of every sin and iniquity in our lives.  Let us ask Our Lord to forgive us with true contriteness in our hearts.  Let us rejoice as we are washed clean of every blemish that separates us from Our Father in heaven.  Let us praise the name of Our Redeemer who saved us through the richness of His grace.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your perfect, unconditional love and the mercy plan for forgiveness that You have provided through Your Son, Jesus.  We bless the name of Jesus for making it possible for us to come before You with our confessions and our desire to repent of our sins.  We rejoice in knowing that Our Savior stands before You as Our Mediator and that His atoning blood covers us so that we are acceptable to receive Your forgiveness.  We pray, Lord, that we will always be mindful of what it cost You to reinstate us in Your favor.  May the world around us see us in the light of Your favor and be drawn to Your Son to receive the same treasure.  We ask all these things in the name of Our High Priest, Jesus Christ.