How Does Forgiveness Really Work? What Does the Bible Say?

What do we have to do to receive forgiveness?

Does God really forgive us if we ask?

Do we have to forgive everyone who hurts us?

How can we forgive people who aren’t even sorry?

Why is it so important anyway?

Forgiveness is a key theme throughout the Bible. But it’s also frequently misunderstood and misrepresented by us humans.

To find out what forgiveness really means, we’ll look at how the Bible answers some of the most common questions about it.

Get your own copy of “Your Guide to Understanding and Practicing Real Forgiveness.”

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Who Are Adventists

Who Are Adventists

The Seventh-day Adventist Church—“Adventists” for short—is a Christian denomination of ordinary people who seek to follow Jesus and live out His mission in this world. Established in 1863, we hold to the Protestant principle of sola scriptura, which means the Bible guides everything we do.

Life Lessons from Joseph in the Bible

Life Lessons from Joseph in the Bible

Joseph is one of the more well-known people from the Bible’s Old Testament. He showed remarkable strength, faith, and patience—even while facing great difficulty and injustice. All because he let God lead.

Understanding Prophecy in the Bible

Understanding Prophecy in the Bible

Seventh-day Adventists have emphasized Bible prophecy from the beginning. We have our roots in the study of God’s Word, especially the prophecies that have to do with the future.

All About the Old Testament

All About the Old Testament

The Old Testament is the first section of the Bible and makes up about three-quarters of its material. It lays out the story of Creation, humanity’s fall into sin, and God’s promise to rescue us from sin.

Bible Promises for a Worry Free Life

Bible Promises for a Worry Free Life

The Bible is full of beautiful promises that can comfort us in a variety of situations. They can give us hope when we are hopeless, make us feel grateful for God’s love, and comfort us when we’re grieving or suffering.

How to Challenge Anxious Thoughts

How to Challenge Anxious Thoughts

You were expecting a phone call from your daughter half an hour ago, and she still hasn’t called. She’s also not answering your calls. You feel your heart thumping as your thoughts race: What if she’s been in a car accident? What if something terrible has happened? What if…?

Why is There Good and Evil in the World?

Why is There Good and Evil in the World?

Human nature is capable of the most self-sacrificing and heroic acts—a soldier risking his life for his country, a mother protecting her children from harm, a man jumping into a swirling current to save someone who is drowning.

What Seventh-day Adventists Believe about Christian Behavior

What Seventh-day Adventists Believe about Christian Behavior

The patterns of actions and words that make up behavior are central to any type of belief system because they flow from those beliefs. Seventh-day Adventists look to the Bible, with Jesus as the perfect example, for guidance on shaping our daily behavior.

What do Seventh-day Adventists Believe about the Sabbath?

What do Seventh-day Adventists Believe about the Sabbath?

Seventh-day Adventists believe that the biblical Sabbath is a beautiful gift of rest that God gave to us at Creation and that remains valid to this day. Falling on the seventh day of the week—Saturday—it connects us to God in a special way and offers us a weekly opportunity to be physically, mentally, and spiritually refreshed.

What Do Adventists Believe About the Law of God?

What Do Adventists Believe About the Law of God?

Seventh-day Adventists believe that God’s law reflects His character of love (1 John 4:8; Romans 13:10). It is perfectly summarized in the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai, showing us the practical application of loving God and loving other people.

What Do Seventh-day Adventists Believe About the Gift of Prophecy?

What Do Seventh-day Adventists Believe About the Gift of Prophecy?

Adventists believe the gift of prophecy is a spiritual gift that the Holy Spirit gives to specific individuals to help the church carry out Jesus’ Great Commission (Matthew 28:16–20). Prophecy helps strengthen, encourage, and comfort His people (1 Corinthians 14:3).

What Seventh-day Adventists Believe About Spiritual Gifts in the Bible

What Seventh-day Adventists Believe About Spiritual Gifts in the Bible

Seventh-day Adventists believe that spiritual gifts are talents that the Holy Spirit gives to believers and followers of Jesus Christ. These gifts are different but complementary, and they often equip followers of Christ with the ability to spread the good news about Jesus and encourage its members.

What do Seventh-day Adventists Believe about Baptism?

What do Seventh-day Adventists Believe about Baptism?

Like many Protestant Christians worldwide and throughout history, the Seventh-day Adventist Church believes in baptism, a ceremony in which individuals go under water to publicly demonstrate dying to an old life and beginning a new life in Christ. We baptize people by immersion, as taught and exemplified in the Bible.

What do Seventh-day Adventists Believe about the Remnant and its Mission?

What do Seventh-day Adventists Believe about the Remnant and its Mission?

The “remnant” are a group of faithful believers that have existed throughout history and proclaimed God’s truth, love, and plan to save humanity. They “remain” with God even amid persecution and also when it seems everyone else has rebelled against God or compromised their beliefs.

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