Can God Forgive Me?

Bible Promises of God’s Forgiveness and Mercy

• Exodus 34:6-7
• 2 Chronicles 7:14
• Psalm 30:4-5
• Psalm 32:1-5
• Psalm 51
• Psalm 85:2
• Psalm 86:5
• Psalm 99:8
• Psalm 103:2-5, 11-18
• Psalm 130:3-4, 7-8
• Psalm 145:14
• Psalm 147:11
• Proverbs 28:13
• Isaiah 1:18
• Isaiah 43:25
• Isaiah 44:22
• Isaiah 55:7
• Jeremiah 31:33-34
• Jeremiah 33:8
• Lamentations 3:22-26
• Ezekiel 36:25-26
• Hosea 14:4
• Micah 7:8-9
• Micah 7:18-19
• Mark 3:28
• Romans 4:5-8
• Romans 5:6-11
• 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
• Galatians 1:3-4
• Ephesians 2:1-10
• Colossians 1:13-14, 19-22
• Hebrews 8:12
• Hebrews 4:14-16
• Hebrews 10:19-23
• James 5:25
• 1 John 2:1, 12

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Think about it like this. When we love someone, we aren’t looking for reasons to end the relationship. We look for ways to repair and strengthen it.

So God will always forgive us when we ask because above all else, He wants to restore the relationship. And He knows that without Him, we’d be lost. So what good would it do for Him to refuse to forgive us?

That’s why He’s quick to show mercy.

God is the definition of love and mercy

Love is the essence of God’s character. The Bible is clear about that:

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him” (1 John 4:16, ESV, emphasis added).

 

“The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8, ESV).

The word for “love” in the first text is agape. If you’ve heard about “unconditional love,” that’s how many describe it. It’s a persevering, selfless kind of love that doesn’t hang past guilt over someone’s head.¹ People demonstrate it to each other when they say, “No matter what you do or say, I’ll always love you.”

And mercy flows from that love.

The word for “mercy” in the second text is hesed. Depending on the Bible translations, you’ve likely seen words like “mercy,” “compassion,” “lovingkindness,” or “steadfast love” in the Old Testament. Those are just a handful of scholars’ attempts to describe an indescribable word.

In Israel’s history, hesed “signifies God’s unwavering commitment to His promises, despite Israel’s frequent unfaithfulness.”²

Despite the failures of His people, God has refused to give up on them. His desire to be with us and have a relationship motivates His selfless love and firm devotion.

It’s about a relationship with a father who’s always ready to forgive

God’s decision to forgive is based on His character and how He sees each one of us as His beloved child. It’s not based on what we did or didn’t do. We are precious in God’s sight (Isaiah 43:4), and the last thing He wants is to kick us out of the family. He’ll always be there to forgive and help us when we come to Him.

It’s like when the prodigal son in Luke 15 came to his senses after leaving home and wasting his inheritance. He didn’t dare think he could be considered part of the family again. He saw himself as good as dead to them, so he tried to convince his father to hire him as a servant.

But the father would hear none of it. He embraced his son and celebrated his return—it was as if nothing had happened between them.

Jesus Christ used that parable to show His audience (and us) what God the Father is like: someone eagerly waiting for His wayward child to come back so He can receive them with open arms! He wants us to give hope to those who have strayed from God and squandered His blessings. We may feel like a restored relationship with God is impossible. But the truth is, we can always choose to go back to Him—and He’ll be the first to embrace us.

God is the kind of father whose heart throbs for all His children. And if anyone pulls away from Him, He asks, “How can I give you up?” (Hosea 11:8, ESV).

Satan would love for us not to realize or believe the incredible depths of God’s love. He would much rather convince us that we’re unforgivable or irredeemable. So he tries to bog us down with feelings of shame, guilt, and despair that cling to us like brambles in a thornbush.

But no one is hopeless.

How far does His forgiveness go?

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No one is beyond God’s mercy. He can forgive anyone and redeem their story.

Corrie ten Boom, who survived multiple prison camps during World War II, recalled what her sister said before passing away, “… there is no pit so deep that His love is not deeper still.”³

This can be hard to understand when we become used to condemning ourselves. And sometimes, our sinful nature makes it feel painfully natural for us to push Him away and go against His will (Romans 8:5; 3:23).

So, when we want to seek forgiveness, it makes sense that we’re unsure about whether we even have the right to ask for forgiveness.

But God is “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4, ESV). He understands our brokenness and the experiences that have shaped us (Psalm 103:14). And He still wants to reconcile with us! That’s why Scripture uses powerful language to make it clear that His forgiveness is real:

“I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to Me, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:22, ESV, emphasis added).

 

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12, ESV, emphasis added)

 

“Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19, NKJV, emphasis added).

 

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, ESV, emphasis added).

 

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14, NKJV; cf. Ephesians 1:7, emphasis added).

 

“And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh [the sinful nature that needs to be cut off], He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14, NASB20, brackets and emphasis added)

David Guzik, MDiv, comments about what this “certificate of debt” is, saying:

“Some take it in a legal sense and say it represents the charges against a prisoner, or a confession of wrong made by a prisoner. Others take it in a financial sense and see it as a debit or ledger sheet that shows we are bankrupt before God. Either way, it means that the document that once condemned us is now taken out of the way, having been nailed to the cross.”⁴

The bottom line is, when we’re forgiven, all the reasons for our condemnation get obliterated— “blotted out,” “thrown into the ocean,” “nailed to the cross!” Every accusation falls flat.

And God offers forgiveness to anyone and everyone, regardless of whether they’re currently a believer or not. Everyone has sinned, and so everyone needs the grace of God, which can’t be earned by being “good enough” and doing the right things (Romans 3:21-31).

The Lord is eager to show mercy. Even Jesus couldn’t help but offer forgiveness to His murderers who were nailing His hands and feet to the cross (Luke 23:34)!

God loves us so much that He poured it out on us when we were at our lowest points as His enemies:

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. … God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. … For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life” (Romans 5:6, 8, 10, ESV; cf. Ephesians 2:1-7).

The Bible is loaded with stories that illustrate this. Here are just a handful:

• Adam and Eve’s disobedience unleashed sin into this world. But God illustrated His plan of salvation to them by covering their nakedness with animal skins and promising someone would come and make it right (Genesis 3).
• King David got one of his soldiers’ wives pregnant and had him killed to cover it up. But when he confessed, God forgave him and helped him through the consequences (2 Samuel 11-12).
• Manasseh was one of the most evil kings in the Bible, going as far as killing his firstborn son. But he wasn’t beyond God’s reach when he repented (2 Chronicles 33:1-16).
• When religious leaders caught a woman in a sinful act, Jesus defended her and lovingly told her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11, NKJV).
• Peter abandoned Jesus when He needed him most. He even denied he knew Him! Yet Jesus reconciled with him and restored him as an apostle (Mark 14:66-72; John 21:15-18).
• One of the two thieves on the cross had mocked the Son of God while they were dying. But something softened his heart, and when he asked Jesus to remember him, Jesus assured him of salvation (Matthew 27:38-44; Luke 23:39-43).
• Saul of Tarsus caused many innocent people to be imprisoned and killed for their faith. But God’s forgiveness transformed him into Paul the apostle (Acts 8:1-3; 26:1-18).

These Bible stories illustrate what musician and scholar Michael Card said on a podcast:

“Just when a multitude of characters in the Bible realize their own inadequacy, their own sin—just when they realize they have no right to expect anything—they receive not simply a second chance, but everything from God, and a new age of trusting the Lord is born.”⁵

The only way we couldn’t accept God’s forgiveness is if we full-heartedly reject it when He offers it to us or refuse to give it to others when they hurt us.

It almost feels crazy when we realize it’s harder not to be forgiven. But for many of us, the hardest thing we have to get past is doubting that it’s an option for us.

What if I feel like I don’t deserve forgiveness?

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Ask God anyway.

We don’t have to wait to approach Him until we feel like we deserve forgiveness. Forgiveness is a gift—and like any gift, it isn’t something we earn. It’s something we accept.

And we still can’t shake the feelings of unworthiness in receiving this gift, here’s what can help fight off the shame:

We can move forward by building our personal relationship with God:

• Spend time in the Word of God and let Him speak the truth of His love into your life. Great places to start include the Gospel accounts, the book of Romans, and the Psalms.
• Keep your line of communication open. Prayer lets us bring our burdens to God. When you’re tempted to doubt you’re forgiven, you can keep going to Him. All it takes is consciously directing your thoughts to Him. He’s already there.
• Study passages that talk about His love and who you are according to Him (Psalm 139 and Ephesians 1-2 are great starters).

Another way to move forward is to reframe how we view ourselves in light of how God sees us. Remember that Satan’s accusations have no merit because Jesus is on your side (1 John 2:1). So when he says you’re something, remember God says you’re something else:

• A new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• A part of God’s family—a child of God (Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 1:3-4)
• Accepted and loved (Ephesians 1:6)
• No longer condemned (Romans 8:1)
• Set free from your past (Galatians 5:1; John 8:36)
• Righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The list goes on.

But what if you messed up or sinned after being forgiven? Can God still forgive us even when we know better and have already received His forgiveness before?

What if I keep messing up again after receiving forgiveness?

Of course. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down. His forgiveness has no end, because He always wants to restore His relationship with us.

Now, like any gift, forgiveness is not meant to be abused. Forgiveness isn’t a ticket to keep on sinning as if it doesn’t matter. (And anyone who thinks or says that doesn’t yet truly understand what forgiveness is or how it works.)

One of Satan’s go-to deceptions is to make it seem like God’s ways are transactional, just like self-centered human ways. So we’d say a prayer for forgiveness, have our sin card stamped… with “forgiven,” and we’re free to go right back to where we were, as long as we keep returning to God to get our cards stamped.

But since God’s forgiveness is based on love, sincerity, and relationship, a transactional approach isn’t even in the same category. It reduces something amazing to something petty and futile.

Whether or not we can understand the depths of God’s love and mercy, it’s still there for us. That’s why Jesus told His disciples to forgive a brother who sinned against them, even if he asked for it “seven times in a day” (Luke 17:4, NKJV).

If God the Father asks us to forgive others when they mess up over and over, then imagine how much more willing He is to forgive us!

We don’t have to hide, try to “make it up” to God, or punish ourselves to convince Him we’re sorry.

His gift of grace is held out in front of us right now, waiting to be received!

So, how do we receive it?

How can I accept God’s forgiveness?

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When we recognize we did something wrong, the best thing to do is go straight to God. That’s always the first step.

Then, confession is the act of acknowledging our sins and asking for forgiveness.

After confessing comes repentance, which is the decisive willingness to make changes. It means choosing to let God change our hearts and habits through the Holy Spirit. When we confess and renounce our sins, we’re free to start over with a clean slate.

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Proverbs 28:13, ESV).

Then we receive God’s gift of forgiveness by keeping our end of the relationship going. By continuing to come back to Him no matter what.

Not only does God forgive us, He declares that our sins don’t have to define us, which enables us to truly move on.

God’s gift makes us free to start a new chapter in our spiritual lives. We can let God lead us toward full repentance, or lasting change. That’s why Paul said that “the kindness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4, NASB).

This is also where we might wonder about forgiving ourselves. Biblically speaking, self-forgiveness isn’t forgiving ourselves apart from God. It’s allowing God’s grace and forgiveness to empower us to forgive ourselves.

We’re letting go of the burden of the past, refusing to listen to our self-condemning voices. We’re free to move on, to change, and to grow.

Jesus once told a religious leader that those who have been forgiven much will love much (Luke 7:41-47; cf. 1 John 4:19). When someone realizes the depth of love forgiveness gives, it can lead them to transform their lives as an expression of gratitude.

Realizing how much God loves us and why He always forgives us also helps us grow to be more like Him.

So why would God forgive us? Because He loves us, doesn’t want to lose us, and being merciful is in His nature (Exodus 34:6-7).

He doesn’t take pleasure in seeing our torment (Psalm 22:24). Why would He! Who wants to watch someone they love suffer, especially if that suffering never produced any resolution or growth?

There’s not a single person He wouldn’t forgive if they asked for it. And He doesn’t wait, He makes the gift accessible now—just like Jesus forgave those who killed Him, knowing they could decide to receive or refuse it (Luke 23:34).

So even if shame still nags at us, we can ask for God’s help in learning to ignore those feelings and instead focus on His promises and the new identity we have in Christ.

Like the prodigal son’s father, God is always ready to give mercy.

Like Paul, who once thought of himself as the worst of sinners, we can say, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:10, ESV; cf. 1 Timothy 1:15-16).

God’s forgiveness is redemptive and powerful. And the more we learn about it, the more it changes us.

If you want to continue learning about forgiveness, what it entails, and how it really works,

1. “Agape Love,” BibleHub. [↵]
2. “Hesed,” BibleHub. [↵]
3. Ten Boom, Corrie, The Hiding Place, p. 197. [↵]
4. Guzik, David, “4. (Colossians 2:13-15) The work of Jesus in His people through His work on the cross.“ Answering the Colossian Heresy, Study Guide for Colossians 2, Blue Letter Bible. [↵]
5. Card, Michael, “The Meaning of Hessed,” In the Studio With Michael Card, July 30, 2023. [↵]

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