Definition Essay: What Is Forgiveness?

What is forgiveness?

Forgiveness is defined by Google as: ‘the action or process of forgiving’. It is defined by Merriam-Webster as: ‘to stop feeling anger towards someone who has done something wrong.’ It’s an act of pardoning an offender. When we wrong someone, we seek his or her forgiveness in order for the relationship to be restored. We must remember that forgiveness is not granted because a person deserves to be forgiven. Instead, it is an act of love, mercy and grace.

The act of forgiving is not easy for most of us. We don’t naturally overflow with love, mercy, grace and understanding when we have been wronged. It impossible to live in the world without getting hurt, offended, misunderstood, lied to and rejected. Learning how

The bible states that when someone hurts or wrongs us, we are under obligation to God to forgive that person. Jesus explicitly says – “If you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly fathers will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you of your transgressions” (Mathew 6:14-15). As stated in the CCC (2840 – 2841): “Christ’s mercy cannot penetrate our hearts if we have not forgiven those who sinned against us. Love is indivisible. We cannot love God (whom we cannot see) and not love others (whom we do see). Refusing to forgive is a sin. By doing so, our hearts become hardened to God’s mercy. However, confessing our sins opens us to God’s grace.” If we receive forgiveness form God, we must give it to others who hurt us. We cannot hold grudges or seek revenge. We are to trust God for justice and forgive the person who offended us, releasing them from the blame and leaving the event in God’s hands, and moving

Many of us know our sins are forgiven, however, find it hard to feel guilt-free. Intellectually, we understand Jesus Christ died on the cross for our salvation, but emotionally we feel imprisoned by shame. The Bible is clear on the point: Jesus Christ bore all the blame, shame, and guilt for humanity’s sins and God our Father sacrificed his Son to set believers free from punishment for their sins. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament teach that individuals are responsible for their sins, but in Christ there is total forgiveness and cleansing.

Through Moses, God established his laws – The Ten Commandments. Under the Old Testament (“Old Covenant”), God’s chosen people sacrificed animals to atone for their sins. God required payment in blood for breaking his laws: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life” (Leviticus 17:11). However, in the New Testament (“New Covenant”), Jesus Christ himself served as the Lamb of God, a spotless sacrifice for human sin past, present and future. “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). Humanity cannot save themselves through good works, thus, by accepting Christ as Saviour, people become exempt from punishment for