Forgiveness

Forgiveness in Scripture is the cancellation of a debt and the removal of guilt before God. It is not a redefinition of sin as less serious than it appeared, and it is not a matter of God simply choosing not to notice. Forgiveness is costly because sin is real, guilt is real, and the debt that sin creates before a holy God is not nothing. When God forgives, the cost has been met, the debt has been paid, and the guilt has been removed.

The Old Testament sacrificial system enacts this logic repeatedly. The sin offering and the guilt offering show that forgiveness requires substitution: something must die for the one who has sinned to be covered. The annual Day of Atonement pictures both the removal of sin, the blood brought before the mercy seat, and the carrying away of sin, the scapegoat sent into the wilderness. The imagery is vivid because the reality it represents is serious.

The New Testament declares that forgiveness is secured by the blood of Christ. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). Christ’s atoning death is the reality toward which all the Old Testament sacrifices pointed. The forgiveness available in his name is complete, permanent, and sufficient for every sin. The articles below trace this theme through several key passages.