Lesson 1: God is the Author of Forgiveness

God will forgive anyone. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” I Peter 3:18.

What was your life like before you accepted Jesus and asked Him to save you? You may have grown up as a Christian from a very young age. However, many people don’t accept Jesus until they are much older. Whatever your background, whatever your testimony -- God can use you to help others come to know, love, and follow Him. God will forgive anyone!

We all sin. It can be a challenge to understand that everyone is impacted by sin. At first, people might not want to admit that sin rules their lives. But even Israel’s ancient King David, who was called “a man after [the Lord’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14), said, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). The desire to sin is passed on to each human. We are all born with the urge to do what we want, rather than what God’s wants.

How do we ask God for forgiveness? We repent (turn away from our sin) and confess (agree with Jesus that what we did was wrong) and He forgives us - 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Only God could author forgiveness. Forgiving someone is the deepest form of love and total selflessness. The one who forgives cannot do so if there is even one selfish motive involved. Everything about forgiveness is about seeking to be reconciled to the one who has done the wrong. That is why…


Jesus brings forgiveness. The only human who ever lived an entirely sinless life was Jesus Christ, who “is the visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). God used Jesus Christ to pay the price for the sins of every human. Jesus taught that “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No-one can come to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). He declared, “I have come to call sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). Jesus is the only way a sinful human can be forgiven and come to God.

God is faithful. We learn from the Bible that “if we confess our sins to [God], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (I John 1:9). Anyone can come to God and be saved from their sins. God will change your life if you repent (agree that your sin is wrong) and ask for forgiveness. Rely on Him because He can change your life. This is the Good News of Jesus Christ that you are invited to share with the world!

Pray asking God to forgive you and teach you to be like Him in this very important part of being a believer in Him.