As the world is progressing, many tend to forget the value of repentance and forgiveness. These two things are, in fact, the most important things that every person should try to achieve. Individuals, especially those that are parts of the Christian community, must know the essence of these aspects in order to realize their purpose and live a better life.
When you read the Bible, you can definitely see a lot of passages that refer to repentance and forgiveness. However, do you really get the gist and significance of these terms? If not, then here’s what you need to know.
Repentance
To turn away from sin and devote yourself to change your life — is the common definition of repentance. There are different words that refer to repentance if you try to read the Old Testament and New Testament in the Holy Scripture. Hebrew words “namchan” and “sub” pertain to the former while the Greek term “metanoia” refers to the latter. Although they are of different roots, these words center on the same meaning, which is repentance.
The meaning of repentance is basically to change your mind about a particular thing. It is connected to your method of thinking about things. For example, you think that eating food even if you’re already full is fine; but, when you think about it deeply, it isn’t and you are committing a cardinal sin. You changed your mind and stopped gluttony. Hence, that is considered repentance.
Humans are sinners. Some of them are just brave enough to turn their back from temptations and sins in order to cultivate a better relationship with God while others are still in the process of acknowledging their bad deeds and repent from them. The book by Marilyn Taplin titled A Law from Eden: Solving the Mystery of Original Sin helps us understand sin and repentance better. According to the book, “Adam and Eve may not have been the only two people on earth at that time; however, they are alone in their story to show that sin began with a man and his wife and not with two men or two women.”
Moreover, there are 5 steps that you should take to achieve repentance. These are the following:
- Recognize the sin
- Confess the sin
- Ask for forgiveness
- Deflect from sin
- Mend your wrong doings
Forgiveness
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the denotation of the root word of forgiveness, which is “forgive”, is to stop feeling resentment against an enemy. But, when it comes to the meaning of forgiveness in the Holy Scripture, you can find a wide array of it. The Old Testament centers on the forgiveness of the Lord bestowed upon a person or a group. The teachings of the Son of God also conveyed the way people can and must forgive one another.
In the New Testament, forgiveness has been highlighted multiple times. There is a Greek term called aphiēmi that basically means to forgive when translated; but, it also has other corresponding meanings apart from the one mentioned. Moreover, nothing is more significant in our lives as Christian than to obtain forgiveness not just from God but also from those that we’ve wronged.
Listed below are the verses in the Bible that centers on forgiveness for your to get a better grasp about the true meaning of forgiveness in the Holy Scripture.
- “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13
- “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.” – Luke 23:34
- “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” – Psalm 32:5
- “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” – James 5:16
- “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” – Luke 6:37
The Happy Hammock 