Forgiveness is divin
If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in his word do I hope. (Psalm 130:3-5)
Even if we are working with fear and trembling at the completion of our salvation (Philippians 2:12), we remain dependent on errors and mistakes some of which may have some serious consequences and can be very depressing. Sometimes we even wonder if we will not remain marked forever by our reprehensible works and if the past does not haunt us throughout life. Obviously, if we have stolen we can repair the fault; but if we killed, we are unable to restore life. However, even if we did not do such criminal things, we all remember mistakes and errors that cannot be undone. What is there to do?
Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? (John 11:40)
If the Gospel assures that if we believe we will see the glory of God, can we conclude that even our most reprehensible actions that are contrary to God’s will, can contribute to the achievement of the divine purposes? Surely, as the Gospel clearly shows that Paradise is accessible to sinners as it was for one of the robbers crucified together with Jesus. Indeed, at his request to remember him when he comes in his kingdom, he received from Jesus Christ this unexpected comforting answer:
Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise. (Luke 23:39-43)
This is a manifestation of divine grace! God's forgiveness and salvation by grace in Jesus Christ show explicitly that even the worst misdeeds eventually contribute to the fulfillment of God's purposes.
And in your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! (Psalms 139:16-17)
We are reduced to see the world around us from our perspective, until the day - the day of God - where we will see everything as God sees it, from God’s perspective. This will actually be the kingdom of heaven where we will understand that all actions and events in our life have contributed to God's plans to achieve ultimate goodness.
Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins. (Colossians 1:13-14)
What a beautiful day when our dark past is forgiven and we are transferred into the kingdom of Jesus Christ and his light begins to shine in our hearts. This wonderful salvation commits us never to harden the heart to the point of choosing anything other than to put into practice the will of God..
God our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1.Timothy 2:4)
To come to the knowledge of truth is another manifestation of the relationship between free choice and determinism. Being free to do anything but the will of God shows that our choices cannot change the purposes of the Eternal; God keeps everything under control. But if our good and bad actions contribute likewise to the achievement of the purposes of God, why should we differentiate them?
To understand why, we must remember that it is our choice to ignore the divine precepts and commandments that separates us from God. This disdain may cause feelings of anguish and spiritual alienation that are often manifested by mental and physical ailments.
During our life, we do a lot of bad and stupid things without having planned them. In such cases a conversion is necessary; a conversion which observes this golden rule: sincere acknowledgment of wrongdoings, regret of one's own bad choices, resolve to do everything to never do again the same mistakes, and if possible repair whatever damage we caused. Only if we sincerely regret our wrongdoings and are determined never to repeat them, our past will be forgiven and the future credited.
Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. (James 5:16)
What we are unable to repair after having sought to do our best must not worry us; that human incapacity is also a part of the divine purpose. God is love; he remains in control, always ready to forgive.
For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (Matthew 6:14)
Surely we can do something other than God's will, but we can never interfere with his purpose. However, when we have done something wrong and are sorry for it, we will realize that all our actions fit into God's plan and contributes to its fulfillment.
Of course, we will always have opportunities to make amends for our mistakes without specifying the circumstances in advance. However, when we grieve our shortcomings, we will realize that both our good and bad actions fit into God's plan, and contribute directly or indirectly to our happiness and to increase our sanctification. Being sovereign, God even inserts our errors, in one way or another, in his divine plan according to the words of the Apostle Paul:
God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
However, we should never think that our choices and our behaviors do not matter. Everything matters! Because our choices create for ourselves, and those around us, either a hell in this dark and painful world, or the beginning of a blessed life in the light and the joy of the Kingdom of Heaven. But only if we sincerely regret our sins by being prepared to never repeat them will our past be forgiven and forgotten.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 Jean 1:9)
Being reconciled to God, we taste his forgiveness and become, which is even more amazing, able to forgive anyone. And when our conversion is pressed by our love for God, then our spiritual debts become points of merit. We take advantage of our faults by using them as a motivating to come closer to God. And are we reconciled with God, so have we in addition to his forgiveness also the power to forgive ourselves.
Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18)