Suppose you had a friend who is struggling with the fact that God can and will forgive her of her sins because of her past. She is supposedly a Christian. What would you say to help her understand she is completely forgiven?
There is no trick. A Christian just needs to take God as His word in the scriptures
What do you do with the person who says, �I�ve asked God to forgive me about this, but I still feel guilty�? I hear that statement over and over again. I usually say to these people, �If you still feel guilty, then pray to God again. But this time don�t ask Him to forgive you for the sin that is haunting you. Rather, ask Him to forgive you for insulting His integrity by refusing to accept His forgiveness. Who are you to refuse to forgive yourself when God has forgiven you? When God promises to forgive His people when they repent, He is not playing games. If He says He will forgive you, then He will forgive you. And if God forgives you, you are forgiven.� RC Sproul
Our sins have been put away. To use the language of the Scriptures�they are completely removed, put behind God�s back, blotted out, remembered no more, and hurled into the depths of the sea. - Jerry Bridges
If God did not forgive the Christian who confesses and turns away from sin, God would become unrighteous by holding in contempt Christ�s atoning work, whose purpose was to uphold God�s glory. - Daniel Fuller
The blood of Jesus unfailingly cleanses the believer from his sin at all times. There could be no sin that the blood does not cover, confessed or not confessed. Though our sins were taken care of in the cross of Christ, and by His blood being spilled for us, it is applied immediately in time to every sin we commit the nano-second we commit it. - Jim Elliff
You may think that God is no better than you. In other words, you couldn�t imagine forgiving someone seventy times seven, so you can�t believe that God would. If this is the way you are thinking, then you are believing a lie. God is not like us. His forgiveness is not like ours. Don�t use your own weakness as the standard by which you understand God�s greatness! Just listen as He reveals Himself in His Word. - Edward T Welch
Don�t say, �How could God forgive me for that!� (whatever that is). Don�t think that God�s forgiveness is a begrudging forgiveness and with that thought deny some of God�s glorious love. And don�t think that God�s promises are only for other people. If this is how you are thinking, you must realize that your own sins, no matter how big, are not bigger than God�s pleasure in forgiveness. - Edward T Welch
When Jesus died, He died as my representative, and I died in Him; when He arose, He rose as my representative, and I arose in Him; when He ascended up on high and took His place at the right hand of the Father in the glory, He ascended as my representative and I ascended in Him, and today I am seated in Christ with God in the heavenlies. I look at the cross of Christ, and I know that atonement has been made for my sins; I look at the open sepulcher and the risen and ascended Lord, and I know the atonement has been accepted. There no longer remains a single sin on me, no matter how many or how great my sins may have been. - R.A. Torrey
Don�t buy the lie that cultivating condemnation and wallowing in your shame is somehow pleasing to God, or that a constant, low-grade guilt will somehow promote holiness and spiritual maturity. It�s just the opposite! God is glorified when we believe with all our hearts that those who trust in Christ can never be condemned. It�s only when we receive his free gift of grace and live in the good of total forgiveness that we�re able to turn from old, sinful ways of living and walk in grace-motivated obedience. - CJ Mahaney
Between here and heaven, every minute that the Christian lives will be a minute of grace. - CH Spurgeon
Grace ceases to be grace if God is compelled to bestow it in the presence of human merit� Grace ceases to be grace if God is compelled to withdraw it in the presence of human demerit. - Sam Storms
Grace is the very opposite of merit... Grace is not only undeserved favor, but it is favor shown to the one who has deserved the very opposite. - Harry Ironside
She thinks her level of righteousness is somehow greater than God's where He would forgive, she knows better than God.
or
Perhaps her knowledge is greater than God's and if He knew what she knows about herself, surely God would not forgive.
or
The worst of it yet: She thinks her sin is greater than Jesus going to the cross and greater than the Love of God!
My, My isn't she special!
This is nothing more than the sin of pride masquerading as some sort of weird perverted self righteousness. The sin of her unbelief in the forgiveness and Love of God is far greater than any sin she feels unforgiven for.
Accept the forgiveness of God and get on with your life, you will sin again, stumble and fall, just get up and get moving again. God is not calling for instant perfection, just keep moving in the right direction, that is all He asks. Unforgiveness keeps a person down on the ground or often gets them walking in the wrong direction.
Jesus said to follow Him, you can't follow while your laying on the ground wallowing in your own unforgiveness!
