Sin and Forgiveness - The Global Forgiveness Initiative

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The topics of sin and sinfulness, are very large topics encompassing deep issues of guilt, shame, remorse, regret and the like. However, all is not lost, as it also raises issues of forgiveness, redemption and salvation as well. When all is said and done, perhaps the best expression of remorse and regret, and to become redeemed, is a life well-lived.

Perhaps the best expression of remorse and regret, and to become redeemed, is a life well-lived.

There is the age-old question that if God made us (and who else could have?) then why are we not made more perfect? Why make a creature almost guaranteed to make mistakes, and even be deliberately tempted to sin, and then punish that creature for doing so? That hardly seems fair or loving, does it?

One answer to this, is that we were made with the ability to choose. Yet, some seem much more able to choose the good than others and there always seems to be a percentage, often a fairly large percentage, of souls who will fail to live by God’s laws. Why is it skewed so that such a large percentage of the population are destined to fall into sin? It is almost like some of us need to try out being “bad”, so that we can experience that being good is actually better and even feels a lot better in the long run. Could it be that the Divine has so much faith in our ability to recognise goodness that we will eventually turn to Him and to what is right, even if we stray very far from this?

Sin as “Missing the Mark”

Some say that sin means “to miss the mark” and use the analogy of someone firing an arrow at a target and missing the target that they are aiming for. Others say that there is more to it than that, because when a person misses a target, they are not trying do so deliberately; whereas when a person sins, they may be being deliberate about it. Still others would say, just as someone can miss a target out of lack of skill, even if their intention is to hit it, someone can sin from lack of skill at being able to live by what is noble, good and right. If the person has not been properly trained in the good, or did not have adequate examples, how can they be good?

This is a challenge to our conscience. It is a challenge to the person, who is considering an immoral act, to listen to their conscience. Yet it is also a challenge to the conscience of anyone who is tempted to sit in judgement of others and arrogantly dismiss them as unworthy of God’s Love. We can be so busy looking at the wrongs that others are doing, that we miss the wrong we do to them, even if it is only in unkind ways we perceive them and the ways we mentally justify our contempt of them. It is hypocritical to preach of God’s love, but actually practise bitter judgementalism.

Properly understood, and properly followed, the voice of our conscience can become like a reliable guide which leads us home to God’s Love.

For some the voice of conscience, may seem like an annoyance or irritation. Properly understood, and properly followed, the voice of our conscience can become like a reliable guide which leads us home to God’s Love.

Definition of Sin

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What is defined as a “sin” often involves human interpretation of what is right or wrong. Ideally the definition comes from, or is derived from, a holy book, but there is always the possibility that some religious authorities will slant the direction of the definition to suit their purposes. I once came across a commentary about a religion where the local peasants were told that if the found gold, or other precious metal, that they should give it to the local monastery, or they would be condemned to hell. This was not so long ago, and it hardly seems fair or reasonable. It looks very much like the local religious authorities were taking advantage of the local peasants, who were largely uneducated and Illiterate. Similar stories have not exactly been rare historically and they weaken the authority of religion in the long run, by causing people to question the integrity of religious authorities.

What is a sin?

A thief steals from himself; he steals his own birth right as a beloved child of God and replaces it with things of no real value.

Some things are universally considered wrong and sinful, such a murder or attempted murder and the like. Also, theft, is universally considered a sin. What is it that makes theft, for example, a sin? For one thing theft can cause pain to the person being stolen from. Yet, it also harms the thief as their belief in themselves, and their abilities. is so low that that cannot allow themselves to believe that they can achieve their ends in more honourable ways. Thieves have to harden their hearts towards those they are stealing from and so they separate themselves from most of society, and can only openly socialise with other thieves. In this way, the thief denies himself much of the good in society and even denies himself much of his own capacity for good. In a way, a thief steals from himself; he steals his own birth right as a beloved child of God and replaces it with things of no real value. Sin is giving way to impulses which cause the person to behave in ways which are unworthy of a child of God, such as; using other people for our own ends and closing our minds to the fact that others are also beloved of God.

The Core of Sin

Many sins are actually forms of self harm.

Many sins bring with them a type of instant punishment (instant karma if you like) in the forms guilt, shame, social isolation (such as through living a lie), loneliness – and possibly even a life of fear and of dread at the possibility of being found out and punished. Many sins are actually forms of self harm. Perhaps if we become a sinner, it does not so much cause God to turn His face away from us; it causes us to turn our face away from God. We dare not look in God’s direction out of fear of what we might see. Or, more likely we don’t want to listen to what our conscience is telling us. Perhaps the core to sin as anything whereby a person is building their identity, their sense of self, on something unworthy. Any assumption that we not are capable of being a much loved and cherished child of God, weakens us and makes us prone to errors and prone to become sinners. Sin could be looked at as anything which separates us from God, from the Good and the source of Goodness. How then to restore ourselves? How do we find redemption and salvation?

Sin, Forgiveness and Self Forgiveness

We need to focus on the good we can do; rather than the bad we cannot undo.

For some learning to forgive others may need to come first; for others learning to forgive themselves may need to come first. Even when the other person was the perpetrator, we may need to forgive both them and ourselves for the same situation (such as when we are judging or and blaming ourselves as being “stupid” or “foolish” for allowing something bad to happen to us). It is often very important to forgive ourselves, and make amends, in order to complete the forgiveness process.

Can Only God Forgive?

If we have judged ourselves then surely, we have the option to forgive ourselves to that extent too?

Some say that only God can forgive. However, that cannot be all there is to it, because if we have judged ourselves then surely, we have the option to forgive ourselves to that extent too? Whether God has forgiven us, or will forgive us, is another matter. Most religious leaders say that God always forgives us when we are genuinely contrite. It seems only reasonable that we have the option to forgive ourselves too, within our own mind and heart, as we have judged ourselves within our own mind and heart. Forgiving ourselves with the intention of also making amends to those we have harmed, wherever reasonably possible, enables us to turn towards the good and away from further error.

We are taught that those who are forgiving will be forgiven by God, so we need to learn to forgive in order to be forgiven. In attempting to do so, you will most likely find that in order to forgive others, sooner or later, you will also need to forgive yourself. Perhaps part of the meaning of redemption is that when forgive others we redeem them in our own mind, and we ourselves become redeemed by the act of redeeming them.

Repentance, Guilt and Shame

Forgiveness not only heals the effect of sin; it heals the causes of sin. As we learn to forgive we lose our capacity to sin.

Another good reason to forgive ourselves is that self-hate, self-loathing, self-judgement and self-blame are not useful in learning to genuinely love and genuinely be concerned for others. Hating oneself makes it almost impossible to genuinely love anyone. Guilt or shame may drive us to reconsider our actions and cause us to want to make amends, which is all to the good. There is a time to repent. There is a time to feel bad about doing something wrong. But, if guilt and shame become excessive these too, can be counter-productive. If shame becomes toxic shame, then it becomes corrosive to the persons character rather helping to develop it. When our attention in life is on how we can help others (not on “me, me me” and what we can get out of other people) then that will help us avoid most of the sinful mistakes.

Mostly, when we get ourselves into trouble it’s usually because we have become too self-absorbed and have not taken into account the needs and wants of others. If we allow guilt, shame and remorse, to go beyond their usefulness, in getting us to change our ways and make amends, then we could too easily become so self-absorbed, in punishing ourselves, that we become of little use to those around us. Repentance is important, it may need to take it’s course. Yet, that is not the end of the story,. What we most need to do is to learn not to be so self-absorbed, since that is what caused us to sin in the first place. We need to focus on the good we can do; rather than the bad we cannot undo. That way we can at least acheive something of value, and do some good in the world – and express our remorse, and capacity for good – through a life well-lived.

An act of forgiveness becomes an act of redemption.

By learning to forgive ourselves we also become much more able to forgive others, because, for one thing, it gives us some practice at forgiving. The more practice we have at forgiveness the better we become at forgiving. Becoming better at forgiving is a superb aid to setting us on the path of right and establishing a better relationship with the Divine. In this way, Forgiveness begins to show some of it’s true power which is to release us from the tendecies which cause us to sin. Forgiveness not only heals the effect of sin; it heals the causes of sin. Therefore an act of forgiveness becomes an act of redemption.

How to Forgive Sin

In my work with forgiveness, I find that people who practise, The Four Steps to Forgiveness, can make wonderful breakthroughs in their capacity to Forgive. They become able to forgive themselves and become much more able to forgive others. Many people have no idea of how to forgive until they are shown a specific method. It is not the method itself which enables them to forgive. The method enables them to focus on forgiving a specific person for a specific thing (rather than focussing on resenting that person), so that the Grace of God can enter in and allow the situation, and their feelings about it, to be transformed into an act of Forgiveness. The method is therefore an aid to focussing our attention on Forgiveness, so that it can happen. Even a person wanting to learn to forgive for entirely secular reasons may well have a deep and profound experience during the process. Who are we, or anyone, to say it should not be so?

Can Forgiveness be Taught?

Religious tradition often emphasise stories about forgiveness in order to illustrate the importance of Forgiveness and inspire us to what to do so. Certainly the Bible verse about forgiveness did that for me even as a child. However, it is one thing to want to forgive; it is another to be able to do it. I became much better at forgiving when I found a method (The Four Steps to Forgiveness) which helped me to be able to do it, especially in challenging times, which is when I most needed to forgive and some help in being able to do so.

Even a secular person who practises forgiveness specifically in order to gain the psychological benefits, can them find themselves being surprised by a spiritual experience.

There are those who say that forgiveness cannot be taught, and in a way, they are correct; but what can be taught is a way to help people focus their mind on Forgiveness – which has far better spiritual and psychological results than them focussing on anger, resentment and bitterness. The Four Steps to Forgiveness, is like a form of prayer, or invocation, which is simple and direct. Yet, it can also be used in an entirely secular context. Even the secular person who practises forgiveness specifically in order to gain the psychological benefits, can them find themselves being surprised by a number of unexpected spiritual benefits, and perhaps by a spiritual experience.

You can try The Four Steps to Forgiveness for yourself, by downloading the free ebook using any of the links on this page. The download is immediate, and you can easily change the wording of the method to suit your specific religious needs, if necessary.

May God bless you on your journey into Forgiveness.

Written by: William Fergus Martin