Only God Could Do This
God is the Author of Forgiveness.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
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. Some 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 wants.
So 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. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Only God could author forgiveness. Forgiving someone is the deepest form of love and total selflessness. Everything about forgiveness is about seeking to be reconciled to the one who has done the wrong.
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!
This devotion was written by one of Global Media Outreach’s online volunteers.
Pray this week:
Father, thank you for always forgiving me when I turn to You. Help me forgive those in my life who have brought hurt, and help me show them Your selfless love.
How has God forgiven you, and is there anyone in your life you need to forgive?