Tuesday, February 3 It is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus.​—Rom. 3:24.

[Anniebea]

Tuesday, February 3

It is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus.—Rom. 3:24.

 

When Jehovah forgives, he does so completely and permanently. This allows us to have a good relationship with our heavenly Father. At the same time, we remember that true forgiveness is a gift. It comes from Jehovah’s love and undeserved kindness, which he expresses to sinful mankind. It is not a right that humans can demand. How grateful each one of us should be that Jehovah is the God of “true forgiveness”! (Ps. 130:4; Rom. 4:8) However, our being forgiven is dependent on something important. Jesus explained: “If you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6:14, 15) Obviously, then, it is vital for us to imitate Jehovah’s forgiveness. w25.02 13 ¶18-19

[dljbsp]

I’ve always loved the thought that Jehovah puts our sins as far away from us as the sunrise is from the sunset. You can’t see both at the same time. When one is in view, the other is completely gone. (Psalm 103:12)

 

That helps me understand how Jehovah sees us. He doesn’t keep dragging our past mistakes back in front of us. When he forgives, it’s real forgiveness. From his point of view, our past sins are not standing right there accusing us over and over again.

 

We don’t see things that way, though. Our imperfection keeps putting our mistakes right in front of our face. We remember them. We replay them. Sometimes we even punish ourselves long after Jehovah has already forgiven us.

 

Jehovah doesn’t love us less because we’re imperfect. He loves us enough to let our sins go completely. And he doesn’t just ask us to do the same for others — he requires it. That shows how serious learning to love like Jehovah loves really is. Not pretending nothing happened, but refusing to keep someone’s past sins in front of us. Putting them out of view, the way Jehovah does.

 

If Jehovah, who sees everything, can choose not to hold sins against us, then we have no excuse for holding on to the sins of others. Real forgiveness isn’t weakness. It’s love in action.