The Joy of Being Made Whole – Bible Verses For Forgiveness And Repentance

There is deep joy in finding, creating, or nurturing meaningful connections with others. Something deep within us desires greatly to have relationships that mean something, spaces in which we can love others, and find ourselves known and loved in turn. Wealth, success, beauty, and power cannot fulfill this deep need. This shouldn’t be surprising because the God who created us in His image is a relational God who is love (1 John 4:16). As creatures that image or reflect Him, it’s no wonder that we find deep joy in great relationships.

A great friendship brings a lot of joy, but when that friendship is broken, the pain that results from that is nearly unbearable. Many things can damage relationships, including broken trust, deceit, selfishness, or a lack of concern for the well-being of the other person. These and many other things like it describe what the Bible calls sin. It’s the things in which we fall short of the perfect standard of love and compassion that God exemplifies. When sin happens in a relationship, whether between two people or between people and God, the relationship is affected. Thankfully, relationships can be repaired, but that’s not always easy or quick.

The Necessity of Forgiveness and Repentance

Forgiveness and repentance are some of the most important tools in any relationship. If one spouse cheats on the other, professing change is one thing, but showing that change in daily behavior makes a larger impact. That’s what repentance is – an acknowledgment that you were headed in the wrong direction. It’s also about turning away from whatever you were doing to pursue a different, healthier path.

Forgiveness is about not holding something against a person who hurt you in some way. Usually, when someone hurts us, the desire to get even or the wish for harm to befall that person rises strongly within us. Forgiveness is when we lay down that desire for revenge, and that ill feeling toward the other person. When you forgive someone, you’re relinquishing your desire and intentions of harm toward him or her. You’re not letting them off the hook; you’re simply releasing yourself from carrying anger and other negative feelings toward him or her.

In a relationship, forgiveness and repentance are indispensable because we will always make mistakes, and we need ways to handle those mistakes to move forward. The Bible provides us with many stories about forgiveness and repentance, and the ways it works between people, and between God and people.

 “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:5-10, NIV).

These verses remind us that in our relationship with God, we must remain mindful of who God is, and who we are. We carry our brokenness with us, and we fail to love God and others as Jesus taught us. God doesn’t discard us, though. Rather, He shows us that if we want to be in a relationship with Him, that requires us to walk in the light. We are to renounce everything within us that is contrary to the best that God has in store for us. Jesus took our sin and brokenness into Himself on the cross; He took that on so that we would enter an appropriate relationship with God by turning away (repenting) from our way to do life His way.

This is not just a one-time reality. For the person who has been following Jesus for many years, there is a growing awareness that we are imperfect, and we have unhealthy habits that we still perform. The Christian life is a life of continually embracing the good news (or gospel) of Jesus. As Tim Keller once wrote, “The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins so that we may continue our fellowship.

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32, NIV).

This verse reminds us that what God has done for us as individuals and as the collective called the Church, we are to do for one another. People in the Church are going to do things that will irritate, hurt, and anger you. But what are we to do about this? Some choose to walk away from fellowship, and there are situations in which moving into another church is the wisest course. But Paul urges us to consider how we have been forgiven by God and to extend similar forgiveness to others.

Forgiveness and repentance are necessary ingredients for any healthy, committed relationship. Without them, there is neither accountability nor a way to rebuild a broken relationship.

The Joy of Forgiveness And Repentance

Does it feel good to be forgiven or to repent for the wrong things you’ve done? Broken relationships are painful to bear. Sometimes we deal with the pain by being stoical and masking the pain, or by being aloof and angry. However, the Bible urges us toward facing that pain, confessing it, and experiencing the balm of forgiveness and the joy of being restored to a right relationship.

Far from being a morbid affair, the Bible portrays confessing one’s sins and being forgiven as a deep and sober joy. Sober because we recognize the damage our sin does, but deep and joyful because we were created for and flourish in healthy relationships.

“Blessed is the one
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord does not count
against them
and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night
your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, ‘I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.’
And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalms 32:1-5, NIV).

Think of the last time you had a conflict with a loved one. Did the state of your relationship feel enjoyable? Likely it did not, because broken relationships are painful realities. One can relate to the experience of “wasting away” that the psalmist went through. These verses display the joy that comes from laying out our sins before God and seeking His forgiveness. Being forgiven is “blessed,” as it is a source of joy and rejoicing. That joy comes when we own the wrongs we’ve done and embrace the bountiful forgiveness God lavishes upon us. Similarly, we can seek forgiveness from the people we have wronged.

Finding Strength to Repent and Pursue Forgiveness

Owning our mistakes and seeking forgiveness is difficult. Often, pride and anger get in the way and prevent us from turning onto the right path. Similarly, forgiving a person that’s wronged us is difficult, because holding onto the anger helps us feel in control and insulated from the hurt they caused us. The way of Jesus is radically different from how we approach these matters. Jesus urges His followers to confess their faults and embrace God’s forgiveness. His followers then display that God’s forgiveness is a reality by forgiving others as God forgave them.

Forgiveness and repentance are indispensable in any relationship, but they aren’t easy. If you need someone to walk with you on that journey, know that you don’t have to go alone. You can reach out for individual counseling to unpack and process any feelings of anger, resentment, unforgiveness, and fear that you may have. Far from getting the person who’s wronged you off the hook, forgiveness releases your own heart and frees you from hatred and vengeance. Speak to someone today to begin your journey toward wholeness and healing in your relationships.