1. God’s Forgiveness
World Scripture
O My servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the mercy of God: for God forgives all sins: for He is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
Qur’an 39.53
I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.
Isaiah 43.25
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us.5
Ephesians 1.7-8
Though a man be soiled with the sins of a lifetime, let him but love me, rightly resolved, in utter devotion. I see no sinner, that man is holy. Holiness soon shall refashion his nature to peace eternal. O son of Kunti, of this be certain: the man who loves me shall not perish.
Bhagavad-Gita 9.30-31 (Hinduism)
God the Almighty has said, “O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.”
Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 42 (Islam)
Let him utter the name, Buddha Amitayus. Let him do so serenely with his voice uninterrupted; let him be continually thinking of Buddha until he has completed ten times the thought, repeating, “Adoration to Buddha Amitayus.” On the strength of [the merit of] uttering the Buddha’s name he will, during every repetition, expiate the sins which involve him in births and deaths during eighty million kalpas.6
Meditation on Buddha Amitayus 3.30 (Buddhism)
Shining brightly, Agni, drive away our sin, and shine wealth on us. Shining bright, drive away our sin. For good fields, for good homes, for wealth, we made our offerings to Thee. Shining bright, drive away our sin… So that Agni’s conquering beams may spread out on every side, Shining bright, drive away our sin. Thy face is turned on every side, Thou pervadest everywhere. Shining bright, drive away our sin.7
Rig Veda 1.97.1-6 (Hinduism)
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
God has already forgiven us our sins. Do you think it would be possible for God to forgive us if He still thought that we were sinners? He forgives us because He looks at us with endless compassion. You should know that through forgiveness, all can be united as one.
(41:333, February 18, 1972)
Great forgiveness is possible only when one understands the other person’s situation one hundred percent. Because God knows our situation, He forgives us.
(2:220, May 26, 1957)
No one can criticize a parent who forgives a child who repents for his or her sin. No one can accuse that parent for not punishing the child.
That is why Satan cannot accuse God for loving humankind and trying to save them. Satan cannot make accusations against a person of perfect love. On the contrary, Satan voluntarily surrenders before him. The law requiring punishment yields to Heavenly Father’s love, by which He forgives repentant sinners.
(62:52, September 10, 1972)
We know the shame of our first human ancestors before Heaven; we know that throughout history people have lived shameful lives; we know that the world we are living in is shameful. What can we be proud of before God? Can we be proud of ourselves as individuals? No… we are not qualified to approach God. Therefore, we should be willing to do anything that God wants us to do, anything that will make Him happy, anything that will allow Him to overlook our shame, in order that we might be forgiven of our sins.
(66:18, March 11, 1973)