When I was younger and did something wrong, my dad would instruct me to apologize to whoever I’d offended. I remember strongly disliking the request. With my arms crossed and my face huffy, I would insist, “I don’t feel sorry.” Dad looked at me evenly and explained (sometimes more than once) what I did wrong. “You need to learn to be apologetic for your bad choices,” he said. “I want you to practice that now with your siblings and parents. Don’t just say sorry, but truly mean it.”

Fast forward several years, and Mom and Dad decided I was old enough now to know when to ask for forgiveness on my own. I felt free. They trust me! I thought. No one can force me to say sorry any more.

But as a fallen human living in a fallen world, I quickly discovered there’ll always be a part of me that wants to rebel against denying myself and taking full blame for something I did—no matter if I’m being told to do so or not. On one occasion (out of at least a million), I tipped over my sister’s bike in the garage. Nobody else was around, and I instantly thought, Well, if she hadn’t put her bike there— Then my accusation came to a screeching halt as I perceived, Oh, wait. I moved it there, and then I ran into it. Sadly, it’s only natural to have a “knee jerk” reaction of looking to pin at least some of the fault on someone else.  

In his message this past week, one of the verses Pastor Noll preached on was 1 John 1:8: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Take a moment with me to really think about what this verse means. Essentially, when we cover up our sin or flat-out deny it, God’s truth does not genuinely dwell in us, and we’re no different from the rest of the world. We are in utter darkness, with no light to show us the way. Isn’t that a staggering and awful realization?

But then comes the beautiful verse that offers so much hope: “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, emphasis mine).

There have been times I’ve wondered about the weight behind the word “sorry.” It’s such a simple, five-letter word, but nonetheless its meaning is absolutely crucial in our relationships with others and with God. Many of you have heard the timeless saying, “Actions speak louder than words.” Well, again and again my siblings and I have had our parents tell us, “If you’re truly sorry for what you did, you’ll try to not do it again in the future.” Saying sorry, and meaning it, speaks of humility and true repentance—which is exactly what God is looking for from His children.

So, after we apologize—then what? Pastor Noll pointed out something in his sermon that’s extremely hard (if not impossible) for your mind and mine to fully grasp: God does not just pardon our sins, He removes them. For all eternity. He gets rid of the shame, the guilt—all of it—leaving only His righteousness. I love the way Isaiah put it in Isaiah 61:10: “. . . for He has clothed me with garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” That’s why it’s in God alone that we’re called “holy and beloved” (Colossians 3:12). Our Savior has already cast our transgressions “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).

This is not to say, however, that our sins don’t have consequences as, unfortunately, they often do. Even more unfortunately, we have to live with the results of these consequences—sometimes for the rest of our earthly lives. Relationships are broken, messy, hurtful words are spewed, and deeds are done daily that can permanently scar your life or someone else’s. Reading this devotional, you can probably think of a few erroneous things right now you wish you could go back and redo. My mom has a friend whose son was tragically killed by a drunk driver. Absolutely the driver can come to the feet of Jesus and repent, but that doesn’t reverse the wrong choice he made.

I’ve always found it to difficult to let go of mistakes, whether they’re mine or committed by someone else. So the thought of a God who “blots out [my] transgressions” and “will not remember [my] sins” (Isaiah 43:25) is amazing, to say the least. Let that truth envelope you further today. Come to Jesus and confess Your sins, and He will be your advocate to the Father. With “groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26), He will intercede on your behalf.

Smile, friend! You’re forgiven, and Jesus loves you.