Forgiveness vs. Repentance

“Unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:3)

“If you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:15)

REPENTANCE

Repentance does not mean “I’ll never do it again.” It’s all about “I will never believe that lie again.”

The Greek word for sin is "hamartia"—to miss the mark, to wander off the path of righteousness and honor. Sin isn’t just doing the wrong thing. It’s living outside of God’s authority because we believe the wrong things. That’s why James says "desire gives birth to sin" (James 1:15). Desire is rooted in our idolatry (click on the link: you'll recall the twelve false beliefs we've been discussing) that we’ll carry until Jesus returns or calls us home.

Repentance isn’t about people or actions. It’s all about what you believe. The Greek word for repentance is "metanoia" which means “change of mind.” Biblical repentance is a heartfelt, decisive rejection of the lies we’ve trusted and a pledge to learn a totally new way of living under Christ’s authority.

Repentance:

• Does not mean "instant perfection."

• Does not mean you will never fall again

• Is the first step onto the lifelong path of sanctification.

Repentance is something that should happen daily. Repentance has to do with rejecting your idolatry and, through sanctification, adopting the belief system Jesus wants for us. Sanctification is a lifelong process that aims to change how we see the world and what we believe.

Think of it like a mortgage. The early payments feel like pure interest—slow, painful, barely denting the principal. But over decades, the balance flips. That’s sanctification. The secret? Daily, intimate, submissive walking with Jesus. Indeed, the secret of success in life is the daily, intimate walk with Jesus. If you’ve never truly repented—meaning you’ve never said, “Lord, I reject every false belief I’ve built my life on, and I submit 100% to learning Your way”—you are not yet saved. You can change that if you've never truly repented. The altar is always open. No fanfare. No whipping post. Just you and Jesus closing the deal.

FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is all about refusing to sit on your judgment seat. When you refuse to forgive, you are sitting in judgment over another. You are claiming that because they offended you, you are somehow better than them. To not forgive is to judge, which means you are assuming spiritual authority over others that God has not delegated to you. Romans comments that we judge others and condemn ourselves

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” (Rom 2:1)

“...you, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. it is written: "'as surely as i live,' says the lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to god.'" So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.” (Rom 14:10-13)

Romans 2 further elaborates: When we sit in judgment over others, we are self-seeking

which results in “…wrath, anger, trouble and distress”. Thus, forgiveness of those who have transgressed in your life (see psalm 51) is an absolute necessity.

Expectations create judgments. We tend to expect that others should act in a given way. Yet, the only true expectation you can really have is sinful behavior. After all, we are all sinners. Without question, most involvements with people meet our expectations. But there are instances in everyone's life when our expectations are not met. That driver who cut you off or ran a red light and hit your car. Perhaps your identity has been stolen. Your house may have burned down due to a friend mishandling a candle (actually happened to a friend of mine). You may have been abused or neglected as a child. When someone has wronged you, we think, “They owe me.” We assign them an “emotional debt”; we feel they “owe me". We expect a remedy of some sort, at least an apology, if not more. In truth, there is no such thing as an emotional debt. What’s done is done. We cannot undo what has happened.

The gravity of the sin doesn’t matter. You may cry out “you don’t know what was done to me!!!!” “It was horrible, awful! I was traumatized.” “I almost died!” “I was abused in horrible, unspeakable ways! No one should have to go through what I went through!!! "I could never forgive what was done to me!!!” People go through all sorts of tragic, horrible circumstances, and forgiveness can seem to be a bridge that is way too far. For some it’s just “impossible."

We repeat: To not forgive someone is to judge them. Only God and those he appoints are to judge. To not forgive and judge is to place yourself in spiritual authority over them. Since we are all sinners, we occupy the same place before Jesus, no matter the perceived gravity of the offense or who was involved.

“PROACTIVE FORGIVENESS”: A SOLUTION

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Eph 4:29-32)

We advocate a process called “proactive forgiveness” when called on to forgive. Forgiveness simply means to declare that you legally release them from any sort of an emotional debt – real or implied; deserved or not. By doing so, you take yourself out of unlawful spiritual authority over them, and you quit judging them. The process is straightforward; practicing it is another thing entirely.

- Praying in the name of Jesus, pronounce that you release and

forgive them from any expressed or implied emotional debt.

- Bless them by name in the name of Jesus.

- Never talk badly about them again. (i.e., do not curse them)

- Never talk badly about the situation again.

When you think about the situation, praise God that He got you through it and that He is healing you. Feel free to cry out about how badly you were hurt and how hard it is to work through the healing and restoration and recovery. Express your grief and sadness to Him. The point here is not to deny what has happened but to try and focus on your healing and not the incident or situation itself.

Whenever you think about the person in relation to the same situation again, pray that God will bless that individual. No doubt, you’ll have to do this many times!

Some of you need to forgive someone you swore you never would. Dead or alive. Present or long gone.The altar is open.

Jesus is waiting.

“but if you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins.” (matt 6:15)

Freedom is one prayer away.

“Lord, I repent of every false belief I’ve trusted. I submit 100% to Your authority and Your process. And I forgive _________ completely, releasing them from every debt. Bless them. Heal me. In Jesus’ name, amen.”Now walk free.— Pastor Nick (

@AT_Seminary

)

November 2025Application Questions for the Comments  

1. Which lie have you believed longest that needs repenting of today?

2. Who is the hardest person you’ve ever had to forgive? What changed when you finally did?

3. Have you experienced “proactive forgiveness” turning into genuine blessing for your enemy? Tell us below—we need the testimony.

Drop your stories. Someone reading this needs to know they’re not alone