True forgiveness is only found in and through the person of Jesus Christ. Now, wait a minute. Don't tune me out just because I mentioned Him.

"Like a soothing ointment, God takes His grace and mercy and cleanses our deepest wounds. With slow, methodical hands He massages away the hurt. But one reminder can rip open the gash and it bleeds sorrow anew. So we must again turn to our loving Father. Only He will heal the guilty past. Through forgiveness, He points us toward the future."

This then is how we know that we belong to the truth,
and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence
whenever our hearts condemn us.
For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.
1 John 3:19-20

God loves you. He wants a relationship with you and He wanted it so bad that He came to earth in human form (Jesus) to live among us, to tell us about Himself, and to ultimately lay down His life for us. All He asks in return is that we acknowledge that we need Him and to accept His gift of grace in exchange for our sin. Yes, I used another turn-off word: sin. Sin, sin, sin. It's an unpopular word and an unpopular concept, almost as unpopular as mentioning Jesus. But the truth of the matter is this: We are sinners in need of a Savior. God is our Creator and Father, and as such, loves us more than we can comprehend. There's only one problem. God cannot allow sin into His presence. So because He loved us so much, He made a way for us to be cleansed of our sin: He became the Sacrificial Lamb. Blameless, sinless, He offered Himself up on the cross, paying the penalty so we wouldn't have to.

If you have never acknowledged your need for Christ, I urge you to do so now. No amount of counseling or therapy or drugs will relieve the load of your guilt and sin until you accept the gift of grace God gave you when He allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross. He loves you and wants a relationship with you. He wants to be your friend, your comforter, your refuge, your hope, your peace, your joy. All you have to do is believe in faith that what He said in His Word (the Bible) is true: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Then and only then will you find forgiveness, peace, healing from your abortion.

Once you've accepted Christ as your Savior, there are some things you need to know about true forgiveness. Such as:

Forgiveness is not a feeling.

It is a choice that must be made as a conscious act of the will and has nothing to do with your feelings. The choice doesn't change your feelings any more than your feelings nullify the choice. Making the choice is not the destination. It is only the beginning of the journey toward healing.

Forgiveness does not undo the damage or minimize the pain.

It does not sweep the conduct or the consequences under the rug where they will trip you up later. Forgiveness involves facing your feelings and dealing with them directly and honestly. Acknowledge the anger, the hurt, the guilt, the shame. But because your feelings will change daily, you must choose to anchor yourself in God's Word that never changes.

Forgiveness is a product of God's mercy.

If you feel that you don't deserve to be forgiven, you're right. Forgiveness is a free gift from God based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Just as you did nothing to earn the forgiveness that leads to salvation, you can do nothing to earn forgiveness for your sin now. You must choose to accept God's forgiveness and you must choose to forgive yourself. God commands that you do so (Ephesians 4:31-32).

Forgiveness is a command.

God never commands us to do something without providing a way for us to obey Him. It is impossible to obey the command to forgive without relying on God's forgiveness to enable you. Jesus said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). In time He will enable you, through the power of His Holy Spirit, to completely forgive yourself and anyone else who may have played a part in your abortion (Philippians 2:13). However, you must first decide to forgive. If you will allow Him, God will work in you to free you from the bondage of the guilt, the grief and the shame.

If you trusted Christ for your salvation today, please email us. We have some important follow-up information to send you.

Following are some verses from the Bible relating to God's never-ending love for us, His compassion, His mercy and His ability to wipe away our sins through His all-encompassing forgiveness.

Psalm 34:4-5
I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
[5] Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

Psalm 34:18
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 103:8-12
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
[9] He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
[10] he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
[11] For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
[12] as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Jeremiah 31:15-19
This is what the LORD says:
"A voice is heard in Ramah,
mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because her children are no more."
[16] This is what the LORD says:
"Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,"
declares the LORD.
"They will return from the land of the enemy.
[17] So there is hope for your future,"
declares the LORD.
"Your children will return to their own land.
[18] "I have surely heard Ephraim's moaning:
'You disciplined me like an unruly calf,
and I have been disciplined.
Restore me, and I will return,
because you are the LORD my God.
[19] After I strayed,
I repented;
after I came to understand,
I beat my breast.
I was ashamed and humiliated
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.'

Jeremiah 31:34
"For I (the Lord) will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."

Matthew 12:31-32
And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. [32] Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Mark 3:28-29
I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. [29] But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."

Hebrews 4:15-16
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. [16] Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 3:19-20
This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence [20] whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

NOTE: For more information, read Reverend Bill Hines excellent article, The Forgiveness of Self.