Jehovah​—The Greatest Forgiver

 1. As recorded at Ecclesiastes 7:20, what truth did King Solomon express?

KING Solomon observed: “There is no righteous man on earth who always does good and never sins.” (Eccl. 7:20) How true! We are all sinners. (1 John 1:8) So we all need forgiveness from God and from fellow humans.

 2. How does it feel to be forgiven by a close friend?

² No doubt you remember a time when you offended a close friend. You wanted to correct the matter and repair your relationship, so you offered a heartfelt apology. How did you feel when your friend freely forgave you? Relieved? Yes, and happy too!

 3. What will we focus on in this article?

³ We want Jehovah to be our closest Friend, but at one time or another, we will say or do things that offend him. Why can we be certain, though, that Jehovah is eager to forgive? In what way is Jehovah’s forgiveness unique in comparison with the forgiveness that we can extend? And finally, who can gain God’s forgiveness?

 4. Why can we be certain that Jehovah is ready to forgive?

⁴ God’s Word assures us that Jehovah is ready to forgive. When Jehovah revealed himself to Moses at Mount Sinai, He said through an angelic spokesman: “Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and abundant in loyal love and truth, showing loyal love to thousands, pardoning error and transgression and sin.” (Ex. 34:6, 7) Jehovah is a warm and merciful God who is always ready to forgive repentant sinners.​—Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15.

 5. According to Psalm 103:13, 14, what does Jehovah’s intimate knowledge of people move him to do?

⁵ As our Creator, Jehovah knows everything about us. Just think! He knows every detail about every person on this earth. (Ps. 139:15-17) So he can see all the imperfections that we inherited from our parents. Even more, he is aware of all the experiences that have molded and shaped our personality. What does this intimate knowledge of humankind move Jehovah to do? It moves him to act mercifully toward us.​—Ps. 78:39; read Psalm 103:13, 14.

 6. How has Jehovah proved that he is eager to forgive?

⁶ Jehovah has proved that he is eager to forgive. He understands that because of the actions of the first man, Adam, we all came under the curse of sin and death. (Rom. 5:12) There was no way for us to free ourselves or any other person from that curse. (Ps. 49:7-9) However, our loving God showed compassion and arranged for us to be set free. What did he do? As John 3:16 reveals, Jehovah sent his only-begotten Son to die in our behalf. (Matt. 20:28; Rom. 5:19) Jesus took our place​—suffering the penalty of death—​to set free any who exercise faith in him. (Heb. 2:9) How painful it must have been for Jehovah to see his beloved Son die an agonizing and humiliating death! Surely, Jehovah would not have allowed his Son to die if He did not want to forgive us.

 7. What are some Bible examples of individuals whom Jehovah freely forgave?

⁷ The Bible is filled with examples of individuals whom Jehovah freely forgave. (Eph. 4:32) Who comes to your mind? Perhaps you think of King Manasseh. That wicked man sinned against Jehovah in terrible ways. He took the lead in false worship. He killed his own children, offering them as sacrifices to pagan gods. He even went so far as to place a carved image of a false god in Jehovah’s sacred temple. Of him, the Bible says: “He did on a grand scale what was bad in Jehovah’s eyes, to offend him.” (2 Chron. 33:2-7) Yet, when Manasseh showed heartfelt repentance, Jehovah freely forgave him. God even restored him to his position as king. (2 Chron. 33:12, 13) Perhaps you also think of King David, who committed serious sins against Jehovah, including adultery and murder. Yet, when David sincerely repented and acknowledged his error, Jehovah forgave him as well. (2 Sam. 12:9, 10, 13, 14) Yes, we can be certain that Jehovah is eager to forgive. And, as we will see, his ability to forgive is unique when it is compared with that of humans.

 8. How does Jehovah’s unique position as Judge affect his ability to forgive?

⁸ Jehovah is “the Judge of all the earth.” (Gen. 18:25) A good judge needs to have a deep understanding of the law. That certainly is true of Jehovah because in addition to being our Judge, he is also our Lawgiver. (Isa. 33:22) No one besides Jehovah has such a deep and strong sense of right and wrong. What else does a good judge need? He needs to be able to consider all the relevant facts in a case before he renders judgment. In this respect, Jehovah is uniquely qualified as Judge.

 9. What information does Jehovah have available when deciding whether to forgive?

⁹ Unlike human judges, Jehovah always has a perfect grasp of all the facts of any case that comes before him. (Gen. 18:20, 21; Ps. 90:8) He is not limited by what humans see or hear. He completely understands how a person’s actions are influenced by his genetic makeup, upbringing, and environment as well as by his emotional and mental condition. Jehovah also reads the heart. He fully perceives the motivations, intentions, and desires of each person. Nothing can be hidden from Jehovah. (Heb. 4:13) Thus, Jehovah’s forgiveness is always based on his complete knowledge of a situation.

10. Why can we say that Jehovah’s judgments are always just and fair? (Deuteronomy 32:4)

¹⁰ Jehovah’s judgments are always just and fair. He is completely impartial. His forgiveness is never determined by someone’s appearance, wealth, prominence, or abilities. (1 Sam. 16:7; Jas. 2:1-4) No one can pressure or bribe Jehovah. (2 Chron. 19:7) His decisions are never colored by frustration or sentiment. (Ex. 34:7) Without a doubt, Jehovah’s understanding and his penetrating insight make him the most qualified Judge.​—Read Deuteronomy 32:4.

11. What is unique about Jehovah’s forgiveness?

¹¹ The writers of the Hebrew Scriptures recognized that Jehovah’s forgiveness is unique. In some cases, they used a Hebrew word that one reference work says “is reserved especially to mark the pardon extended to the sinner by God, and is never used to denote that inferior kind and measure of forgiveness which is exercised by one man towards another.” Only Jehovah has the power to pardon a repentant sinner completely. What results when Jehovah forgives us?

12-13. (a) What does a person enjoy when he is pardoned by Jehovah? (b) How long do the benefits of Jehovah’s forgiveness last?

¹² When we accept the fact that Jehovah has forgiven us, we enjoy “seasons of refreshing,” including peace of mind and a clean conscience. Such forgiveness cannot come from men but must come from “Jehovah himself.” (Acts 3:19) When Jehovah forgives us, he restores his relationship with us so completely that it is as though we had never sinned.

¹³ Once Jehovah forgives us, he will never accuse us or punish us again for that sin. (Isa. 43:25; Jer. 31:34) Jehovah puts our sins “as far off as the sunrise is from the sunset.”b (Ps. 103:12) When we reflect on how great Jehovah’s forgiveness is, we are filled with gratitude and awe. (Ps. 130:4) But who can experience this forgiveness from Jehovah?

14. What have we learned so far about Jehovah’s decision to forgive?

¹⁴ As we have seen, Jehovah’s decision to forgive is not based on whether the sin was great or small. Also, we have learned that Jehovah uses his knowledge as our Creator, Lawgiver, and Judge when deciding whether he will extend forgiveness. What factors does Jehovah consider?

15. According to Luke 12:47, 48, what is one factor that Jehovah considers?

¹⁵ One factor that Jehovah considers is whether the sinner knew that what he was doing was wrong. Jesus made this clear, as recorded at Luke 12:47, 48. (Read.) A person who willfully schemes to do something wicked and knows full well that he is doing something that is offensive to Jehovah sins in a serious way. Such a person is in danger of not being forgiven. (Mark 3:29; John 9:41) We must admit, however, that sometimes we are aware that what we did was wrong. Is there any hope for us in that case? Yes! And this brings us to another factor that Jehovah considers.

16. What is repentance, and why is it essential if we are to be forgiven by Jehovah?

¹⁶ Another factor that Jehovah considers is whether the sinner is sincerely repentant. What does it mean to repent? To repent means “to change one’s mind, attitude, or purpose.” It includes the idea that a person feels regret and deep sadness about the bad things he has done or about not doing the right things he should have done. A repentant person is grieved not only by the wrongs he has committed but also by the poor spiritual condition that led to those wrongs. Recall that Kings Manasseh and David both committed serious sins; yet, Jehovah forgave them because they were sincerely repentant. (1 Ki. 14:8) Yes, Jehovah must see evidence of repentance in order to forgive. But it is not enough for us to feel sorry about a sinful course or a sin that we have committed. We must be ready to take action.c That brings us to another factor that Jehovah considers.

17. What is conversion, and why is it vital if we are to avoid repeating past sins? (Isaiah 55:7)

¹⁷ Conversion is another important factor that Jehovah considers. Conversion means “a turning around.” In other words, a person must change course by leaving his bad way and pursuing the way of Jehovah. (Read Isaiah 55:7.) The individual must transform his mind so that he is guided by the thinking of Jehovah. (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:23) He must be determined to leave behind his former bad ways of thinking and acting. (Col. 3:7-10) Of course, it is our faith in the sacrifice of Christ that provides the real basis for Jehovah to forgive us and cleanse us from sin. Jehovah will extend the value of that sacrifice to us when he sees that we are making a sincere effort to change our course of conduct.​—1 John 1:7.

18. What have we considered about Jehovah’s forgiveness?

¹⁸ Let us briefly review some of the key points we have discussed. Jehovah is truly the greatest Forgiver in the universe. On what basis can we say that? First, he is always ready to forgive. Second, he knows us through and through. He is perfectly familiar with our makeup, and he is in the ideal position to determine whether we are truly repentant. And third, when Jehovah forgives us, he wipes the slate clean, so to speak. This allows us to have a clean conscience and enjoy his favor.

19. Although we are imperfect and will continue to sin, why can we be joyful?

¹⁹ Of course, as long as we are imperfect, we will continue to sin. However, we can gain comfort from the words found in Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2, page 771: “Since Jehovah mercifully considers the fleshly weakness of his servants, they need not be in a constant state of remorse due to their errors resulting from inherent imperfection. (Ps 103:8-14; 130:3) If they are conscientiously walking in God’s ways, they may be joyful. (Php 4:4-6; 1Jo 3:19-22).” What an encouraging thought!

20. What will we consider in the next article?

²⁰ We are grateful that Jehovah is ready to pardon us when we are truly sorry for the sins we have committed. How, though, can we imitate Jehovah’s forgiveness? In what ways is our forgiveness similar to Jehovah’s forgiveness, but in what ways is it different? Why is understanding that distinction important? The next article will answer those questions.