QUESTION: God and abortion and forgiveness – Is forgiveness possible?
ANSWER:
For many years, I thought, “God will never forgive me for the abortions.”
When I was younger, I had three pregnancies terminated. Even though I wasn’t very familiar with God at the time, I remember lying on the table, looking up, and asking God to forgive me. I didn’t understand what I was doing. For some reason, I felt that abortion was wrong, but I also felt like I had no choice. For a number of years afterwards, I went through many emotional problems and had overwhelming thoughts of suicide. My days were dark, even though I thought that I had put the abortions behind me.
I was supposed to be free, but I wasn’t!
I was stuck in my lonely world and no one knew of what I had done except one ex-boyfriend and my mother, who only knew of one of the abortions.
How could I tell anyone about this?
I felt like God couldn’t forgive me, let alone love me.
There came a point in my life where I realized I was a sinner. I had displeased God. I learned that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins. God knew everything I had done and He still stood right by my side – wanting to forgive me, make me His child, and give me hope for living.
It took me a long time to understand that I was forgiven for these abortions. One day, I sat at home alone crying to God to forgive me for having the abortions, and in my heart I heard the Lord say to me, “I forgave you the day you asked.” I felt the forgiveness of God in my heart at that moment.
It wasn’t that God needed to forgive me over and over again. I needed to forgive myself. I had been holding on to my own unforgiveness. It has taken some time to learn to forgive myself, but I know the Lord has forgiven me and He forgives all those who ask. He forgave me before I even truly believed in Him because He made me and He loves me. He is the God of the broken and the weary, not the perfect and the pure.
I know now that there is nothing that can separate me from the love of Christ. Sins, including abortion, can be forgiven.
So now I can tell others about the abortions in my past because they aren’t about how horrible I am, but about how great God’s love is and how His mercy, grace, and forgiveness are unending.
Psalm 103:11-13 says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
– We have all
sinned
and deserve God’s judgment.
God
, the Father, sent His only Son to satisfy that judgment for those who believe in Him.
Jesus
, the creator and eternal Son of God, who lived a sinless life, loves us so much that He
died
for our sins, taking the punishment that we deserve, was
buried
, and
rose from the dead
according to the
Bible
. If you truly believe and trust this in your heart, receiving Jesus alone as your
Savior
, declaring, “
Jesus is Lord
,” you will be saved from
judgment
and spend eternity with God in heaven.
What is your response?
Yes, today I am deciding to follow JesusYes, I am already a follower of JesusI still have questions
www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org
God’s plan for your life always includes redemption. He longs to forgive you for all of your sins, including abortion. Sin separates you from God and needs to be confessed to Him. He will always forgive a repentant heart.
While God does forgive, abortion carries so much guilt that it is difficult to feel forgiven. It is an oppressive weight that Satan uses at every turn to discourage believers struggling under its burden. (See the question, “How can I have power over Satan?”) God offers peace, joy, and most of all, forgiveness. He doesn’t say, “You are forgiven if you feel forgiven.” He says, “You are forgiven.” It is something you have to believe and receive. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy” (Micah 7:18).
It takes real faith to believe in that type of forgiveness.
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12).
“I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee” (Isaiah 44:22).
“Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity. And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy” (Micah 7:18).
“And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 10:17).
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It’s easy to think that you’ve done something so terrible that God would never forgive you. After all, abortion is murder, and what sins are graver than murder. Does God forgive murderers?
Good news. Yes, he does!
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
You see, the good news is that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). There is nothing so grave that we can do as sinners, that we can’t repent and turn to Jesus Christ for his love, mercy and grace.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1
God didn’t send his son to die on the cross to save righteous people. He came to save sinners (Mark 2:17). And yet, the Bible says there is nobody righteous–not even one (Romans 3:10). There is nothing you can do to earn a righteous place with God, but at the same time, there is nothing you can do to out-sin God’s grace and mercy. Without Christ, your “good works” are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Yet his death, burial, and resurrection was completely sufficient to cover all of your sins, including abortion.
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. -Psalm 103:12
And he will never stay angry with you if you repent and believe in Jesus Christ for your forgiveness.
Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity. And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. – Micah 7:18
If you want to receive God’s mercy, let go of your sin, and trust Jesus. For a presentation of the Gospel, click here.
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