Inevitable questions about biblical forgiveness arise. Does forgiveness imply we ignore issues of justice and restitution? Does forgiveness absolve the guilt of the perpetrator? Does forgiveness imply reconciliation?

Someone asked a great follow up question on Facebook, in response to my blog Will We Have Regrets at the Judgment Seat of Christ?: “Will we ask forgiveness of others in Heaven if we weren’t able to make it right here on Earth?”

The enemy knows exactly what buttons to push in our lives to keep us, as you said, living in past darkness, and doubting God’s forgiveness and love. He wants to derail us from experiencing all that God has for us. He’s remarkably good at this, but the wonderful news is that “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Last week I watched a video of a young woman, Shelby Houston, speaking at her father’s memorial service. Her dad, Officer Richard Houston, was shot and killed on December 3 in Mesquite, Texas while responding to a domestic disturbance. This clip from her message is so wonderful, so beautiful, it took my breath away. 

许多年来，我常常收到信徒的信息，大概内容会说：「我无法原谅自己过去犯过的罪。我已经求基督的饶恕无数次，但是我却还是感到罪恶感，然后无法接受上帝的赦免。」

"Eu luto para me perdoar por um pecado passado. Clamei muitas vezes pelo perdão de Cristo, mas não parece resolver meus sentimentos de culpa nem aceitar o perdão de Deus".

How to handle sin in a God-honoring way isn’t often clearly addressed in the church. So what steps should I take in order to deal with sin? First, I must admit my sin to myself. I need to call sin what it is: sin, not just a mistake or a little slip.

I personally benefited from David Powlison's outstanding book Good and Angry, and highly recommend it. Here David addresses Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness, and how that works when those who’ve wronged us either can’t or won’t ask for forgiveness.

I’ve received messages over the years from believers who say something along the lines of this: “I struggle with forgiving myself for a past sin. I’ve asked Christ’s forgiveness for it many times but can’t seem to resolve my feelings of guilt and accept God’s forgiveness.”