1. What assurance does Jehovah give to repentant sinners?

 ALTHOUGH Jehovah is our Creator, Lawgiver, and Judge, he is also our loving heavenly Father. (Ps. 100:3; Isa. 33:22) When we sin against him and are sincerely repentant, he is not only able but also eager to forgive us. (Ps. 86:5) Through the prophet Isaiah, Jehovah gave this warm assurance: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be made as white as snow.”​—Isa. 1:18.

2. If we are to enjoy peace with others, what must we do?

² Because we are imperfect, we all say and do things that offend others. (Jas. 3:2) That does not mean, however, that we cannot enjoy close relationships with them. We can if we learn to be forgiving. (Prov. 17:9; 19:11; Matt. 18:21, 22) When we hurt one another in small ways, Jehovah wants us to forgive. (Col. 3:13) We have good reason to do so. After all, Jehovah freely forgives us “in a large way.”​—Isa. 55:7.

3. What will we consider in this article?

³ In this article, we will consider how imperfect humans can imitate Jehovah’s forgiveness. Which sins must we bring to the attention of the elders? Why does Jehovah encourage us to forgive others? And what can we learn from some of our fellow believers who have suffered greatly because of the sins of others?

4. (a) When a servant of Jehovah commits a serious sin, what must he do? (b) What is the role of the elders when they meet with a wrongdoer?

⁴ Serious sins must be brought to the attention of the elders. Examples of such sins are found at 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10. Serious sins are gross violations of God’s law. If a Christian commits such a sin, he must approach Jehovah God in prayer, and he must go to the elders of the congregation. (Ps. 32:5; Jas. 5:14) What role do the elders play? Only Jehovah has the authority to forgive sins fully, which he makes possible on the basis of the ransom sacrifice. b Jehovah, however, has entrusted the elders with the responsibility of determining from the Scriptures whether the sinner can remain in the congregation. (1 Cor. 5:12) Among other things, they will endeavor to answer the following questions: Was the sin intentional? Did the person scheme to do what was wrong? Did he practice the sin over an extended period of time? Most important, is there evidence that he is sincerely repentant? Are there indications that Jehovah has forgiven him?​—Acts 3:19.

5. What blessings come from the work of the elders?

⁵ When the elders meet with the wrongdoer, their goal is to reach the same decision on earth that has already been reached in heaven. (Matt. 18:18) How does this arrangement benefit the congregation? It ensures that unrepentant wrongdoers who might harm Jehovah’s precious sheep are removed. (1 Cor. 5:6, 7, 11-13; Titus 3:10, 11) It may also help a sinner to repent and benefit from Jehovah’s forgiveness. (Luke 5:32) The elders pray in behalf of a repentant one and ask Jehovah to help him recover spiritually.​—Jas. 5:15.

6. If a person is disfellowshipped, is forgiveness still possible? Explain.

⁶ Suppose that a person is not repentant when the elders meet with him. In that case, he will be disfellowshipped from the congregation. If he has violated the law of the land, the elders will not shield him from the consequences. Jehovah allows governmental authorities to judge and punish anyone who violates the law​—whether he is repentant or not. (Rom. 13:4) Yet, if the person later comes to his senses and sincerely repents and turns around, Jehovah is willing to pardon him. (Luke 15:17-24) That is true even if his sins were very serious.​—2 Chron. 33:9, 12, 13; 1 Tim. 1:15.

7. In what sense can we forgive someone who has sinned against us?

⁷ What a relief it is to know that we do not need to decide if Jehovah will pardon a sinner! Still, there is something that we do need to decide. What is it? In some cases, an individual has sinned against us​—even seriously—​but then he may apologize and ask for our forgiveness. In other cases, the person may not. Even so, we can choose to forgive the person in the sense that we can decide to let go of any resentment and anger that we feel toward him. Realistically, this may take time and effort, especially if we have been deeply hurt. The Watchtower of September 15, 1994, says: “When you do forgive a sinner, this does not mean that you are condoning the sin. For the Christian, forgiveness means trustfully leaving the matter in Jehovah’s hands. He is the righteous Judge of all the universe, and he will carry out justice at the right time.” Why does Jehovah encourage us to forgive and to leave justice where it belongs​—in his hands?

8. How does being forgiving show appreciation for Jehovah’s mercy?

⁸ Being forgiving shows appreciation. In one parable, Jesus compared Jehovah to a master who canceled an enormous debt that one of his slaves could not repay. Yet, the forgiven slave failed to act mercifully toward a slave who owed him a much smaller amount of money. (Matt. 18:23-35) What was Jesus teaching us? If we truly appreciate Jehovah’s great mercy toward us, we will be moved to forgive others. (Ps. 103:9) The Watchtower expressed it this way years ago: “No matter how many times we forgive our fellow creatures, it could never equal the extent of God’s forgiveness and mercy to us through Christ.”

9. To whom does Jehovah show mercy? (Matthew 6:14, 15)

⁹ Forgivers will be forgiven. Jehovah shows mercy to those who are merciful. (Matt. 5:7; Jas. 2:13) Jesus made that clear when he taught his disciples how to pray. (Read Matthew 6:14, 15.) Earlier, Jehovah made the same point in connection with his servant Job. That faithful man had been deeply hurt by the cutting remarks of three men named Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Jehovah instructed Job to pray in their behalf. After Job did so, Jehovah blessed him.​—Job 42:8-10.

10. Why is harboring resentment damaging? (Ephesians 4:31, 32)

¹⁰ Harboring resentment is damaging. Jehovah wants us to enjoy the relief that comes from unburdening ourselves of resentment. (Read Ephesians 4:31, 32.) He urges us to “let go of anger and abandon rage.” (Ps. 37:8) There is wisdom in following that advice. Harboring resentment can be harmful to our physical and mental health. (Prov. 14:30) Our harboring such resentment will not affect the offender any more than our drinking poison would harm the one who offended us. Rather, when we forgive others, we are giving ourselves a gift. (Prov. 11:17) We find peace of mind and heart, and we are able to move ahead in our service to Jehovah.

11. What does the Bible say about seeking revenge? (Romans 12:19-21)

¹¹ Vengeance belongs to Jehovah. Jehovah has not authorized us to seek revenge when someone sins against us. (Read Romans 12:19-21.) With our limited and imperfect viewpoint, we are simply not in a position to judge matters correctly, as God can. (Heb. 4:13) And, at times, we allow our emotions to interfere with our good judgment. Jehovah inspired James to write: “Man’s anger does not bring about God’s righteousness.” (Jas. 1:20) We can be certain that Jehovah will do the right thing and make sure that perfect justice will be carried out.

12. How can we show confidence in Jehovah’s justice?

¹² Forgiveness shows our confidence in Jehovah’s justice. By leaving matters in Jehovah’s hands, we show that we are confident that Jehovah will undo all the harm that has been caused by sin. In his promised new world, painful emotional wounds “will not be called to mind, nor will they come up into the heart” ever again. (Isa. 65:17) But when we have been deeply hurt, is it really possible to let go of the anger and resentment we might have in our heart? Consider how some have been able to do so.

13-14. What did you learn about forgiveness from the experience of Tony and José?

¹³ Many of our Christian brothers and sisters decided to forgive even when they were deeply hurt by the actions of others. What blessings have they experienced from doing so?

¹⁴ Long before he learned the truth, Tony, c who lives in the Philippines, found out that one of his older brothers had been murdered by a man named José. At the time, Tony was a very aggressive and violent person, and he wanted revenge. José was arrested and imprisoned for his crime. Later, when José was released from prison, Tony vowed that he would hunt him down and kill him. He purchased a gun for that purpose. Meanwhile, Tony began to study the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. He says, “As I was studying, I learned that I needed to change my ways, and that included letting go of my anger.” In time, Tony got baptized and was eventually appointed as a congregation elder. Imagine his surprise when he learned that José had also become a baptized servant of Jehovah! When the two met, they warmly embraced each other, and Tony told José that he had forgiven him. Tony says that this act of forgiveness brought him such great joy that it was difficult for him even to describe that wonderful feeling. Yes, Jehovah blessed Tony’s willingness to forgive.

15-16. What did you learn about forgiveness from the experience of Peter and Sue?

¹⁵ In 1985, Peter and Sue were attending a meeting at the Kingdom Hall when suddenly there was a massive explosion. A man had planted a bomb inside the Kingdom Hall! Sue suffered serious injuries that permanently damaged her sight and hearing. She also lost her sense of smell. d Peter and Sue often asked themselves, ‘What kind of person would do such an evil thing?’ Many years later, the perpetrator, who was not a servant of Jehovah, was arrested and sentenced to life in prison. When asked if they had forgiven this man, Peter and Sue said: “Jehovah teaches us that harboring anger and resentment can harm us physically, emotionally, and mentally. So very early on, we asked Jehovah to help us put aside anger and resentment and get on with our life.”

¹⁶ Has it been easy for them to extend forgiveness? Not always. They continue: “Every now and then when the effects of Sue’s injuries impact our life, anger wells up. But we do not dwell on the matter, so these feelings quickly fade. In fact, we can say from our heart that if the bomber becomes our brother one day, we will welcome him. This experience has taught us that Bible principles are really liberating; they set us free in more ways than we can imagine! We also take comfort in knowing that Jehovah will soon undo all the damage.”

17. What did you learn about forgiveness from the experience of Myra?

¹⁷ Myra learned the truth when she was already married and had two small children. Her husband did not accept the truth. In time, he committed adultery and abandoned the family. Myra says: “When my husband left me and our two children, I felt the emotions that many do after being betrayed by a loved one​—shock, disbelief, grief, regret, self-blame, and anger.” Although the marriage ended, the pain of betrayal remained. Myra continues: “Those feelings kept me in turmoil for months, and I realized that they were affecting my relationship with Jehovah and with others.” Myra now says that she has let go of her anger and does not harbor any ill will toward her former husband. She hopes that one day he will draw close to Jehovah. Myra is able to focus on the future. As a single mother, she raised her two children to be servants of Jehovah. Today Myra has the joy of serving Jehovah along with her children and their families.

18. What confidence can we have in Jehovah as the Supreme Judge?

¹⁸ What a relief it is to know that we do not have the burden of deciding how individuals should be judged! As the Supreme Judge, Jehovah will care for this important work. (Rom. 14:10-12) We can have complete confidence that he will always judge in harmony with his perfect standards of right and wrong. (Gen. 18:25; 1 Ki. 8:32) He will never do anything unrighteous!

19. What will Jehovah’s perfect justice accomplish?

¹⁹ We long for the time when Jehovah will completely undo all the bad effects of human imperfection and sin. At that time, all our physical and emotional wounds will be permanently healed. (Ps. 72:12-14; Rev. 21:3, 4) They will never come to mind again. While we wait for that wonderful time to arrive, how thankful we are that Jehovah has empowered us with the ability to imitate him by being forgiving.