Self-Forgiveness

Self-forgiveness is a funny topic for me because I don't actively practice or think about it, though I have wondered about it as a concept from a Christian perspective.

For some reason, I've been coming across it more and more in Christian fiction lately. It seems to either be a plot device or a teaching that's shared with main characters who think they've done something unforgivable and cannot move ahead in their life. I'm sure I've seen it referenced before, so it's probably only sticking out in my mind right now after reading a slew of Christmas novellas over the winter break.

Though this question has arisen from more current reading, I'm more curious about it as a theological question. I've seen read some books that denounce this teaching by stating that God alone forgives sin (Mark 2:7), which I can somewhat understand, though it's the teachers of the law who express this common belief, with Jesus correcting them about how the Son of Man can do the same thing because He is God (Mark 2:10).

On the other hand, when I've read Christian books that are more from a psychological perspective, they do talk about how because Christians can forgive one another, it must mean that we have the power to forgive ourselves as well.

Because I haven't found a conclusive teaching about this in the Bible (yet?), I haven't ever had it come to mind as a practice I should undertake. It's not to say that others shouldn't practice self-forgiveness if they feel that they have a compelling reason from the Bible to do so, but I want to find out what those reasons are.

If you happen to be a proponent of self-forgiveness, would you be willing to share more about that with me so that I can learn and grow in knowing more about this? It's something that I haven't been exposed to or taught in my church background, so I definitely want to hear other Christian perspectives, namely because it seems to be more frequently include in Christian fiction now and I want to understand both sides. Bible verses would be more than welcome; thank you!

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