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Self-Forgiveness

finder pointed at John 3:16 in Bible

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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  1. Nicole lamFebruary 5, 2025 at 6:11 PM

    Self-forgiveness does sound a little strange to me. I mean, if we had the power to forgive our own sins, it does sort of rule out the need for Jesus. Of course, I've seen it stated in Christian books as, "God already forgave you, so you need to forgive yourself." In those cases, would self-forgiveness possibly be rebranded or rewritten as just agreeing with God, or accepting the verse "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"?

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    1. Christian ShelvesFebruary 6, 2025 at 9:43 AM

      I agree with you that self-forgiveness can take away from the need to go directly to Jesus for forgiveness. I feel like rebranding this term in Christian fiction would probably add more clarity; I like what you wrote about how a character can accept what God has already done without the need for more. Coming across self-forgiveness as a reader when it's not necessarily a standard or shared Christian teaching makes it feel like further actions need to be undertaken. Thank you for your perspective as an author! :)

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