A Forgiven Sinner

I’ve been working on resolving a tension in my thinking about forgiveness. On the one hand, I know that I need to acknowledge my sin before the Father and to express the remorse that I feel about that sin. True repentance needs to have some sense of remorse. If I do not regret what I’ve done how can I be repenting of it? And yet, since there is forgiveness there is to be a limit to my expression of, my feeling of, remorse. When the Father forgives my sin, the matter has been dealt with, and it is to be forgotten. He forgets it, and He calls me to do the same. My problem is that there is a delicate balance between proper remorse and forgetful forgiveness – a balance that I don’t have down yet. I have to tell myself that since I’ve confessed my sin to the Father, it has been dealt with. I should no longer feel remorse. Actually, it’s more than that. Instead of remorse I should feel the joy of knowing my sins are forgiven. There is no room for remorse when there is joy. And yet, I am afraid of a cheapened idea of forgiveness where remorse is quickly passed through, almost ignored, on the way to forgiveness and its joy. But isn’t that tied to some silly idea that I will be forgiven only if I’m sorry enough? And isn’t that trying to save myself by something that I do? I’ve made some progress over the years, but there is further to go. I know, however, that because of the Spirit I will make some more progress before I see Jesus. And that will be very good.