Question
I know someone that is serving time for murder of a man, with the intent of robbing this man. She says that her pastor has told her that God has forgiven her for this. Yet does it not state in Gal. 5.21 that murders will not inherit the Kingdom of God? I would like to know if our God is a loving and forgiving enough God to forgive this deed that she has committed.
Answer
The answer is a resounding “YES”! The Lord can and does forgive any and all sins, including murder. The reference to those not inheriting the kingdom of heaven refer to those who do not seek the Lord’s forgiveness for their sins. But, if we meet His conditions in the way that He had commanded, we can be forgiven of any sin.
To help further clarify the answer, please note the following points and the passages that accompany them.
1. Sin is primarily against God. Although we commit sins against one another, the primary One who is offended is a morally pure and holy God. This being the case, it is He and only He who can determine the penalty for sin and how we can receive forgiveness for our sins.
Although David committed murder, adultery and several other sins related to his involvement with Bathsheba, he understood that the One most offended by his sin was God. Only God could provide the forgiveness David needed.
PSA 51:4 Against Thee, Thee only, I have sinned, And done what is evil in Thy sight, So that Thou art justified when Thou dost speak, And blameless when Thou dost judge.
2. It is God who determines the conditions on which sins are forgiven. For the one who is not a Christian, He has said we are to believe that Jesus is the Son of God (evidence for His death, burial and resurrection), repent (change our mind) of our sins, confess Jesus as the Son of God before others and be baptized (immersed in water) for the forgiveness of our sins. If we follow this course of obedient faith, He provides forgiveness for our sins.
ACT 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ– this Jesus whom you crucified.”
ACT 2:37 ¶ Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
ACT 2:38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Notice the words in verse 36, “whom you crucified” which describe the nature of the sins of some of those who were listening to the preaching of the apostles on that day. Yet, in spite of their participation in the crucifixion of Jesus, thousands responded and were forgiven.
3. After becoming Christians, we are told we must continue to confess your sins and repent of them so we might continue to receive forgiveness of our sins.
1JO 1:5 ¶ And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
1JO 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
1JO 1:7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
4. Although God is willing to forgive us of any sin, many times the consequences for those sins remain. For example if we should commit a sin like murder, we might be sentenced to prison time or even executed by the state. Even though these consequences might sound horrible, we must always remember that the GREATEST consequence of our sins has been removed, spiritual death (separation) from God, a life of eternal torment and suffering.
ROM 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
By Gary Hunt
