Global Forgiveness Day
A little-known fact about July 7th is that since 1994 this day has been made Global Forgiveness Day. How appropriate is it that this day would fall on a Sunday? A day in which we gather with fellow Christians to worship our Lord and Savior who graciously forgives us of our sins.
Since the beginning of mankind, man has ruined the perfect gift that God has given us by sinning and separating ourselves from Him. Despite many great things He had done for His people, man has continually neglected and rejected God. For example, the Israelites were stuck in Egypt as slaves, so God provided for them Moses to lead them out of Egypt. However, despite miraculous gifts and provisions given by God, the people continually forgot about God’s guidance and grumbled against Him (Exodus 16:3; 17:4; Numbers 11:1). The Lord, though, still provided a way to be forgiven. If the Israelites sinned, they were to bring a ram without blemish to the priest and he would make atonement for the sinner before the Lord. By this, “he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty” (Leviticus 6:7).
Nonetheless, it was “impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). In fact, Leviticus 16:34 reveals that a sacrifice was made once per year as a reminder of their sins. Today, we can rejoice that “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). Though the “wages of sin is death,” through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we can receive the “free gift of God,” which is “eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Even though today may be Global Forgiveness Day, we can be rejoicing with one another every day because of Jesus’ willingness to die upon a cross. It is because of Jesus’ sacrifice that we can be forgiven if we follow Him.
Another great reminder of forgiveness is the charge for believers to extend forgiveness to others, as they have received forgiveness from God. In His example of prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray for their “debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). That same principle was further taught by Jesus in Matthew 18 when He instructed Peter to forgive his brother not just seven times, but seventy-seven times. Truly, illustrating the limitless power and need for forgiveness. Jesus showed His disciples that forgiveness is not just an action of God but a foundational principle that should define the life of a Christian. On Global Forgiveness Day, which fittingly falls on a Sunday, we are reminded not only of the forgiveness we receive through Jesus Christ but also of our call to forgive others.
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
