Quote of Note #233: Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins


“Fear nothing and never be afraid. If only your penitence fail not. God will forgive all. There is no sin, and there can be no sin on all the earth which the Lord will not forgive to the truly repentant! Man cannot commit a sin so great as to exhaust the love of God. Can there be sin which could exceed the love of God? Think only of repentance, continued repentance, but dismiss fear altogether. Believe that God loves you as you cannot conceive; that He loves you with your sin, in your sin. It has been said of old that over one repentant sinner there is more joy in heaven than over ten righteous men. Go, and fear not.” (Father Zossima)

FyodorDostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov (trans. by Constance Garnett), London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1912, page 47.

Related posts:
Bible Note #63: Zacchaeus #6–The Power of God’s Grace and Kindness
Pastor Note #47 — Living in Time, Living with God, Part 3: Disciplines of Christian Remembering
Bible Note #33: The Hairy Arms of Esau and the Embrace of God’s Grace — Genesis 33
Bible Note #32: Righteousness, Perseverance, and God’s Grace — Proverbs 24:16
Bible Note #23: Blessing without Regard to Deserving & the Gracious Heart of God

Photo by GAC

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.