Gary was in his first week of being a truck driver for a particular company and somehow he landed the lorry in the ditch. Mortified, he expected to be sacked immediately. When he eventually returned to the depot, having cost the company a great deal of money on repair, his boss was waiting for him. ‘I’m so, so sorry,’ spluttered Gary. ‘I’ll see you in the morning,’ was his bosses only reply.
The next morning still expecting to get his cards, he gasped, ‘I’m so, so sorry.’ His boss replied, ‘You said sorry yesterday, that was enough. You only needed to say it once. I forgave you then. Here is your schedule for the day.’
When we tell God we’re sorry, really sorry, He forgives us and His forgiveness is complete. We don’t need to do penance or earn His forgiveness. It is a free and complete gift. We are absolutely forgiven. Knowing our frail natures, we know we will sin again and have to be forgiven for our fresh sins. (I don’t know if Gary ever crashed another lorry!)
On the cross Jesus dealt with our sin completely. We will receive His forgiveness if we ask for it and with the help of the Holy Spirit we will sin no more, or at least less..