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Several years ago, I had
the opportunity to address an English Christian convention in Italy. The
evening before, I shared a meal with friends, including an acquaintance devoted
to offering pastoral care to prisoners. Among those in his care was a former
Mafia member, a man haunted by a heart-breaking question: "I have taken
many lives and committed terrible acts of violence. Can God forgive me?"
Though I can’t recall the exact words the shepherd offered in response, I remember how deeply this man's struggle resonated with me. Even if we haven’t committed such grievous wrongs, many of us know what it feels like to long for forgiveness and the assurance that our mistakes don’t define us forever.
In moments like these, Isaiah 1:18 offers comfort beyond measure: “Come now,” God says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.” The striking image of scarlet sins becoming white as snow is a reminder of God’s overwhelming grace and His ability to cleanse even the darkest parts of our lives.
Consider David, the biblical figure who, after falling into sin through adultery and murder, found his way back to God’s mercy. He later wrote, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). Imagine God gathering our sins, putting them away, and removing them from us forever. Yet this forgiveness calls us to something more: a new way of living, a life free from the chains of our past (John 5:14).
I often think about that former Mafia member and his question. Did he find peace in the words of Scripture? There is perhaps no greater anguish than carrying a conscience heavy with guilt, and yet, the Bible offers a way to release that burden, to find rest in God's profound forgiveness.