How Does Forgiveness Really Work? What Does the Bible Say?

When the Bible says Jesus is the only way to heaven, what does it mean? This page explores key Bible passages for a clearer picture of God’s desire to save us.

While this might seem like a complicated question, there’s a simple way to look at it. Sin is a failure to love God and love others. It is the opposite of love.

The Bible talks about the covenant, or promise, God made to save us from sin. Learn more about the old and new covenants and why they matter to us.

Poverty, genocide, a school shooting. A tsunami or earthquake that wipes out thousands of lives and leaves behind mourning family members.

your choices, actions, and habits really matter to your eternal destiny? Or is the path you choose in life predetermined, and your life is just following a script that’s been laid out for you?

Knowing you’re forgiven is a big part of finding freedom in Christianity. The Bible tells us that after we’ve prayed for God’s forgiveness, we can believe we’re forgiven and accept His gift of pardon.

You might have heard the phrase somewhere about “gaining victory over sin” through “the power of Jesus Christ” or “through the blood of Jesus,” etc. But what does that mean exactly, and how does it all work…especially if we’re still having to live out our lives in a world that’s still full of sin?

Ever felt like you face the same temptation day after day? The one temptation that always seems to resurface?
It can be frustrating, yes. But be encouraged—being tempted doesn’t mean you have done anything wrong! And even if you give in to temptation, you are never too imperfect to come before God.

In so many religions all throughout time, individuals work toward enlightenment, salvation, or the favor of a deity. People are taught subtly—or not so subtly—that if you only do enough good deeds, you’ll be worthy/ascended/redeemed/approved, etc.

Salvation, or being saved, is what God wants for all of us. And since God created us with free will, this salvation is ultimately our choice. We become “saved” by accepting that Jesus Christ died on the cross, taking the punishment meant for sinners upon Himself.

Only one Bible verse speaks directly to permanent, symbolic markings on the skin. It’s Leviticus 19:28, and it’s one item in a list of ways God told Israel to distance themselves from the pagan practices of the people they lived among.

Human nature is capable of the most self-sacrificing and heroic acts—a soldier risking his life for his country, a mother protecting her children from harm, a man jumping into a swirling current to save someone who is drowning.

The Great Controversy is a battle between good and evil that began when a beautiful angel rebelled in heaven. It’s the cause of the evil and suffering in our world today.