Is it possible for people to change? How do we cope with things we’ve done in the past which we deeply regret? Our society can be very unforgiving. The lives of those in the public eye are unmercifully scrutinised. Things which people said or did in the past, or posted on social media, are discovered and reported as if they alone define a person. None of us can stand up to that kind of scrutiny before the court of public opinion. Such judgements may also be hypocritical. The Apostle Paul wrote, “You have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”

Th ultimate issue for each of us is not the judgement of other people but the judgement of God who sees and knows everything we do. The psalmist reflects on this in Psalm 130, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.”

In responding to recent important issues reported in the news it has been said that if someone apologises for what they did in the past they deserve a second chance. This gives people an opportunity to learn from their mistakes and to change. In the Bible such a change of mind is called repentance and has to do with our relationship with God. We repent when we hate our sins and forsake them because they are displeasing to God. This change of mind turns us towards God and enables us to understand why Jesus died on the cross. He took the punishment our sins deserve and in his great love died to pay the price of our sins. This is the reason Christians love Jesus as their Saviour.

A modern hymn expresses this love. “Wonderful grace that gives what I don’t deserve, pays me what Christ has earned, then lets me go free. Wonderful grace that gives me the time to change, washes away the stain that once covered me. Wonderful love that held in the face of death, breathed in its final breath forgiveness for me. Wonderful love whose power can break every chain, giving us life again, setting us free. And all that I am I lay at the feet of the wonderful Saviour who loves me.”