How Do I Know I'm Really Forgiven?

What happens to a "sorry" when you give it to God?

Let's imagine a make-believe story. A boy named Leo is playing ball in the living room. Bounce, bounce... CRASH! Mommy's favorite blue cup falls and breaks. When Mommy comes in, Leo says, "The cat did it!" But all day long, Leo's tummy feels heavy, like he swallowed a big rock. He can't laugh. He can't even enjoy his cookie. Have you ever felt a heavy tummy like that? That heavy feeling is telling you something. And God has a wonderful answer for it!

That night, Leo can't sleep. So he tiptoes to Mommy and whispers, "I broke your cup. And I told a fib. I'm sorry." Mommy hugs him tight. Then they kneel down together, and Leo tells God, "I'm sorry, God. Please forgive me." And guess what the Bible says God does when we tell Him the truth?

To "confess" means to tell God the truth about what we did wrong. And God is "faithful" — that means He always keeps His promise. Not sometimes. Always! When you say sorry to God, He does not say "maybe." He forgives you.

But God does even more. He cleans your heart! Think of a white T-shirt with a big red juice stain. You scrub and scrub, and it won't come out. But God can make a heart that looks all red and messy become white, white, white — like fresh snow and soft lamb's wool.

Now, where do our sins go when God forgives them? Does He keep them in a box to show us later? No! Point one hand to where the sun comes up, and the other hand to where the sun goes down. Stretch, stretch, stretch! Can your hands ever touch? No! That is how far God takes our sins away from us.

And here is another picture. Imagine throwing a little stone into the ocean. Plop! Down, down, down it goes, to the very bottom of the deep, dark sea, where nobody can ever find it. The Bible says God throws our sins there — and He does it because He loves us so much.

But what if, the next day, your tummy still feels a little heavy? What if a little voice in your head whispers, "God is still mad at you"? Here is a secret: feelings can be wrong. Sometimes feelings are slow to catch up. But God's promise is always true. When you belong to Jesus, you are not "in trouble" with God anymore.

Your feelings may say "maybe," but God's promise says "YES — you are forgiven!"

How can God forgive us like that? Because Jesus paid for it. Jesus loved you so much that He died on the cross and rose again, so that forgiveness could be a free gift for you. You can't buy it with money or earn it by being extra good. You just open your hands and say, "Thank You, Jesus!"

And when God forgives us, something happens inside: we want to make things right with people too. Leo said sorry to Mommy, and he helped sweep up the pieces. In the Bible, a man named Zacchaeus met Jesus and wanted to give back what he had taken (Luke 19:8). We can say sorry, give back, or help fix what we broke. Not so God will love us — but because He already does!

In her book Steps to Christ (in the chapters "Repentance," "Confession," and "Faith and Acceptance"), Ellen G. White explains that we don't have to make ourselves good before coming to Jesus. We can come just as we are. When we tell Him our sins and give our hearts to Him, God accepts us because of Jesus. What good news!

Want to learn more? Ask a grown-up to explore the free Bible study "Forgiveness: Free at Last" with you. You can also visit our FAQ and our Faith Journey page.

Take-home sheet

• When I tell God the truth and say sorry, He always keeps His promise to forgive me.
• God washes my heart white as snow and throws my sins far away, into the deep sea.
• Feelings can be wrong, but God's promise is always true.
• Forgiveness is a free gift, because Jesus paid for it.

Fun activity: Take a piece of paper and scribble a dark cloud on it for something you did wrong (you don't have to write what it was). Pray and tell God you are sorry. Then tear the paper into tiny, tiny pieces and, with a grown-up, drop them into a big bowl of water — your "deep sea" (Micah 7:19). Watch them sink! Then draw a white snowflake on a clean paper and write: "Forgiven!" (Isaiah 1:18).

For parents & teachers

• Read the story slowly and warmly; pause at Leo's "heavy tummy" and ask your child if they have ever felt that way.
• Do the actions together: stretch your arms east and west, and "plop" a pretend stone into the sea.
• Make clear that the story of Leo is make-believe, but every Bible verse is real — open the Bible and read them together.
• Stress that forgiveness is God's free gift through Jesus, never something a child earns by being "good enough."
• Gently teach making things right (saying sorry, helping fix, giving back), as a fruit of being forgiven, not as a price for it.
• Reassure your child: God is not waiting to punish them, and your love doesn't disappear when they make mistakes.
• If a child reveals that someone has hurt them, listen calmly, believe them, and involve a trusted adult or the proper authorities. A hurt child is never to blame and never has to "make up" with someone who harms them.
• End with a short prayer of thanks for Jesus' forgiveness.

10 Myths vs Facts

Sources

• Bible verses: 1 John 1:9; Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 103:12; Micah 7:19; Romans 8:1; Ephesians 1:7; Luke 19:8 (referenced) — King James Version (public domain).
• Seventh-day Adventist beliefs: https://adventist.org/beliefs · https://gc.adventist.org/
• Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, chapters "Repentance," "Confession," "Faith and Acceptance" (public domain): https://whiteestate.org/ · https://m.egwwritings.org/

© 2026 Ministère du Pasteur Clément Salomon. All rights reserved. Provided free for personal and ministry use — please share it unaltered and with credit; commercial use or resale is not permitted. Scripture is quoted from public-domain translations; Ellen G. White writings are in the public domain.