If the Lord forgives, who am I?

This is a true incident that took place at a New Year's gathering in the life of Corrie ten Boom, a minister from the Netherlands.

During World War II, her family secretly protected Jews, and as a result, she and her sister were imprisoned in a Nazi jail. They endured hunger, illness, beatings, and humiliation, and her sister died in that same prison.

Corrie was unexpectedly released from prison. After the war, she traveled the world, witnessing about God's forgiveness and love. During a New Year's gathering where she was giving a speech, a man came forward after her talk.

This man was a guard who had worked in the prison where Corrie and her sister were tortured. He was the one who had severely tormented Corrie and her sister. The guard, extending his hands, said:

“I have believed in Christ and been saved; God has forgiven me. Can you also forgive me?” With these words, he pleaded with her...

At that moment, Corrie's heart trembled.

It was an unforgivable offense from a human perspective. She remembered the words from Matthew 6:15, "But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." She thought, "If God has forgiven you, who am I?" and chose to obey her faith rather than her emotions. She stretched out her hand, took his hand,

and these were the words she spoke:

“In this moment, God's love flowed into my heart like a stream; this forgiveness is not my strength, but the strength granted to us in Christ.”

He replied that this is the message for us this new year.

And as we step into this year 2026, the first thing we remember is that God has forgiven us, and we too must forgive others.

Even if there are wounds from the past year,

even if there are unforgivable experiences,

even if pain remains,

Let us begin this new year with a spirit of forgiveness and receive the Lord's supreme grace.

Let us proclaim to the world the value of being children of God.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Elisha Bonnke