How Can I Forgive Myself after Abortion?

“I know God has forgiven me, but I can’t forgive myself.” This is the phrase I hear most often from women who are Christians and have experienced abortion. What is it about abortion that leaves many feeling like it is the unforgivable sin? Keep reading to find out more.

Is Abortion the Unforgivable Sin?

The enemy has branded abortion as the unforgivable sin. Many believe this lie and think that they have to live with the shame of abortion for the rest of their lives. It is their self-imposed penance.

Thank goodness God offers grace! Grace is an undeserved favor. When God lavishes His grace on us, of course we don’t deserve it. But He does it anyway! Why is it that we can accept the grace He offers to save us, to bring us into His family, but when the same grace says we are forgiven from abortion, we can’t accept it? Scripture tells us God’s plan for dealing with sin, and it is really good news for us! We just have to willingly accept it.

There Has to Be More to It, Right?

Someone might say, “I understand God has a plan for redeeming my sin, but I am too far gone. It won’t work for me.” They think there must be more to it than just accepting God’s forgiveness.

What they are really saying is, “I am waiting to feel forgiven, then I will know I am forgiven.” This “waiting to feel forgiven” has no basis in Scripture. Nowhere in the Bible does it say you will be forgiven when you feel forgiven. Instead, it offers a formula authored by God for forgiveness: repent, confess, and believe. That is the key to forgiveness!

If we wait to “feel forgiven” for our abortions, most of us will never move on. We must “walk in forgiveness by faith,” and our feelings will eventually follow. 

How Do We Walk in Forgiveness?

In order to walk in forgiveness, we must realize that what we may be feeling is not true guilt from God, but shame. Guilt is when the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin so that we can repent and turn back to God. It is healthy for believers to experience guilt because we are all sinners, and it drives us back into the arms of God. However, when we repent of our sins but still have guilty feelings, that is false guilt or shame, which isn’t from the Lord. And since it isn’t from the Lord, but from the enemy, we should recognize it as condemnation and refuse to accept it! We can scorn the shame, just as Christ did on the cross (Hebrews 12:2).

Our mindset changes when we realize the difference between true and false guilt. We see that condemnation is from the enemy, and we are to rebuke it. We understand that abortion is not the unforgivable sin. We recognize that God doesn’t want us to remain in a prison of shame after abortion and that He made a plan to deal with it long before we had our abortions. His plans are perfect, and we can trust Him!

Written by

Sara Hamilton

Real Options Abortion Recovery

Roartx.com