Perhaps the biggest question in prison ministry... "Will God forgive me?"

During Nick's regular Wednesday morning chaplaincy rounds on the Healthcare Wing of a local prison, one of the inmates came up to him asking if he was a chaplain.

Nick continues the story...

When I told him I was he asked “Do you think God will forgive me for what I have done?” I was a little surprised at the directness of this question. He appeared to be deeply troubled with guilt. I answered “Yes, I believe so. Whatever crimes you have committed in the past, if you truly repent from your sin and put your trust in Christ as your Saviour you will find forgiveness and cleansing. You can be born again by the Spirit of God and have a brand new start in life”

I then went on to spend some considerable time with him and I took him through the first chapter of 1 John. I told him that when we come to God he requires from us complete honesty and humility. I said that all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and we are all in need of His grace and forgiveness. I explained that God hates hypocrisy. He simply wants us to walk in the light, not trying to cover things up and live in pretence. No matter what we have done we can find mercy if we acknowledge our sin and our need of Christ as Saviour. This seemed to come as a great relief to him. He was not quite ready to give his heart to the Lord but I reassured him of God's love for him and left him with a Bible and an accompanying booklet.

Please pray for H that he will come through to a saving knowledge of Christ.