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Restoration: The complete plan of God for You.

When considering relationships that have been broken, damaged, or severed due to unfaithfulness, those involved seek guidance and restoration. As believers, our counsel should lead them toward forgiveness, recognizing that true healing begins with a heart surrendered to God’s grace.

All begins with total forgiveness

Hebrews 10:17 (ESV) – “Then he adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.’”

Colossians 2:13-14 (ESV) – “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.”

This is no different from the complete restoration of our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Reconciliation and ultimate glorification are impossible without first receiving complete forgiveness. The forgiveness of all our sins is the gateway to restoring every relationship, beginning—above all—with our relationship with God.

He forgave us first, and through His forgiveness, we are not only able but also called to forgive one another.

Romans 3:23 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Forgiveness is not merely an obligation for those who have been forgiven; rather, it is the inevitable response of a heart that has truly experienced God’s mercy. It should not be viewed as a burdensome command but as the natural outflow of a life transformed by grace.

Therefore, if forgiving others remains a struggle, it may be necessary to reflect once again on the depth of the forgiveness received from God. He does not desire for us to be burdened by the weight of our past failures, yet sometimes, the only way to fully grasp the magnitude of His forgiveness is by remembering how lost, broken, and incapable we once were apart from His grace.

Romans 5:8 – “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Condition for forgivness

`The only condition required for us to receive God’s complete and eternal forgiveness was faith in Jesus Christ. It was not based on penitence, remorse, or promises of perfect performance, but solely on trusting in Christ’s finished work on the Cross.

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) – “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Our forgiveness is a gift received through faith, not through human effort or merit. 

Romans 3:22-24 (ESV) – “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Forgiveness is a gift given freely to those who do not merit or deserve it. If it is truly a gift, then the only condition is humility—the willingness to receive it and to trust in the love and justice of the One who forgives. 

Love was demonstrated in its ultimate expression through Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, where He paid for all our sins, transgressions, and failures. His forgiveness is not earned by human effort but received through faith in His finished work.

Do you love your spouse? Do you love your rebellious son? Do you truly love? Then love always involves sacrifice. And part of that sacrifice is the risk of being rejected, unappreciated, or disregarded. True love is not conditional on being received—it gives, even when there is no guarantee of return. This is the love God demonstrated on the Cross, offering Himself fully, knowing that many would still turn away.

Justification: the old has passed away.

The second aspect of complete restoration is justification. Justification means that God no longer counts our transgressions against us. It is more than just forgiveness; it is being declared righteous before Him. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are not only pardoned but also credited with His perfect righteousness. In God’s eyes, we are as righteous as Christ Himself, not because of our works, but because of His grace.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) – “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Justification is not a process of earning righteousness, but a divine declaration of being fully accepted, cleansed, and restored in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

You must understand that justification is a binary reality—a judicial condition before God. You are either guilty or declared righteous. There is no middle ground. 

Hebrews 10:14 (ESV) – “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient and final; we are made perfect in Him, not by our own actions. In Christ, justification means that all charges against you have been removed, and you are seen as completely righteous before God, not by your own merit, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

It is in this condition that you must never accept codmenation in your heart and mind.

Romans 8:1 (ESV) – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

This is where many stumble in their restoration process. Forgiveness alone is not enough to fully restore a relationship. I once met a couple who had separated and were in the process of arranging a parenting agreement. They were respectful and polite to one another, and both had verbally expressed forgiveness. However, the lingering debt of betrayal, painful memories, and past mistakes continued to push them apart, leaving their child caught in the middle.

The child, who had no part in the struggles of the adults, was confused and saddened. Like many children in similar situations, he feared that he might be the reason his parents could not reconcile. His heart bore the weight of an emotional battle that was never his to fight.

Forgiveness is essential, but it is not enough. To experience complete restoration, one must step into the realm of justification. In Christ, full salvation is not only about being forgiven but also about being justified—declared righteous and fully restored.

Likewise, for a relationship to experience full restoration, it must move beyond mere forgiveness and into the realm of justification, where past wrongs are no longer counted against one another. Only then can true healing and reconciliation take place.

Romans 5:1 (ESV) – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The price of redemption

Romans 3:24 – “And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Surely, making justification possible comes at a cost. Someone must bear the loss. A price must be paid. Pride must be set aside. The right to be right must be surrendered in favor of the decision to be gracious. This is the very essence of redemption—someone willingly paying the price for pain and unfairness.

This is precisely what Christ did for us. Our justification was not free; it was purchased at the highest cost—the blood of Jesus. He endured the suffering we deserved, bore the weight of our sin, and chose grace over judgment so that we might be reconciled to God.

1 Peter 3:18 (ESV) – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.”

In the same way, restoring relationships requires sacrifice. Someone must choose to absorb the cost of betrayal, hurt, and injustice. This does not mean ignoring wrongdoing, but rather choosing to respond with grace rather than vengeance.

This is what Paul says about real “agape" love.

1 Corinthians 13:6-7 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Just as Christ bore our sins without demanding repayment, true restoration happens when love triumphs over the demand for retribution. That is redemption. That is the third step in God’s full restoration for you. 

The Biblical term for the price of our forgiveness is propitiation.

Romans 3:25 (ESV) “Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”

I want you to know that the price Christ paid was so great, so immense, and so valuable that its merit is sufficient to cover all the sins of the world—including yours and those committed against you by your brother, sister, spouse, or anyone else. His sacrifice is not only powerful enough to forgive but also to restore and heal.

(1 John 2:2, ESV) “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 

By the way, while we are still on this side of heaven, those who have been forgiven are still in the process of transformation. Salvation, the forgiveness of our sins, justification, and redemption, does not immediately perfect us; rather, we are continually shaped into Christ's image. We will explore this further when we discuss glorification, the final stage of our full salvation/restoration.

Bringing us close again.

It is reconciliation that restores closeness and brings us back into the right relationship. The Bible is clear, especially in Isaiah and throughout the prophets, that sin creates separation between humanity and God.

Isaiah 59:2 (ESV) – “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”

God hates sin, but He loves us. Because of His holiness, He could not ignore sin—He had to deal with it. And He did, once and for all, on the Cross. Through Christ’s sacrifice, the barrier of sin has been removed, making reconciliation possible.

Now, in Christ, nothing can separate us from His love:

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV) – “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God took the fearless, decisive step toward us, offering reconciliation through Jesus. 

The ball is in our court. It is up to us to respond to His initiative by accepting the gift of a restored relationship with Him.

Because of propitiation, we can now be fully reconciled with God, receiving forgiveness and righteousness through faith in Christ.

Romans 5:10-11 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

God made the move. We must not be afraid to make ours. Call Him Abba. Call him Father.

Romans 8:15 – “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”

2 Corinthians 5:19 (ESV) – “In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”

Through Christ, we have been adopted into God’s family, no longer bound by fear or condemnation. We can now approach Him with confidence, calling Him Abba, Father—a term of deep intimacy and trust. His love is secure, His arms are open, and He longs for us to draw near.

Restauration brings us back where we belong. 

We All Fall Short of God’s Glory

Romans 3:23 (ESV) – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Every person has failed to meet God’s perfect standard. Our sin separates us from Him, but through Christ, we are forgiven, justified, redeemed, reconciled, fully restored and destined to be clothed with glory again.

Romans 5:17 (ESV)“For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”

When we accept, believe, persist, meditate, praise, sing about, and apply the full plan of salvation to every aspect of our lives—including our relationships—we walk in the transforming power of the Gospel.

Romans 12:2 (ESV) – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Applying God’s truth daily renews our minds, reshaping our actions, relationships, and perspectives according to His will.

There is a moment when we stand at the threshold of our destiny, called to step forward in faith and remain in the eternal life Christ offers.

Romans 8:17 – “And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Romans 8:18 – “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Romans 8:30 – “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Those who live in Christ now—walking by faith, abiding in Him—are the ones who will remain in His life forever. Salvation is not just a future promise but a present reality for those who walk in the Spirit.