Living Forgiven
Biblical Figures Who Lived Like They Were Forgiven—Because They Were
Forgiveness is an invitation into a new identity. Forgiveness isn’t about where you’ve been or what you’ve done but about who you are becoming. Forgiveness is not a moment—it’s a movement and a lifestyle. To us is committed the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5: 18–19). This truth can transform how we see ourselves, how we relate to others, and how we live in the world. Consider these biblical figures who demonstrate what living into our identity as forgiven looks like.
1. The Woman with the Alabaster Jar (Luke 7 / Matthew 26)
The woman’s identity is uncertain, but she’s unforgettable—remembered for her extravagant offering of love. She didn’t beg Jesus for forgiveness—she acted like she had already received it. Living from her identity as forgiven, she “loved much.” With an extravagant act of gratitude, she washed Jesus’s feet, dried them with her hair, and anointed them with costly perfume. Jesus responded with grace and compassion. He rebuked her critics and declared her story would be told wherever the gospel was shared.
2. Mary Magdalene
Delivered from seven demons, Mary became a devoted Christ follower and the first witness of his Resurrection. She didn’t carry shame—she carried good news: her story of forgiveness and radical deliverance.
3. Peter
He denied Jesus three times, but that wasn’t the end of Peter’s story. Jesus sought him out, restored him to ministry, and changed his identity from failure to forgiven. Peter’s failure formed the humility he needed to fulfill his purpose.
4. Paul
From persecutor to preacher, Paul never forgot who he was—but he doesn’t let his past define him. The self-described “worst of all sinners,” Paul knew he was forgiven. He told his story before the elite—living proof that no one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
5. The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32)
He rehearsed an apology. His father threw a party. He expected to return as a servant but was received like a son. Forgiveness restored more than the son’s status—it restored his identity.
6. Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1–10)
When Jesus called Zacchaeus down from the sycamore-fig tree, the despised tax collector responded with repentance and restitution. Greed turned to generosity, starting with hosting Jesus—living forgiven.
7. The Thief on the Cross (Luke 23:39–43)
He had no time to prove himself. No good works to show. But he had one sentence from Jesus: ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.” Forgiveness transformed the identity of a dying thief into a son of God.
Live like you’ve been forgiven—because you are.