Christian Counseling Connection
11
LAY HELPING
DEALING WITH
SELF-CONDEMNATION
THROUGH RESPONSIBLE
SELF-FORGIVENESS
Everett L.Worthington, Jr., Ph.D.
I
want to try to answer some difficult questions
about self-forgiveness. Many Christians wonder
whether self-forgiveness is even appropriate for
people of faith. If we are forgiven in Christ, is that
not enough? Do we trivialize Jesus’ work on the cross
by even thinking anything else is needed?
Others accept that one might, at times, legitimately
forgive himself or herself. However, they ask, what
would legitimate self-forgiveness look like? If the great
despots of history—the Hitlers, Stalins, Mao Zedongs
or Pol Pots—had said, “I have done a lot of bad things,
but decided to forgive myself… would that be self-for-
giveness? If not, what is it?
