He had committed a terrible wrong. In his dearest friend's darkest moments he had deserted him, in spite of having professed his loyalty to that same friend, cost what it may, only hours earlier. Yet, somehow, in spite of the bitter disappointment he must have felt within himself, he was able to recover and go forward. What an act of courage and humility—of pardon and grace!

As some might guess, the man was Peter, and the friend, Christ Jesus. The Gospel of Luke recounts that Peter, a close disciple of the Master, had avowed at the Passover supper that he would follow him, even if it led to death. Yet only a few hours later he declared vociferously that he didn't even know the man (see chap.22:31—62).

Forgiving oneself may be one of the most profoundly Christian actions one can ever take. And as Peter went on to illustrate, rich blessings for oneself and others can flow from that selfless act.

In the final analysis, we see that it's fruitless—and, in fact, wrong—to hold a grudge against anyone, including oneself. And because God is loving and good, there must be an escape from self-condemnation, guilt, and fear. We find this escape as we learn that God is infinite good and as we wipe out sin through applying this truth.

The Bible teaches that God is perfect good. It's the nature of His creation to reflect that goodness. If either God or His universe contained sin or any evil element, He would be neither perfect nor supreme but self-divided, weak, and ultimately self-destructive. Thus, evil is never absolutely real, never legitimate. Consequently, there is a great moral imperative to overcome it.

The reason that evil and sin are no part of us is that we have no being apart from this sinless Being that is God. (Since God is infinite, there is, in truth, but one Being.) Made to reflect God, infinite good, we must constantly be expressing our creator's own morally flawless character. Thus, no matter how native to us wrongdoing may appear, it simply is never part of our true, spiritual identity.

But if we're not the wrongdoer, who or what is? The basis of wrongdoing is the notion that there is something apart from infinite good. In a sense, this incorrect belief is the only sinner. This belief would lead to regrettable motives and acts. It would come in the guise of our own thoughts and desires, but it's actually impersonal evil, a product of what Paul calls the carnal mind.

Sin is inherent in the thought that there is something apart from God. Mary Baker Eddy says: "Sin was, and is, the lying supposition that life, substance, and intelligence are both material and spiritual, and yet are separate from God" (Retrospection and Introspection, p. 67). The mistaken assumption that God is limited, or finite, is real only to its own false way of thinking. It would put itself forward under the guise of a sinning human personality that might even feel guilty and self-condemnatory. But Christ Jesus showed that God isn't limited and that therefore the sense of man as a wrongdoer is but a human concept that can be put aside for the truth of being. As this is done, through changed thought and improved action, we experience reform and can forgive ourselves.

In truth, because God loves His idea, man, He holds him in a state of perfection at every moment, allowing him neither to think nor to act contrary to the law of Love. This law of Love not only forbids the actual existence of wrong but also demands that we demonstrate this absolute truth, that we eliminate evil's appearance through healing wrongdoing and its consequences. The law of Love compassionately requires that we repent and act in accord with Love, leaving behind the misconception of man as capable of doing evil for the true sense of man, governed by his creator and therefore capable only of good.

Some questions and answers: Does guilt serve a purpose in God's plan? Perfect God could never make either a sinner or guilt. But again, the truth of being needs to be proved in human experience. It is important, then, that we acknowledge a mistake, and a guilty conscience may wake us up to this need. The next demand in glorifying God is to recognize and prove through reform that the mistake was never part of our sinless identity as God's child. In other words, we prove that we are sinless by ceasing to sin.

When should we pray about a sin in the past? Right now if it's in thought. We should pray vigilantly and, if necessary, persistently until we see that it was never a part of us. Any wrong in the past is controlling us in the present if it's taking away our peace and self-appreciation. The argument that man was, is, or will be a sinner is false now and always. And we need to act in a manner consistent with this fact.

Is there a limit to how many times we should forgive ourselves if we just don't seem to be going forward and learning the lessons we need to learn? Peter asked the Master, "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?" Jesus replied: "I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven" (Matt. 18:21,22). This is the standard for self-forgiveness, too. When applied, it impels moral progress.

Though self-forgiveness requires a radically spiritual way of thinking about ourselves, it doesn't have to take a long time. What is needed is a change of heart, a deep, sincere willingness to live better—expressed in concrete, reformed action—and often, a softening of one's own feelings relative to oneself. Such change is well worth the effort, for unfailing charity toward one-self and unconditional self-forgiveness are indispensable not only to reform but also to loving, and thereby helping, others.

Peter went on, through his healing and preaching, to evangelize many. As we work at understanding and applying the concept of God as infinite good and ourselves as His perfect expression, our reform, like Peter's, is absolutely inevitable. And with it comes release from self-condemnation, the glorious freedom of genuine self-forgiveness, and permanent peace.