Does Forgiveness and Redemption Exist in This Life?

My answer to a reader's letter about whether there is hope for an ex-convict.

by Rod D. Martin
September 28, 2015

I receive a lot of letters, and this one -- from a good friend who is not a Christian -- stood out. She writes about a veteran (we'll call him Jim) who committed a crime many years ago, spent years in prison, and is now struggling to make it outside. She asked, in part:

I was thinking about redemption, forgiveness, and new beginnings, and how ex-felons basically cannot build an identity apart from what they did. Does forgiveness and opportunity actually exist within this life for those that have been convicted of a wrong?

The following is my answer.

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You asked me a couple of very significant questions which obviously deserve whole books in response, so let me tackle this as briefly as seems reasonable but without ignoring the comprehensive nature of your request.

“Does forgiveness and opportunity actually exist in this life…?” 

As you know, I am a Christian. I think some people would also consider me an intellectual, and I am certainly not satisfied,…