FORGIVENESS OF SIN IN HINDUISM AND CHRISTIANITY

Fundamentally forgiveness of sins, according to Bhagavad Gita and The Holy Bible, is granted by the incarnated God.

Bhagavad Gita says:

"yathaidhamsi samiddho 'gnir

bhasma-sat kurute 'rjuna

jnanagnih sarva-karmani

bhasma-sat kurute tatha"

(Bh Gita Ch 4 Ver 37)

One other way to get rid of your sins is to take refuge in God through "Devotion". In Bhagavad Gita , God assure his disciple Arjuna in many ways and asks him to take refuge in Him and says that He shall emancipate him of sin in all ways, shall rescue him in his life always. Many times we think that we have done many sins in life and know God shall accept us, and God make very clear in Bhagavad Gita that once a person become devoted to Him, He does not considers that person a sinner, rather God consider that person to be a Saint as he has taken the right decision in his life to become devoted to God.

According to the Vedas,  man has to suffer according to his deeds in continuous rebirths. Until he becomes clean from all his stains he cannot be with God as He is the Supreme form of purity. This state cannot be attained by births and rebirths and as such Krishna says those who surrender himself to God shall attain forgiveness.

Christianity provides only one option for forgiveness. That is,  God Himself incarnated as man and suffered and died as punishment of all human ever born on earth. Any human being irrespective of any faith, belief and observations recognise the sacrifice of God for his sake shall have instant forgiveness. And those who do not recognise the sacrifice of the Son of Man shall have to suffer for his offences, may be for generations. "So it is that the Son of Man did not come to have service done him; he came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for the lives of many " (Mark 10:45)

"God so loved the world, thus he gave up his only begotten Son, so that those who believe in him may not perish, but have eternal life."

(John 3:15)

Genesis 6:5 confirms that it is God Himself came as man and sacrificed for the forgiveness of their sins. "And now God found that earth was full of men's iniquities, and that the whole frame of their thought was set continuously on evil;  and he repented of having made men on earth at all." God being the Father of justice too He took the iniquities of man on Himself as the Creator of men and therefore, God repented. And that repentance was accomplished on the cross at Calvary.

"Truely I tell you, you will not go out, until you pay the last penny." (Mathew 5:26) It is very clearly said here until you clean the last stain on your soul you have to live in this world and suffer. In other words, those who do not surrender themselves to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ shall have to undergo punishments. This is further confirmed in Exodus 34:7. "He is true to his promise of mercy a thousand times over; shame or sin or guilt is none but he forgives it; yet, before him, none can claim innocence in his own right, and when he punishes, the son must make amends for the father's guilt, to the third and the fourth generation."

K V George