Blessed is the One Whose Transgressions are Forgiven: Conceptual Foundations and a Template for Measuring Christian Experiences of Reconciliation with God

God’s forgiveness of humans is a theological concept that holds significant weight in all monotheistic religious traditions, but only recently have scholars taken interest in conducting empirical research to study human experiences of forgiveness from God. This body of social scientific literature is in its relative infancy, and much of the research that has been done so far has taken an etic approach that may overlook important tradition-specific considerations about God’s forgiveness. Drawing on monotheistic relational spirituality, this chapter introduces a relationally embedded dual process model for understanding how Christians experience reconciliation with God following recognition of a personal sin. After detailing some preliminary conceptual considerations, we outline two core processes—(1) engaging in repentance with God and (2) experiencing absolution from God—that Christians may need go through in order to adaptively resolve disharmony in their relationship with God after transgressing God’s standards or values. We then describe the process by which we developed the incident-specific Reconciliation with God Scale, a brief but efficient tool that researchers and practitioners can employ in their work with adherents of the Christian tradition. We conclude by discussing some potential implications of the dual process model and corresponding measure for enriching theory, research, and practice with the Christian population.