God is "slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression" (Num. 14:18). Yet John also makes it clear (1 John 3:6, 9) that persistent unrepented sin is not the mark of a ChristianGod "will by no means clear the guilty" (Num. 14:18).

Imagine that God needed help in forgiving a person for something they had done. Your task is to present the situation to God from the perspective of the other person, considering the psychological factors that we know can impact behavior.

Choose a "transgressor" and a transgression that you believe require forgiveness. The person and the behavior can be anyone, from someone famous to someone you know personally, but you must be able to address the prompts below based on what you know or can learn about the person/situation and feel comfortable sharing. Compose a paper that addresses the five Ps of perspective taking:

• Pressures: What were the situational pressures that made the person behave the way they did?
• Past: What were the background factors contributing to the person acting the way they did?
• Personality: What are the events in the person's life that led to the person having the personality that they do? What aspects of their personality might contribute to the way they behaved?
• Provocations: What were the target of the transgressor's provocative behaviors? Alternatively, might the transgressor, from their point of view, perceive something the target did as a provocation?
• Plans: What were the person's good intentions? Did the person want to help, correct, or do something they thought would be good?

Your paper should include an introduction and conclusion. In your introduction, orient the reader to your perspective and give pertinent details about the incident requiring forgiveness. In your conclusion, respond to the following questions:

• What underlies my belief in and experience of Divine forgiveness?
• How does Divine forgiveness compare to interpersonal forgiveness? How can each inform the other?