The Forgiveness of Sins

Let’s begin by reciting the Apostles Creed together. This morning, we come to the second work of the Holy Spirit that the creed confesses – “the forgiveness of sins.” It has been my experience in my own Christian walk that there are a few strong, experiential evidences of the work of the Spirit in the world. One is in the fact that anyone ever believes the Gospel in the first place. As Paul says in 1 Cor. 1, the Gospel is foolishness to the world – I mean, to believe that a peasant carpenter was the Son of God, that he died a criminals death, and then rose again as the King of Kings – it’s just fantastical to the rebellious human mind. So, if anyone believes it, it is not by their own wisdom or perceptiveness, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. A second evidence of the Spirit’s work is what we saw last week – the building of his church throughout this world. The fact that people from different cultures, races, and backgrounds all believe the same things and find unity in Jesus Christ is a testament to the reality of the Spirit of God. Lastly, there is very clear evidence of the Spirit’s work in the fact that Christians live as a forgiven and forgiving people. Throughout the centuries, those who would persecute believers have marveled at and even been converted by the confidence with which martyrs have faced death. These persecutors marvel at the fact that Christians do not fear death because we know, through the presence of the Spirit in our lives, that we have been forgiven. But, the world also marvels at the uniquely Christian ability to forgive others, even our enemies. This supernatural power of forgiveness was on full display after the horrific shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston on June 17^th, 2015, when a deranged man sat with members of the church during a Wednesday night prayer meeting, and then opened fire, killing nine. Two days later, at the arraignment for the shooter, five relatives of the victims spoke up. The daughter of one victim said, “You took something very precious from me, but I forgive you. It hurts me. You hurt a lot of people, but may God forgive you.” The grandson of another victim exhorted the shooter, “We would like you to take this opportunity to repent. Repent. Confess. Give your life to the one who matters most, Christ, so he can change your ways no matter what happens to you and you’ll be OK.” I remember watching news reports from the hearing and how stunned the reporters were at how quickly the victims were to forgive. They could not explain it. In fact, some news outlets brought on “experts” to talk about how being this quick to forgive wasn’t healthy. The world cannot comprehend this kind of forgiveness because it is not of this world. The only reason that these faithful believers could forgive in this way was because of the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

This is why we confess, in the Apostles Creed, that we believe in the forgiveness of sins. To see this from Scripture, let’s read Rom. 8:31-39 together. This morning, I want you to see three types of forgiveness that we experience through the power of the Spirit. We experience redeeming forgiveness, relational forgiveness, and reconciling forgiveness.

First, by the power of God, we have redeeming forgiveness. In verses 31-33 of our passage, Paul begins this wonderful assurance of God’s forgiveness. He asks, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” As we saw last week, if we have trusted in Jesus Christ, then we are part of God’s church. We are the “called out ones”, a chosen and precious people in the sight of God. So, in verse 33, Paul wonders, “who can bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn?” I want you to hear Paul clearly on this: if the forgiveness of your sins were based on anything that you’ve done, then you would have no hope. If forgiveness were dependent on penance or your good works, there would be no assurance. But praise God, our forgiveness is not based on our merit or right standing, but on God’s free gift. The forgiveness of God is something that he chooses to give, by his free grace alone. The forgiveness of God is something that he alone has paid for through the blood of his son. And, we receive that forgiveness through the work of his Holy Spirit, who calls us to faith and repentance. Our redemption is totally a work of God. And because it is a work of God, we cannot lose it. So Paul rejoices that nothing can take us out of God’s hand – not tribulation or persecution or destitution. There isn’t a power in heaven, earth, or hell that can separate us from God. If you are in Christ, you are loved, forgiven, and redeemed.

Second, by the power of God, we have relational forgiveness. In verse 34, Paul doesn’t just say that we have been justified, but that God goes on forgiving us because Jesus Christ is always interceding for us. It is not just that God, at the point of conversion, forgave your past sins. But, he goes on forgiving you because Jesus Christ is ever present before the throne, pleading your case. 1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But, if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” We reject the belief of the Roman Catholics, that when we are saved, God infuses us with righteousness, and then we have to maintain that righteousness or risk losing our salvation. We also reject the belief of the Church of Christ, that after our initial salvation, we can lose it through unconfessed sin. In saying that, you might wonder, “Wait a minute preacher, what about the commands to confess our sins? Why should we confess if we are already forgiven?” Well, there are two reasons that one might pursue forgiveness. In one case, you might pursue forgiveness because you stand criminally condemned and need a pardon. In this case, the relationship between the offender and the judge is broken by the crime or sin, and if that relationship is to be made whole, the judge must be the one to pardon. This is what happens when God justifies us through faith in Jesus Christ. He declares us righteous. He pardons us.

But, there is another kind of forgiveness we might pursue, and that is forgiveness that repairs a friendship or a family. As you know, I have four wonderful children, and for the most part, they are obedient. But, even still, there are times when they all challenge our relationship through rebellion or resistance or just neglect. Now, I can say with all certainty that there is nothing that my children could say or do that would make me stop loving them. And, they will always be my children. With that said, there are plenty of things they could do to strain and damage our relationship, even to the point of separation, like the prodigal son who demanded his inheritance and then went as far as he could from the love of his father. But, just like that prodigal son, at the moment of repentance and confession, any loving father would come running to receive him again. The same is true for our heavenly Father. By his grace and work alone, we have been made a part of his family, but even still we can strain that relationship through sin and rebellion. As Paul promises in Romans 8, there is nothing that can separate us from his love, but our sins can drive us from his presence into a far country, away from his blessings and power. So, we are called to confess our sins so that we might repair and maintain a close walk with our Father.

Finally, there is a third type of forgiveness that we need to address. Through the power of God, we have reconciling forgiveness. For the Christian, there is a direct connection between our forgiveness in Jesus Christ and our willingness to forgive others. We find this throughout the NT. In the Lord’s Prayer, we just prayed, “Forgive us our trespasses AS we forgive those who trespass against us.” Col. 3:13 says, “As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” This connection between our willingness to forgive and our own forgiveness seems, at first blush, to contradict everything I’ve just said. It seems as though Jesus sets up a works-based salvation – if you forgive, you will be forgiven. Or, maybe the RCC and CoC have it right – we can lose our salvation by failing to forgive. To understand this connection, turn with me to Matt. 18:23-35. To explain this principle of forgiveness, Jesus tells a parable of a man who owed his master an astronomical debt. In today’s money, it would be about three-billion dollars. The gracious master, after hearing the pleading of the servant, forgives this unfathomable debt. When the servant leaves, he doesn’t go and celebrate or use his newfound freedom to bless others. No, he goes immediately to find a fellow servant who owed him bout $5000. When he finds him, he chokes him and demands his money, and when the servant can’t pay, he has him thrown in prison. Then, the master hears of this injustice and calls the first servant to account. In verse 32, he calls the servant “wicked” because he had failed to appreciate the significance of his forgiveness or what it should mean for his relationship with other people. So, here is the heart of the matter: your willingness to forgive others is a direct reflection on what you believe about your own forgiveness. If you are tight fisted and harsh with other people when they wrong you, even in the most insignificant of ways, then it is obvious that you have not understood the Gospel. If you cannot see that the offenses of others don’t even come close to the offenses that Jesus took for your salvation, then perhaps you do not understand what has been done for you. Those who have been changed by the Spirit to repent and trust in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ WILL, in turn, be a forgiving people.

Friend, you need the forgiveness of God. His forgiveness can’t be earned, it can only be given. It cannot be taken, it can only be received. Won’t you receive that forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ?

Brothers and sisters, because we have been forgiven, we ought to live in forgiveness. We can live in forgiveness by knowing that we have been reconciled to God. This gives us confidence to live boldly for him. But, we can also live in forgiveness by forgiving others. May we witness to the power of the Spirit by faithfully walking in forgiveness.