Apostles' Creed: The Forgiveness Of Sins Series

APOSTLES’ CREED: The Forgiveness of Sins

“I believe in the forgiveness of sins.”

Most people believe that forgiveness is a good thing. It may be therapeutic to forgive yourself, because guilt and shame sap energy, distort relationships, and poison life.

Yet what is forgiveness?

Some people believe forgiveness is not dwelling on past mistakes. When one prominent politician was asked whether he had ever asked God for forgiveness, he answered, “I am not sure that I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there…I don‘t bring God into that picture.” (Donald J. Trump, CNN, July 18, 2015)

Some people view forgiveness as a blank check, to do whatever they feel like. They glibly say, “Jesus forgives me, so I’m OK. I can do whatever I feel like.” (for example, TV show Bachelorette, 2019)

Some people say they believe in forgiveness, but they are still burdened by guilt and shame. They feel like the slate is not really clean, and they can never escape their failure and sin.

When we say in the creed, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins,” we are talking specifically about GOD’S FORGIVENESS. God’s forgiveness is deeply effective in making people whole.

God’s forgiveness is truthful, just, and transformational.

GOD’S FORGIVENESS IS TRUTHFUL.

1 John 1:8-9 says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

There must be 50 ways to avoid facing the truth about sin.

Hiding, like Adam and Eve in the Garden, children hiding their faces, adults avoiding people they wronged.

Covering up, with fake alibis and half-truths.

Word games, like “I didn’t lie; I just wasn’t totally truthful.”

Excuses, like “I didn’t mean to,” or “In that situation, what could I do?”

Minimizing, like “What I did wasn’t as bad as it seemed,” or “No one got hurt too badly.”

Blame shifting: “It was the people I was with,” or “They didn’t give me a choice.”

Human nature: “I’m only human,” or I couldn’t help myself.”

Community standards: “Most people don’t think that is wrong.”

Dancing around the truth, changing the subject, selective memory, reframing the situation…

The list goes on and on.

Yet what does this do to us? Our guilt is still there. Shame is not dealt with. The fear of being exposed cripples us. Truth is blurred, and sin gains a foothold.

King David in the Old Testament had sinned grievously. He had misused his position to commit adultery, and then covered up his sin by a murderous plot against the woman’s husband. Yet he was in denial, until God sent the prophet Nathan to point out his sin. David confessed his sin, and God forgave him, even though there were consequences.

After being forgiven, David wrote Psalm 32:1-5 “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

The apostle John said, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves…” Because we are our living a lie, our strength is sapped, truth is lost, and the power of sin and shame is unbroken. John goes on to say, “…If we confess our sins…God will forgive and cleanse…” It’s like stepping out of the shower, clean and fresh, after being hot, sweaty, and filthy. Truth leads to wholeness.

God’s forgiveness is truthful.

GOD’S FORGIVENESS IS JUST.

1 John 1:8-9 again, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, GOD IS FAITHFUL AND JUST and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

What does forgiveness have to do with JUSTICE? Why doesn’t God just forget about sin entirely? Why does he have to get involved with what people do to each other? Would it hurt him to give general amnesty to everybody at the end of every day?

God loves us too much to do that. Like an infection, sin corrupts and destroys, and it has to be treated. It corrupts us, it corrupts our most intimate relationships, and it corrupts our good intentions.

God loves the world too much to ignore sin. Croatian theologian Miraslav Volf speaks from his experience in the conflict that caused 200,000 deaths in the Balkans, saying, “A non-indignant God would be an accomplice in injustice, deception, and violence.”