I believe in the forgiveness of sins.

The quote below is from my pastoral note for this week's bulletin in our congregation...

This morning we consider what the Apostles' Creed summarises as it says "I believe in the forgiveness of sins". In some ways, this is one of the easiest things a preacher can proclaim, for it is the heart of the gospel.

Confessing the forgiveness of sins is confessing that we do indeed have a gracious and compassionate God, a God who does not treat us as we deserve to be treated, a God who shows love and mercy.

This confession stands in stark contrast to other religions, for we hold that nothing you and I do or say or think can merit God's grace. Other religions put upon their adherents great burdens. They must do things, and do them just right, in order to earn the favour of their god (or ancestors, in the case of ancestor worship). If things are not going as they expect, they must guess and experiment, seeking to find out which god they have offended and how. We are set free from all such burdens because the One True God is One (not a number of competing gods), because He has made His character and will clearly known, and because He forgives our sins freely. We cannot make Him forgive us, and we are set free from the burden of trying to make Him do so.

Isn't that great?

From beginning to end, it is His sovereign choice and decision. It is a choice which is made despite the fact that He knew, when He decided to forgive our sins, all the times and ways in which we would rebel against Him, all the pain that providing free atonement in the life and death of our Lord Jesus Christ would entail, and all of the struggles that we would have as we seek to live lives worthy of the calling we have received. Isn't it amazing that, knowing all of this, He would still choose not to hold against us a single sin!