The Apostles’ Creeds reminds us that a key tenet of the Christian faith is the forgiveness of sins. When we confess this belief we are saying, “I believe that God, because of Christ’s satisfaction, will no longer remember any of my sins or my sinful nature which I need to struggle against all my life. Rather, by grace God grants me the righteousness of Christ to free me forever from judgment” (Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 56). These words note that forgiveness of sins is not simply having our past wiped clean so that we can start over. In Christ’s death, he takes our punishment for sin and also gives us his righteousness so that we are made right with God (2 Corinthians 5:21); we are right with God not based on what we do after we believe, but rather for the life that Christ lived for us. Instead of being condemned for what we have done, we are made right because of what He has done. Our sin has severed our relationship with God, but because of God’s forgiveness, we have hope for our present life and the life to come.
Much could be said of this amazing truth that is at the center of the Christian faith — and what really differentiates the Christian faith from others. However, as I considered this truth again as I journeyed through the Apostles’ Creed, three implications for my everyday life stood out:
1) I Am Not Perfect
Believing in the forgiveness of sins means that I believe I am a sinner who needs forgiveness.This means that I know I am not perfect, which is something that can be hard for a perfectionist like me to believe, but I need to. I should be able to readily admit my faults, not just my finite shortcomings, but the things I do that wrong other people — the things I think, say, and do (or fail to think, say, or do). Rather than being defensive, I can admit when I have messed up. In addition, I can confess and acknowledge that I am a work in progress, that though I am in Christ, I am still tempted by sin and stumble into it. Believing in the forgiveness of sins allows me to be open and upfront about my shortcomings, both to myself and to others.
2) I Am Not Defined By The Worst Thing That I Have Done
When I admit the wrongs I have done, I also need to remember that these things should not be what define me. I am the sort of person who can walk around with much guilt from the things that I have done — rehearsing in my head the things that I should or should not have done earlier that day (and in the past). Confessing my belief in the forgiveness of sins means I do not need to define myself by this; I can let go of the things I have done because God has done that already. I should learn from my errs and seek to turn from sin, but I should not dwell in them, with dwelling on and in our sin being a strategy of the devil, not of our gracious Father.
3) I Am Not the Only One Forgiven
When Jesus teaches us about the forgiveness of sins, he reminds us that we are to forgive others as well; this forgiveness is for us but also for others, and we should be vessels of this forgiveness in our world. We should not be like the unmerciful servant who is forgiven an enormous sum and then threaten someone who has a small debt to him (Matthew 18:21-35). Rather, we are to ask God to forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:12). Experiencing forgiveness means that I should have great joy like the woman who washed Jesus’s feet (Luke 7:36-50), with this joy leading me to not harbor resentment towards those who have wronged me nor withhold forgiveness from others. I am not better than others, but need the same grace they need — may I show that grace to them as one who has been forgiven. I am not perfect, nor to be defined by my sins — and neither should others.
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