Creed: “I believe in the forgiveness of sins.”- Genesis 6:5 Romans 3:10-12
The Apostles Creed is one of the historic statements of Christian belief, and one that we read during most Sunday services here at First Methodist Mineola. We’ve been using the Apostles Creed to explore what it is we believe as Christians, and in particular what we believe as Global Methodists. Because today is Communion Sunday, I want to talk about what we mean as a church when we say we believe in “the forgiveness of sins.” I hope we leave today understanding that yes, we all sin, but there is a clear path away from sin.
But first, what is sin? Where does sin come from? Who is responsible for sin? Folks, I could write a years worth of sermons on that, so please allow me to summarize a little.
What is sin? I like the simplicity of James’ approach in James 4:17, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” Paraphrased, if you know what is right, and don’t do it, that is sin! And we are all guilty, most of us daily, of doing things we know are not right (like gossiping) or failing to do things that we know are right (like caring for a sick neighbor). That is sin. And of course we’re all familiar with having realized, after the fact, that something we didn’t even know was sinful was, in fact, sin! The Psalmist knew about these kinds of sins ““Who can discern his errors? Keep me from hidden sins. Also keep back Your slave from presumptuous sins; Let them not rule over me; Then I will be blameless, And I shall be acquitted of great transgression.”-Psalm 19:12-13 LSB.However we define sin, we know that sin presents a need for forgiveness.
So where does this sin come from and who is responsible for it? Friends, that’s a lot of Lifegroup decisions at Kitchens and Whataburger, so let’s just take a quick look. Many of us are familiar with the doctrine of original sin, which says, in essence, that Adam’s sin is transmitted to each of us. And yet, the Bible tells us that when God created man, he created something good, and the problem is that mankind has the free will to choose evil and go against everything God created for us. Our Articles of Religion in the Book of Doctrines and Disciplines of the Global Methodist Church teaches that man is “inclined to choose evil and choose it continually.” And there are other issues we could explore – Satan’s temptations, active evil, the list goes on. To talk about forgiveness we don’t have to sort out the question whether sin is something we are born into, or something we choose, or whether it has some other source because the fact is … however we got here, we are all sinners! Amen?! Friends, sin is our problem; without God's grace, we are inclined to choose evil time after time. Pastor Pete Hughes is the founding Pastor of the church KXC at Kings Cross in London. His church does great work for the Lord and has a biblical view of the primary agent responsible for sin. He writes about the consequences of our willingness to sin in his book All Things New: Joining God's Story of Re-Creation “ In this context of Romans 3:10-12, judgment is not primarily the retributive inflicting of punishment from outside, but is instead God allowing his people to experience the inbuilt consequences of their refusal to live in relationship with him.” Pastor Hughes goes on to say that our sinful choices are why “The wages of sin is death.”-Romans 6:23. That's an obvious problem isn’t it friends? Regardless of how we got here, our Bible text today tells us that none of us are truly righteous and all of us have in some measure turned away from God.
So what is the antidote for this poison? What can we do that our sin might be forgiven? For starters, we can confess and repent. And in the Methodist expression of faith, Communion represents one of the main pathways God has provided for us to turn from sin. Each Communion ceremony starts with a confession of sin to enable a new start for believers who have chosen to disobey God during the Month and yet seek at the alter a chance to renew their hearts and lives for Christ in Holiness. This confession is the first step on the pathway to change; to the repentance that is the actual turning away from our sinful choices. If we confess and repent we are forgiven. And that forgiveness is free, we couldn’t earn it if we wanted to. As the character of Peter says in episode 2, season 4 of The Chosen, repentance is God's way to help us say “It’s over!” “IT”S OVER!” YOU AREFORGIVEN!
Do you know something else? The confession and repentance that lead to forgiveness is not limited to us Methodists sitting here today in this church building. God's Prevenient grace can influence one to repent through relationships, circumstances, and other life events. It is this mystery of faith that caused John Wesley to believe that anyone could be saved at Communion, calling it a converting ordinance of God. Therefore, for centuries, Methodists have advocated an “open table” at Communion. That means anyone in this building who truly longs for Christ's pardon and peace is welcome to this table to take Communion. Friends, if we’re honest with ourselves, there are none of us who can live the life we want to live without that pardon and peace.
Hear me clearly church, we all sin and we all need forgiveness for our sin. God knows that, and in his unfathomable love He has given us a path. He has given us Christ. Hear the Good News! “If we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”- 1 John 1:9.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.