FORGIVENESS AND REMISSION

Rev. Carter Moore, The Church Triumphant of Columbus

KEY VERSES ~ ACTS 13:38; ACTS 2:38

“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins…” “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

FOCUS ~ God gave to us His solution to sin. We have heard it sung, “Heaven is a Holy place, filled with glory and with grace – but sin will never enter there.” We know that we will be creatures of redemption and cleansed from all our transgressions … but how? As God gave laws against sin, He also gave laws for being released from sin. His mercy is everlasting. There is hope.

To FORGIVE is to forsake, lay aside, leave, let (alone, be, go), omit, send away, remit, and yield. To REMIT is to release from the guilt or penalty of <remit sins>, to refrain from exacting, to cancel or refrain from inflicting <remit the penalty>, or to give relief from (suffering).

Some people teach that God forgives sin at repentance and remits sin at water baptism. This is a fairly good description based on the English wording in the KJV. However, the original text does not support a distinction, for these two words, forgive and remit, come from only one Greek word, aphesis.

The Old Testament associated forgiveness with an atoning sacrifice. Not only did the Israelites have to confess his sins to God and ask for pardon, he also had to offer a blood sacrifice to receive forgiveness. (Leviticus 4:13-35; Leviticus 5:7-18) In the New Testament church, we receive forgiveness by repentance and water baptism in the name of Jesus, both of which are made possible and effective by the blood of Jesus.

The Necessity of Faith

True faith in God’s word will lead a person to repentance and water baptism. Without faith in God and the atoning work of Jesus, baptism is meaningless (Hebrews 11:6; Matthew 16:16).
For God to remit sins at baptism, one must have faith in Jesus as their Savior, looking to Him for forgiveness and not to the ceremony, the water, the works of the candidate, or the goodness of the administrator. For example, Philip told the Ethiopian he had to believe in Jesus before he could be baptized (Acts 8:37).

The Necessity of Repentance and Baptism

According to Acts 2:38 and other Scriptures, it takes both repentance and water baptism in Jesus name to receive the gift of forgiveness or remission of sins. Although there should be some release of guilt and condemnation after someone repents, which often brings a sense of hope and joy, forgiveness is not completed until baptism.

Forgiveness of Sins After Baptism

As Christians, God has give us the power to live above sin (Luke 10:19; Acts 26:18). However, if we find that we’ve committed a sin against God, He simply requires us to repent and confess our sins (1 John 1:9).

Additional scriptures to study

Leviticus 6:1-6

Leviticus 19:22

Acts 26:18

Romans 6:11-18

1 John 2:1