Our Faith In The Forgiveness of Sins
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
7/1/2012 AM
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Text:
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Isaiah 43;
Lord's Day 21
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Psalters: |
262, 328, 364, 83 |
- Its nature.
- Sin is doing what God forbids and it is not doing what God commands (I John 3:4b).
- Sin is anything committed against God.
- Sin proceeds from a corrupt nature (q. 56), our old man of sin.
- Sin is ours because of our relationship to Adam (Rom. 5:12; Ps. 51:5).
- True knowledge of sin is knowing that sin must be and will be punished with eternal damnation.
- Forgiveness means that God declares that the necessity to be punished is removed.
- The sinner is set free from his personal responsibility to bear the punishment.
- God will no more remember our sins (cf. Jer. 31:34; with 50:20; Micah 7:19).
- Further, God declares me to be righteous and worthy of eternal life.
- How is the forgiveness of sins made possible.
- Only God can forgive.
- The sinner is forgiven only if God?s justice accepts the satisfaction and righteousness provided by another.
- The method by which forgiveness is applied is imputation (justification).
- The only reason for forgiveness is God?s mercy and grace through justice.
- The extent of forgiveness: our acquittal is complete, our salvation is eternally sure; to the uttermost (Heb. 7:25).
- The fruit of God?s work of forgiving us.
- Everyone of the sins of every believer is forgiven, without exception.
- Forgiveness is experienced by faith in the Christ proclaimed by the church in the preaching of the gospel.
- Forgiveness is experienced by a forgiving spirit (Matt. 6:14,15; 18:35; Eph. 4:31,32).
- God never grants the experience of forgiveness without provoking us to be forgiving (I John 4:20,21 with 2:2,3,8,9).
- Receiving God?s forgiving grace we strive to live according to all God?s commandments.