HC 56

Q56. What do you believe concerning the forgiveness of sins?

I believe that God, because of Christ's satisfaction, will no more remember my sins, nor my sinful nature, against which I have to struggle all my life, but He will graciously grant me the righteousness of Christ, that I may never come into condemnation.

Proof texts

• Ps. 103:3-4 — [3] who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, [4] who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
• Ps. 103:10 — [10] He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
• Ps. 103:12 — [12] as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
• Mic. 7:18-19 — [18] Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. [19] He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
• 2 Cor. 5:18-21 — [18] All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; [19] that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. [20] Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. [21] For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
• 1 John 1:7 — [7] But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
• 1 John 2:2 — [2] He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
• Rom. 7:21-25 — [21] So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. [22] For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, [23] but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. [24] Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? [25] Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
• John 3:17-18 — [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
• John 5:24 — [24] Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
• Rom. 8:1-2 — [1] There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited Ps. 103:3-4 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 11 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. WSC Q29 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?
4. WSC Q30 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

WSC Q29 · WSC Q30 · WSC Q31 · WSC Q32 · WLC Q57 · WCF 9.1 · BC 6.1 · BC 6.2 · BC 6.3 · CD 3.1 · 1689 9.1 · 1689 9.2 · 1689 9.3 · 1689 9.4 · 1689 9.5 · 1689 10.1 · 1689 10.2 · 1689 10.3 · 1689 10.4