Forgiveness of Sins

Definition and Meaning

The forgiveness of sins is God's pardoning of human sin. Those who are forgiven are no longer held liable for the guilt and punishment their sins incur. The Korean verb sahada (赦하다) is a Sino-Korean term meaning to release a person from sin; today it is used interchangeably with the ordinary Korean expression for "forgiving sin." The long-standing Korean translation of the Apostles' Creed confesses belief in "the remission of sins," while the newer translation renders the phrase as "being forgiven of sins." Protestants generally understand the forgiveness of sins as God's grace grounded in the atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross, and they hold that people receive it through repentance and faith.

Biblical and Historical Background

In the Old Testament, atonement for sin was made through sacrifice. On the Day of Atonement in particular, the high priest offered sacrifices for the sins of the whole people (Leviticus 16). Psalm 32:5 celebrates the forgiveness received by one who confesses sin, and Jeremiah 31:34 foretells a new covenant in which God will remember sin no more.

In the New Testament, at the healing of the paralytic, Jesus said, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark 2:5). This statement provoked a dispute with the scribes over who has the authority to forgive sins. At the Last Supper, Jesus spoke of the cup as the blood of the covenant, "which is shed for many for the remission of sins" (Matthew 26:28). In his sermon at Pentecost, Peter urged his hearers to repent and be baptized "for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38).

The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, finalized in 381, confesses "one baptism for the remission of sins." In the medieval Western church, the practices of confession, penance, and indulgences developed. When Martin Luther criticized indulgences in his Ninety-five Theses in 1517, the forgiveness of sins became a central issue of the Reformation. Protestants linked the forgiveness of sins with justification and explained it as a grace received by faith alone.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Presbyterians follow the teaching of the Westminster Confession of Faith. They hold that those who are justified can never fall from that state, yet may, because of sins committed afterward, fall under God's fatherly displeasure. Accordingly, they describe daily repentance as the means by which that relationship is restored.
• Methodists and Holiness churches follow the tradition of John Wesley. They distinguish the forgiveness of sins (justification) from sanctification and emphasize the assurance of salvation given by the Holy Spirit.
• Baptists regard baptism as a sign by which believers publicly confess a forgiveness of sins they have already received. They do not hold that baptism itself has the power to wash away sin.
• The Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea include in their worship a rite in which the congregation confesses sin together and the officiating minister pronounces absolution.
• In the Catholic Church, the priest pronounces absolution in the sacrament of penance.
• Many churches use audible corporate prayer or self-examination before Holy Communion as occasions for repentance and for seeking the forgiveness of sins.

The Salvation Sect (Guwonpa) emphasizes the experience of "realizing the forgiveness of sins" as the decisive moment of salvation. For this reason it has been criticized for making light of subsequent repentance, and the general assemblies of several denominations are reported to have declared it heretical. The group maintains that it proclaims the biblical gospel correctly.