The Colors of Sin and Forgiveness, Feb. 2, 2014

The Colors of Sin and Forgiveness

Psalm 51:1-12, 1 John 1:5-10

February 2, 2014

Grace Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

Past, Present and Future  Our past is forgiven - Our present is holy - Our future is safe in the hands of God. Those three truths capture the basic essence of the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ.

....Our past is forgiven because God is able and willing to forgive the sins of our past. This frees us from guilt.

....Our present is holy because God calls us to be  holy ambassadors for Christ in the present. This frees us for service.

.....Our future is safe in the hands of God because no matter what happens in the future, God is always with us. This frees us from fear.

Freedom from guilt, freedom for service, freedom from fear. This morning, and over the next two Sundays, we will explore what forgiveness, holiness and safeness can mean to us. This morning, we will celebrate the fact that “Our past is forgiven.” To do this, we will focus upon sin, repentance, forgiveness and atonement. Let’s look first at sin.

A minister was preaching about sin one morning and said in a loud voice: “If you get drunk, it’s a sin! If you swear and use bad words, it’s a sin! If you lose your temper and throw things, it’s a sin! If you gossip about other people, it’s a sin!”

The minister paused for effect and a small boy in the congregation looked up at his mother and said, “He’s talking about daddy, isn’t he?”

The first thing we can say about this story is that the preacher surely wasn’t a Presbyterian, was he? I mean no respectable Presbyterian is going to talk about sin in that way. Instead we Presbyterians might say that we have erred in our ways, or that we’ve goofed, or that we made some errors in judgment. In our version of the Lord’s Prayer, we even ask God to forgive our debts rather than our sins.

So even though we avoid talking about “it which shall not be named” [shades of “Harry Potter”] the fact remains that each of us is a certified, card carrying sinner.

What is sin?  Assuming that’s so, then it is appropriate to ask “What exactly is sin?” Actually, most of us can spot sin a mile away. We have 20-20 vision in identifying sin in other people. Unfortunately, our eyesight fails miserably when we look in a mirror. In the final analysis, sin is anything and everything that separates us from God. Period. This includes our words, actions and even our thoughts.

So how do we deal with sin? We don’t. Christ has already dealt with it.

In our reading from 1 John, it says, “The blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Ah, there’s the answer! We must confess our sins. If it is true that confession is good for the soul, then David’s soul was greatly helped when he repented from his sin of committing adultery with Bathsheba by saying: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  [Psalm 51:1-4] Blot out. Wash me. Cleanse me. David was really good at confessing and repenting wasn’t he?

But how about us? How good are we at the practice of confessing and repenting? When we ask God’s forgiveness, are we sincerely sorry for our sins? Do we really want to be washed and cleansed? Do we want to change? And be changed? Do we, like David, want God to create a clean heart in us? Unless we really mean it, repentance is a sham. It doesn’t mean a thing and we end up just playing games with God. However, assuming our repentance is genuine, then God will forgive and transform us. So what does forgiveness mean?

Forgiveness  To answer that, let’s turn to Kipper, Nasa’, and Salach! Sounds like either a law firm, a rock band, or exotic food on a buffet table. Actually, kipper, nasa’ and salach are Hebrew terms for the removal of sin.

Kipper means our sins are covered so that they no longer are obstacles to our being reconciled to God.

Nasa’ means that our sins are carried away, out of sight of God. Buried in the sea.

Salach means a forgiveness so complete that there is no resentment or anger in God’s mind for our sins.

In the New Testament, forgiveness means to cut loose, be gracious, and send away.

Forgiveness is not sanctioning the sin  At this point it is vital to understand one thing. When God forgives us, it doesn’t mean that what we did or said or thought was all right. It simply means that God no longer holds our sins against us. In like manner, when we forgive someone who hurt us, it in no way is saying that what that person did or said was OK. It is just saying that we are no longer going to be chained to the hurts of the past.

The colors of Sin I don’t know if you realized it but sin and forgiveness have their own unique colors. Actually, the prophet Isaiah gave those colors when he wrote: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” [Isaiah 1:18] Aha! Sins are colored scarlet and forgiveness is white.

Atonement  So how do our sins of scarlet become white as snow? John answers this questions by saying that Jesus Christ “is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (I John 2:2)

The word "atone," both in Hebrew and Greek, means to "wipe away" or "cover over."

It means that God perceives our sins as non-existent and he treats us as though we had not committed them. In fact, God said, “I will forgive their wickedness, and will remember their sin no more.” Jeremiah 31:34.

This means that no matter what you have done, said or thought in the past, however long ago it might be, if you are truly sorry, you are forgiven. You don’t have to carry the burden of guilt around any longer! This is why the news of Christ isn’t called bad news, or so-so news, or oh-hum news. It is called GOOD news!

Forgiveness not like a Car Wash  Unfortunately, some folks think that once their sins are forgiven, they are free to go out and sin some more. They feel forgiveness is like taking their car through the car wash. When it gets dirty, they just run it through again. For them, forgiveness is simply offering a quick prayer, telling God they are sorry for what they did, and bingo! they’re made white as snow again. Wrong! The end result of forgiveness is not a license to sin again, but a call to a holy life. Allow me to say this again.

The end result of forgiveness is not a license to sin again, but a call to a holy life. More about holy lives next Sunday.

Final Thoughts  As we participate in the sacrament of Holy Communion, we give thanks for the atonement of Christ by which our sins are forgiven. The bread which we eat symbolizes the body of Christ, broken for us. The cup which we drink symbolizes the blood of Christ, poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. This morning, as you eat the bread and drink the cup, surrender your life to Christ asking to be cleansed, changed and transformed.

And then rejoice! Your past is forgiven! You have been reconciled to God. You now can stride forth into the future with joy! Amen.

Psalm 51:1-12 NRSV

This is the great prayer of repentance and request for forgiveness offered to God by David after he had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, O God,

   according to your steadfast love;

according to your abundant mercy

   blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

   and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,

   and my sin is ever before me.

Against you, you alone, have I sinned,

   and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you are justified in your sentence

   and blameless when you pass judgement.

Indeed, I was born guilty,

   a sinner when my mother conceived me.

You desire truth in the inward being;

   therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

   wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness;

   let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins,

   and blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

   and put a new and right spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

   and do not take your holy spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

   and sustain in me a willing spirit.

I John 1:5-10 NRSV

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.