forgiveness

One of the great promises of Christianity is the forgiveness of sins. The Old Testament offered a stay of judgment through the sacrifice of animals in various rites all designed to delay or to defer the death that results from sin. The animal would serve as a substitute for the person who had committed the sin. In Christianity, a better substitute was found, and so the forgiveness of sins can be brought to perfection. It can be beneficial to reflect on how exactly that forgiveness works.

The Bible uses different images including God not recording, remembering, or accounting for our sins. It is as though they never happened. In many places in the New Testament, including in the Letter to the Hebrews and the Acts of the Apostles, the Greek word used to describe forgiveness is ἀφίημι (aphiemi), which means “send away.” The important point is that sins don’t just vanish or cease to be even by the act of God. Following the form of the Old Testament rites of sacrifice, sin must be sent somewhere and the debt paid.

The change enacted by Christianity is that Jesus Christ himself took the place of the sacrifice and assumed the guilt and punishment due for all of our sins. When we say that sins are forgiven, it is essential that we remain mindful that forgiveness always comes at a cost even if we aren’t the ones who are paying that cost.

related topics: condemn; forgiveness in Matthew’s gospel; healing; sin

you also may like our study of the Letter to the Hebrews (digital only)
Many Christians struggle to understand one of the central mysteries of our faith: how Jesus can be both human and divine at the same time. The Letter to the Hebrews: An Explanation of the Mechanism of Our Salvation, an 18-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, offers an in-depth look at the way in which Jesus’ dual nature allows for the salvation of humanity. The Letter to the Hebrews is designed to provide information that will encourage Christians to remain faithful. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.

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