QUESTIONS.
1. Who are the members of the holy Christian Church? 2. By whom was the Church founded? 3. In what way does the Holy Ghost build up and preserve the Church? 4. What is the Church also called in the Third Article? 5. Who are the saints? 6. Why are believers called saints? 7. How are they sanctified by the Holy Ghost? 8. What does the Word "communion" mean? 9. What binds true believers so closely together? 10. Why is the Church called the holy Church? 11. Why is it called the Christian Church? 12. Where do we find the true Church? 13. Why is this so? 14. What is the visible Church? 15. Who also, besides true believers, belongs to these visible churches? 16. Which is the true visible Church? 17. How is the true visible Church called? 18. Why should we belong to this Church and avoid all false churches?
LESSON 36.
The Third Article.
The Forgiveness Of Sins.
Which is the Third Article?
I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins.
What does this mean?
In which Church He [the Holy Ghost] daily and richly forgives all sins to me and all believers.
1. We confess in our Catechism that the Holy Ghost forgives all sins to me and all believers. We believe that there is a forgiveness of sins. God's Word assures us of this. "There is forgiveness with Thee." Ps. 130,4. How sorely do we need forgiveness of sins! You know that all men, also believers, commit sin. A child of God indeed earnestly strives against committing any sin, he tries not to transgress the commandments of his heavenly Father; but, alas! also God's children sin daily and much. "There is not a just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not." Eccl. 7,20. With our sins we deserve nothing but God's punishment. "The wages of sin is death." Rom. 6,23. Without forgiveness of sins we are lost.
2. But there is a forgiveness of sins with God. He assures us in His Word that by grace, for Christ's sake, He will forgive me all my sins. He will do so daily and richly. Whenever we have sinned, we should come to Him and pray to Him: Forgive me my trespasses. Even as a child who has grieved his father by his disobedience penitently comes to him and asks his forgiveness, so we in true penitence should daily come to our heavenly Father, whom we have so sorely grieved, whose punishment we deserve, and ask His forgiveness. He will not cast us out. He will hear our prayer, and we will praise Him: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases." Ps. 103,2.3. The publican came into the Temple and humbly said: "God be merciful to me, a sinner!" and God was merciful to him; he went down to his house justified. He had received forgiveness of his sins. Luke 18,9-14.