“How do we get the remission of sins?”

Sunday, October 15, 2017

There is no question that the reason Jesus Christ came to this sin-infested world, was to save people from their sins (Matt. 1: 21). Christ stated that He was going to shed His blood for the remissions of sins (Matt. 26:28). John put it this way in Revelation 1:5, “…To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.”

To help us know how our sins are remitted, let’s pinpoint when it all started. For this we go to a time just after Christ’s resurrection. Prior to our Lord ascending back to heaven, He spoke to the eleven apostles and those that were with them, saying, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ‘and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk. 24:46-47).  

This bring us to the book of Acts. We read in chapter one that Jesus again told the apostles that they needed to go to Jerusalem, which is where they will receive the Holy Spirit that will give them the ability to witness to people about Jesus beginning at Jerusalem (1:8). After the Holy Spirit came upon them (verses 1-4), they began to preach (verses 5-36). The audience heard about Jesus and that they were in need of salvation.

In Acts 2:37, a number of people asked what they needed to do? It was then they were told to “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (vr. 38). Here we see that those who wanted to take care of their sinful state, needed to have their sins remitted.  I want people to know about Jesus, but at the same time, everyone needs to understand that their sins need to be removed.

Many are puzzled that there is a direct connection between Christ’s shed blood, water baptism, and the remission of sins. So many people are being told that they are saved from their sins prior to being baptized. Is there any truth to this? I mean, could it possibly be that baptism is like church attendance, singing, giving our contribution? By that I mean, baptism is something you must do, like other things for God, but it doesn’t have anything to do with removing one’s sins. Is this correct?

This question can be cleared up by understanding that baptism alone cannot possibly remove any sin. Baptism alone puts it on par with swimming and someone goes completely under water. Being immersed in water alone doesn’t remove any sin. Just like just believing in Jesus doesn’t help either (Jas. 2:26). It’s like debating which step in a flight of stairs is the most important, this first, the last, those in the middle? The truth is, they all are.

When it comes to the remission of sins, there is Christ’s part and then there is man’s part. However, it is essential that we see all of Christ’s part and all of our part. It was vital that Christ come to this earth (Phil. 2:5-7). Yet, Jesus also needed to live a perfect life in order to be the lamb without blemish as a sacrifice for mankind (I Pet. 1:19). Then our Lord needed to resurrect in order to conquer death and rule and reign over His kingdom (Acts 2:30). Now, which one of the things Jesus did is more important than the other?  The answer is, none, they are equal and all essential to help mankind have the remission of sins.

What about man’s part? We are told that for anyone to take care of their sins, to be saved, they must hear the word of God (Acts 11:14). Those that hear are then required to understand and believe the gospel message (Jn. 8:24,32). Knowing that people often hear and do not do (Jas. 1:22), they are also told to repent (Acts 3:19). By turning to Jesus, everyone must be willing to confess their faith in Him (Rom. 10:9-10). The final step would be to be baptized into Christ’s death for the remission of sins (Acts 22:16; Rom. 6:3-7). Now, which one is most important? The answer is none, they are all equal.

Problems come when individuals want to create their own combinations. They will take some of what Jesus did, and some of what man is responsible for, and conclude it is acceptable to God. That will not work for many reasons. The obvious one is that it will leave people in their sins, even though they think they are removed. People need to realize that Christ didn’t provide remission of sins so that people didn’t have to do anything. If that were the case, everyone would be saved. But they are not (Matt. 7:13-14).

Again people struggle with their part because they don’t want to put what they are to do on par with what Christ had to do. The fact is, we can’t. All that we are to do, and I mean all, doesn’t accomplish anything without the blood of Christ (Rev. 1:5). One might think if Christ's part is the first step and our part is the second step, then like the stair step illustration, both are equally important. Actually, if we want to use the stair step illustration, it would be Christ built the stair steps so man could take them. This means that no matter what steps man takes, none of them were possible without the stairs being constructed in the first place!

Jesus was basically making this same point in Luke 17:5-10. In verse 10, our Lord makes the statement, “So likewise you, when you have done all those things that are commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.” As we can see, there is no room for boasting, or even thinking we can earn our salvation (the remission of our sins). Yes, we can get our sins removed, but without Christ doing His part, there is no opportunity or hope. However, since Jesus did do His part, it gives man the opportunity to do what he is told to have the remission of sins.

Now we shall close this article with this important question: Were you baptized for the remission of your sins by first meeting the prerequisites? It matters not what you feel, it matters what you know to be true based upon the word of God. If you do, you are walking by faith, because it is faith that makes it possible to please God (Heb. 11:6).

Chuck

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