Saints and Sinners

Apostle’s Creed XI

This is the eleventh in our series. I have maybe two more. I just realized we have been examining the Creed for six months now. I have found it fulfilling. I hope you are not getting bored with it. We should be to the end by the first of May. Last time we took two lines from the creed and put them together into one message. We confirmed our belief in the existence of the Holy Spirit and our belief in one identifiable, universal body of Christian believers. Our many differences are all over non-salvation issues. We move on today to the two lines that read, “I believe in the communion of saints and the forgiveness of sin.”

When I researched the definition of “Saint”, I found several meanings. A saint is a member of a football team in New Orleans. Webster says it is also a very good person or someone with a great deal of patience. My Bible dictionary says a saint is someone who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness or closeness to God. Mormons are officially titled The Latter-Day Saints and apply the title to all members of their church. Except for the Roman Catholic Church, who keeps a list. They define a saint as a person that has been officially canonized. The Eastern Orthodox glorifies saints, but it is much the same process. They lost credibility with me when they deleted St. Christopher. I wore a St. Christopher’s medal on my dog tags all the way through the Viet Nam War. Somehow it was comforting. The Catholic rules require Saints be dead. Not all theologians agree. Why can’t there be a living saint? The definition that best fits the Apostle’s Creed is, “A saint includes all but the damned.” Thus, if you are a current resident of heaven or heaven bound you are a saint. Remember the universal, identifiable body of believers from last time. “Saint” is the title or noun that describes and defines the concept. If you are a Christian you are a saint. If you are a Saint, you are a member of the body of Christ. It’s the noun. Communion is the verb.

We think of communion as partaking of the bread and juice. Have you ever wondered why they call it “communion?” Have you ever heard the phrase “commune with nature?” Same verb. To commune with nature is to go out and experience the natural wonders, to become one with your surroundings. Same thing. To take communion is to become one with the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Wikipedia defines communion as “the sharing of intimate thoughts and feelings or common participation in mental or emotional experiences.”

So, let me ask my final question. Do you believe you have a commonality with all other Christians? Do you believe you share personal, intimate thoughts and feelings with the universal body of believers? I think we do. We all believe was born of a virgin, was crucified, and rose from the dead. We believe Jesus Christ lived and died to show us the way to heaven. If that is true as I know it to be then we believe in the communion of saints.

The nest line of the Creed reads, “I believe in the forgiveness of sins.” We recite the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday. It asks God to, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The King James version uses “debts” in the version found in the book of Matthew chapter 6. Most Biblical experts tell us the Greek word in this case means either sin, trespass, or debt. Translations can be difficult. For example, the Spanish word “banco” can refer to a park bench or to a bank, just as the English word bank can be a financial institution or the side of a river. Translations can be fun.

There is also a version of The Lord’s Prayer in chapter 11 of Luke. Both the king James version and more modern ones are the same, “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” Luke’s version differentiates between sins and debts. Although the Greek word for both is the same, I believe they are different. I believe the authors of the Apostle’s Creed intended them to be different concepts.

I believe Debts, and trespasses are affronts against man. If you violate my space, you trespass against me, and you incur a social debt. My forgiveness of that trespass means I let it go and turn it over to God. I cannot collect the social debt. I cannot demand repayment of the debt. Only God can do that. For example, if someone breaks in my house and steals the money my cookie jar, they have trespassed against me, and they owe me a debt. Actually, they owe me two debts. Compensation for the money is a civil, secular matter. A matter for our court system. They also owe me a debt because I have been violated. They have trespassed against me. The only way I can forgive that debt is to drop it and turn it over to God. I cannot let that debt own me. For you and I to forgive is to let go.

Stealing is also against God’s rules, and that is a whole different ball game. Enforcement or punishment for infractions of God’s rules is far above my pay grade. Only God can do that. Remember Martin Luther’s list of 95 criticisms he nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Church? His biggest complaint was the selling of indulgences. The Pope authorized local priests to grant forgiveness for sins. If you coveted your neighbor’s wife you could confess to the local priest and be forgiven for a nominal sum. There was a schedule of sins and the cost of absolution. Luther didn’t believe any man, not even the Pope, had the power to forgive transgressions of God’s rules. I think he is right. Only God can forgive sins.

Therefor, the line in the Creed says, “I believe God can forgive sins.” The Bible says that there are some sins that even God won’t forgive, but for the most part if the guilty party is truly repentant God can and will forgive. I certainly hope, because most of us are in trouble if He doesn’t. My only hope to get to heaven is through God’s grace. I believe He can and will forgive my many sins.

Pray with me. Our Heavenly Father I am a sinner. I have done things I am not proud of. I come before You in judgement, and even though I am a sinner I know you are a righteous Lord. You will judge me by my love. You will judge me by my faith. I pray that I will be among the Saints we come to the gates of Paradise. Amen