Repentance & Forgiveness

"If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven."
— John 20:23

The Church is made up of sinners. Although every Christian strives to follow God’s will, even the strongest Christians face temptation and fall into sin.

Christ does not leave us without help when we sin. He calls us to repent, which means to turn back to Him, and He surrounds us with His grace and forgiveness.

Following 1 John 1:9, we confess our sins together with the Church in worship and hear the pastor proclaim absolution, which means forgiveness. In absolution, the pastor speaks Christ’s forgiveness, not his own, just as Christ commands in John 20:23.

Any Christian who is especially troubled by sin is welcome to reach out to the pastor for private confession and absolution. There, specific sins may be confessed, and Christ’s forgiveness may be spoken specifically for those sins.

In this way, troubled consciences are comforted, and we are strengthened in the conviction that God receives us for the sake of Christ, sinners though we are.