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Colossians 1:14
“In [Christ] we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Concluding our brief study of the biblical doctrines summarized in the Apostles’ Creed, today we come to the very end of this statement that Christians throughout history have affirmed. Here the creed says that we believe in “the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting.”
The communion of saints has to do with the union and fellowship that we have with other Christians and ultimately with the church triumphant (i.e., believers who have died and whose spirits are in heaven). We discussed the church briefly in our last study, so we will not say much more except to note that since the church is the body of Christ, when we are united as individuals to Christ we are also united to one another, just as the various parts of a body are united to one another (1 Cor. 12). Thus, we have communion with one another.
Through the ministry of the church, we receive the benefit of the forgiveness of sins—though the church in itself does not mediate forgiveness, it is through the ministry of the church that we are introduced to Christ our Mediator and sustained in our relationship with Him. The most fundamental need of all people is to be forgiven of our sin and reconciled to our Creator. Christ accomplishes this by bearing our guilt for us. The Old Testament Day of Atonement featured a goat that would symbolically carry the sins of Israel off into the wilderness away from the camp (Lev. 16). Jesus in His atoning death in reality removed the sin and guilt of His people. He is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).
Those who have trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation have died to sin and been buried with Him, and they will also “be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Rom. 6:5). Jesus Christ is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20), the first to be resurrected in a glorified body, never to die again. All those who rest in Him alone for the forgiveness of sins will likewise be resurrected, our bodies perfected to enjoy everlasting life in the new heavens and earth (Rev. 21:1–22:5).
As we end our study of the Apostles’ Creed, we note that the creed does not include every truth of the Bible or the Christian faith. Orthodox, Bible-believing Christianity is more than the Apostles’ Creed, but it is not less. The truths it proclaims form a solid foundation for faith and life.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The Apostles’ Creed begins with who God is and ends with the benefits of salvation—forgiveness, resurrection, and eternal life. This is because we cannot have these benefits without first knowing who God is. As we come to know who God is in and through Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, we grow in our salvation and assurance that if we have rested in Christ alone for salvation, we are forgiven and will enjoy everlasting life in God’s blessed presence.
For further study
- Psalm 130:4
- Daniel 12:1–2
- John 3:16
- 1 John 2:25
The bible in a year
- Ecclesiastes 10–12
- 2 Corinthians 11:16–33