The Importance of Repentance
“We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” These words from the Nicene Creed slip so easily from our lips on Sunday morning but rarely come to mind during the rest of the week. As Dr. Karl Menninger said in his book “Whatever Became of Sin?” we are more comfortable with such neutral words as “mistake” or “illegality” or concepts like “social justice” or “corporate evil,” which by nature admit no personal responsibility.
To speak of sin and repentance sounds superior and moralistic. Yet, John the Baptist continues to proclaim his message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins and, for a moment, clothed in the camel’s hair coat of our Sunday morning piety, we catch up the refrain and proclaim our belief in “baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” Does this message have any relevance for us today?
Most of us do not understand the word “repentance” because we no longer understand the word “sin.” Theologians divide sin into four categories: (1) sins of omission — not doing right; (2) sins of commission — doing wrong; (3) sins of evasion — covering up what we have or haven’t done; and (4) sins of alienation — separation from God, which lies at the heart of all the rest.
With these categories in mind, reread Genesis chapters 2 and 3 (the story of Adam and Eve). First came omission — failure to obey God; then came commission — eating the fruit; next came evasion — covering their guilt with fig leaves; finally came alienation — hiding from God. All of us repeat again and again this classic story of sin and its four categories. And if we think we don’t, perhaps it’s because we are too busy stitching together the fig leaves of our respectability and piety to notice the rest. Yet, in those moments when we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that we can’t quite make the fig leaves stretch. If we pull them one way to cover the sins of omission to look good in front of the rector, our neighbor sees our sins of commission on the other side.
Yet, the Good News proclaimed so long ago by John the Baptist is that God forgives. Although we deserve to be cast out for our sins, God in His mercy and love forgives us and invites us to repent and accept new life in Him.
My prayer in this Advent season is that we may all accept God’s gift and “forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer” (Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent, “The Book of Common Prayer,” p.159)
