“who takes away the sin of the World!”
What does St. John the Baptist mean when he says the “sin of the world”? “The sacred text says ‘the sin of the world,’ in the singular to make it absolutely clear that every kind of sin is taken away: Christ came to free us from original sin, which in Adam affected all men, and from all personal sins.” [1]
We can be confident however because Jesus Christ is our only hope against both original and personal sin. “Sin of the world means all types of sin: original sin, which through Adam, also passed to his descendants, and the personal sins of men and women throughout the ages. Our hope of salvation is in Jesus. He is himself a strong call to hope, because Christ has come to forgive and to cure the wounds of sin.” [2]
What were the consequences of Original Sin? “The consequences of original sin and of all men’s personal sins put the world as a whole in the sinful condition aptly described in St. John’s expression, ‘the sin of the world.’ This expression can also refer to the negative influence exerted on people by communal situations and social structures that are the fruit of men’s sins.” [3] “Before the Fall, our First Parents were endowed with sanctifying grace, which meant they possessed the supernatural life of charity and a right to enter Heaven.” [4] Through the sacrament of Baptism we are given sanctifying grace. By virtue of Baptism, we are born from above (Jn. 3:3-5) and made children of God. Baptism gives back what was lost, it wipes away the guilt of original sin and punishments due to original sin.
The world however is still sick and needs a physician. Jesus is the divine physician that heals the soul. People may ask why there is sickness, death, and destruction in the world. Humanity and the natural order are still fallen, as consequences of original sin. Not all men desire to live a life of sanctifying grace. Not all men desire or believe in the reward of everlasting life. All of humanity, the baptized and the unbaptized, struggle with the “loss of many other gifts which we would have inherited from Adam and Eve, had they remained faithful to God.” [5] The difference in the struggle is that the baptized have the grace necessary to overcome our fallen, sinful nature.
What gifts were lost through Original Sin? While Baptism does not give back these preternatural gifts lost by Original Sin, it does give us the necessary grace to endure the burden of our struggle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. “Before they sinned, our first parents enjoyed the gifts of bodily immortality, integrity, and infused knowledge.” [6]
Bodily immortality – This means that our body would not have died. Although our body will die we are promised, as revealed by God, that our body will rise from the dead and be reunited with our soul.
Integrity – This means that we have concupiscence, which is the struggle between our desires and our reason. We know what is good, but lack the courage to do the good. Our will has been weakened and does not act in accord with our reason. Saint Paul says, “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate.” [7]
Infused knowledge – This means that we are in ignorance, our minds have been darkened and we have to struggle to learn.
Original Sin has therefore affected both body and soul. Our body will die and the faculties or powers of our soul, namely intellect and will, have been wounded. Once again, Baptism does not wipe away these effects, but it does give us the grace necessary to struggle against them and live a life of grace. Through the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have been redeemed. In other words we live in the order of nature (our fallen nature) but have been offered a new life, through Baptism, a life in the order of grace (redemption). We still struggle with order of nature while we strive to live and stay in the order of Grace.
We are fallen, yet redeemed; sinners, yet offered mercy; born in the order of nature, and born again in the order of Grace. Saint Paul says, “where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” [8]
What did Jesus come to do? Jesus came to forgive all men and reconcile us with God. “Jesus has come to bring forgiveness. He is the Redeemer, the Reconciler. He does not forgive just once, neither does he forgive mankind in the abstract, or as a whole. He forgives each one of us as often as, repentant, we draw close to him…He forgives us and He gives us a new birth; He opens the gates of grace to us once again so that we can – filled with hope – continue on our way.” [9]
Jesus who takes away the sin of the world continuously goes out in search for sinner and reaches out those who seek forgiveness. Matthew writes, “The Son of Man has come to save what was lost.” [10] In the book of Revelation it says, Jesus “freed us from our sins by his blood.” [11]
What other stories in the Bible do we see Jesus forgiving of sins?
Activity – Scripture Search
If a large group, have them get in smaller groups, or as individuals try and search for stories or parables about Jesus forgiving of sins. Here is a small list of some that they could find:
Woman caught in adultery – John 8:11
The Woman who anointed His feet – Luke 7:48
Forgives and Heals Paralytic – Mark 2:1-12
Parable of the tax-collector and the Pharisee – Luke 18:13
Parable of the Prodigal Son – Luke 15:11-32
Jesus saying He has power to forgive sins – Matthew 9:6
Jesus gives the power to forgive sins to his apostles – John 20:20
How do we seek God’s forgiveness? We seek God’s forgiveness in the way He set up for us, the Sacrament of Confession. We hear in the Scriptures how this Sacrament was established, “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’” [12] The ordinary means of reconciliation between man and God is sacramental confession. Although sacramental confession is the ordinary means and the means established by Jesus for reconciliation, God in His mercy can also reconcile those who do not know the ordinary means of reconciliation. The penitent however must know they have done wrong, have contrition or sorrow for their sin, and be resolved to sin no more, thus amending their life. “Through the sacrament of Penance we obtain as well the graces we need to fight against or overcome those defects which are perhaps deeply rooted in our character and which are often the cause of our discouragement and despondency.” [13]
As mentioned earlier, Jesus seeks to forgive not just once and for all, but for all us at every moment. This is why frequent confession is so important. Sin binds us up, and holds us close to the devil. When we go to confession, and receive absolution we are freed from the chains holding us down. “Just as the dead man came forth still bound up, so he who goes to Confession is still guilty. So that he should be freed of his sins Our Lord has said to the minister ‘Unbind him and let him go…’” [14]
Can you go to Confession too much? Yes and No. No, if we go with a contrite soul and seeking forgiveness of sins then no there is no limit. There is no limit to Confession because there is no limit to God’s forgiveness and mercy. We should see frequent Confession as assisting us in ripping out the root of our sinful past, and pursing the love of God. If we are doing neither then we are like tepid, lukewarm water, which the Lord spits out. “One of the principal reasons for esteeming frequent Confession highly is that, when practiced as it should be, it is an infallible safeguard against tepidity. Perhaps it is this conviction that makes the Church recommend so strongly…frequent or weekly Confession.” [15] Yes, if we are going due to scrupulosity – obsessing over sins already forgiven.
“Let us thank God for the many times he has forgiven us. Let us ask that we may never fail to approach that source of divine mercy, which is Confession.” [16] “Christ, the spotless Lamb, has come to cleanse us of our sins; not only of our serious sins, but of those deficiencies in purity of intention and of love that occur in our ordinary life. We should examine today how much love we put into receiving the sacrament of penance and whether we go to receive it as frequently as Our Lord asks us to.” [17]
[1] Navarre Bible, Gospel of John pg. 55
[2] Fernandez, In conversation with God, 3, 7.1
[3] CCC 408
[4] Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., Basic Catholic Catechism Course, Lesson II, Original Sin
[5] Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., Basic Catholic Catechism Course, Lesson II, Original Sin
[6] Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., Basic Catholic Catechism Course, Lesson II, Original Sin
[7] Romans 7:15
[8] Romans 5:20-21
[9] G. Redondo, Reason for Hope, Pamplona 1977
[10] Matt. 18:11
[11] Rev. 1:5
[12] John 20:21-23
[13] Fernandez, In conversation with God, 3, 7.2
[14] St. Augustine, Commentary on St. John’s Gospel, 29, 24
[15] B. Baur, Frequent Confession, pg. 121
[16] Fernandez, In conversation with God, 3, 7.1
[17] Fernandez, In conversation with God, 3, 7.3