The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s Heart by Senkbeil Harold L

Author:Senkbeil, Harold L. [Senkbeil, Harold L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Pastoral theology., Clergy--Office.
ISBN: 9781683593027
Publisher: Bellingham, WA
Published: 2019-10-14T21:00:00+00:00

THE REMEDY

But this is not just a liturgical trivia game; it’s highly significant for your pastoral toolkit. If Jesus has borne away all sin as well as paid for it by his death, that means that sins are not merely forgiven, but remitted. That is, he puts sins into remission in a two-fold way. On the one hand he pays the full price of sin, enduring the wrath of God the Father in our place. But just as significantly, he carries sin away from us, together with all the consequences of sin. We believe not merely in the forgiveness of sins, but the remission of sins as well.

This means that when people have sinned, there is forgiveness for them in Jesus. But when they have been sinned against, there is also balm and consolation in Jesus as he takes on their hurt and injury and bears it all away from them. He puts all sins into remission—both the sins we have committed and the sins that have been committed against us. This remission is increasingly important to bestow in Jesus’ name, especially in our dysfunctional and abusive era. Wounds of body, mind, and conscience abound. But they find their solace and healing in Jesus, who is not merely sacrifice but scapegoat. Taking all guilt and shame upon himself and into his own body, he carries it all away. In a very real way Jesus is our pack lamb, taking that whole mess away.

The very same gospel that forgives guilt also cleanses from shame. Jesus Christ frees and liberates us from sin’s bondage—in the case of guilt, by erasing our guilt and bestowing his own righteousness instead. In the case of shame, Christ Jesus heals our wounds by his redeeming love, cleanses us from the defilement of sins committed against us, and sanctifies us with his own holiness, thus claiming us as his very own and restoring us to full status as beloved children of our loving Father in heaven.

So you could put it this way: In Jesus Christ and his saving work, God puts all the effects of sin in full remission. The deadly disease of sin is conclusively set aside by Christ. All the sins we’ve committed against him he removes from us as far as the east is from the west, and all the sins committed against us and the hurt they’ve caused he sets aside as well, healing our wounds and bestowing on us his loving favor instead. Guilt and shame find their common remedy in the gospel of Christ our Lord.

But remission of sins is not just for a few, you know; it’s for you too! So before, during, and after you take up the noble task of being a sheepdog, you’ll need to spend a considerable amount of time sitting perfectly still, looking at the Shepherd.

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