Forgiveness and Faith

Abstract

Siegbert W. Becker addresses the spiritual insecurity found among Christian schoolchildren regarding the assurance of forgiveness. He warns against the subtle distortion of the doctrine of justification by faith, where faith is mistakenly treated as a meritorious cause of forgiveness. Becker emphasizes that forgiveness is granted solely for Christ’s sake—not because of faith, prayer, or contrition. Faith is the means by which forgiveness is received, not its condition. Misunderstanding this can lead individuals to seek assurance in their own faith rather than in God’s promises, resulting in doubt and fear. Becker outlines faith as knowledge, assent, and trust, and urges Christian teachers to point students consistently to the objective promises of God in Scripture. Only by trusting in Christ’s completed work, rather than the strength of one’s own faith, can believers find true certainty and peace. Abstract prepared by Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4).