As Paul continues to preach in the synagogue, he announces the forgiveness of sins and then speaks of being justified from that which one could not find justification through Moses. We trace the verses in Luke/Acts where aphesis (Greek for "release" usually translated "forgiveness") is used. We see how important and thematic this is as it is preached by Christ and those who He sends. It is part of the Great Commission.

We discuss various ways this necessary message is compromised in contemporary places of worship and education which are called "Christian." We mention a confused process being promoted called Enneagram that proposes that Christians can use it to find the "True Self." This means that the Biblical doctrine of original sin through the fall of Adam is rejected.

We also have a robust discussion about the gospel of Christ and the meaning of forgiveness and justification. How this relates to sanctification and transformation is also addressed in our group discussion. We assert that forgiveness of sins is grounded in the blood atonement which was provided once for all by Christ's death, burial and resurrection.   

Class handout and slides are available under the Downloads tab.