Howard C. Wilkinson - "Are Our Sins Forgiven?" (February 2, 1969)

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	(solemn church music)	0:04
	(ceremonious church music)	1:37
	(solemn church music)	4:07
	(church choir singing)	6:38
	(ceremonious church music)	8:22
Minister 1	Let the congregation be seated.	12:09
	Beloved, let us love one another,	12:20
	for love is of God,	12:25
	and he who loves is born of God and knows God.	12:28
	In this, the love of God was made manifest among us,	12:36
	that God sent his only son into the world	12:42
	so that we might live through Him.	12:47
	A cup of blessing which we bless,	12:52
	is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?	12:55
	The bread which we break,	13:01
	is it not a participation in the body of Christ?	13:04
	Because there is one loaf,	13:11
	we who are many are one body	13:14
	for we all partake of the same loaf.	13:19
	The Lord be with you.	13:25
Congregation	And with your spirit.	13:27
Minister 1	Let us pray.	13:29
	In unison, the collect for purity.	13:30
	Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open,	13:35
	all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid,	13:40
	cleanse the thoughts of our hearts	13:45
	by the inspiration of Thy Holy Spirit,	13:47
	that we may perfectly love Thee	13:50
	and worthily magnify Thy holy name	13:53
	through Christ, our Lord.	13:56
	Amen.	13:59
	And now, let the congregation rise and join the choir	14:00
	in the Gloria in Excelsis.	14:04
	("Glory be to God on High")	14:07
	♪ Glory be to God on high ♪	14:16
	♪ And on earth peace, good will toward men ♪	14:20
	♪ We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee ♪	14:26
	♪ We glorify Thee, ♪	14:33
	♪ We give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory ♪	14:35
	♪ O Lord God, heavenly King ♪	14:42
	♪ God the Father Almighty ♪	14:48
	♪ O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ ♪	14:53
	♪ O Lord God, Lamb of God ♪	15:01
	♪ Son of the Father ♪	15:05
	♪ That takest away the sins of the world ♪	15:10
	♪ Have mercy upon us ♪	15:15
	♪ Thou that takest away the sins of the world ♪	15:20
	♪ Receive our prayer ♪	15:26
	♪ Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father ♪	15:30
	♪ Have mercy upon us ♪	15:36
	♪ For Thou only art holy ♪	15:41
	♪ Thou only art the Lord ♪	15:46
	♪ Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost ♪	15:50
	♪ Art the most high in the glory of God the Father ♪	15:57
	♪ Amen ♪	16:05
	Ye that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins	16:11
	and are in love in charity with your neighbors	16:15
	and intend to lead a new life	16:19
	following the commandments of God	16:22
	and walking from henceforth in His holy ways,	16:24
	draw near with faith and take this sacrament to your comfort	16:30
	and make your humble confession to Almighty God.	16:37
	Let us pray.	16:42
	Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,	16:51
	maker of all things, judge of all men,	16:56
	we acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness	17:00
	which we, from time to time, most grievously hath committed	17:04
	by thought, word, and deed against Thy divine majesty.	17:08
	We do earnestly repent and are heartily sorry	17:13
	for these our misdoings.	17:17
	The remembrance of them is grievous unto us.	17:19
	Have mercy upon us.	17:23
	Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father.	17:25
	For Thy son, our Lord Jesus Christ's sake,	17:28
	forgive us all that is past	17:32
	and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please Thee	17:34
	in newness of life	17:38
	to the honor and glory of Thy name,	17:40
	through Jesus Christ, our Lord.	17:43
	Amen.	17:46
	Almighty God, our heavenly Father,	17:48
	who of Thy great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins	17:52
	to all them that with hearty repentance and true faith	17:56
	turn to Thee.	18:00
	Have mercy upon us.	18:02
	Pardon and deliver us from all our sins.	18:06
	Confirm and strengthen us in all goodness	18:10
	and bring us to everlasting life	18:14
	through Jesus Christ, our Lord.	18:18
	Amen.	18:21
	Hear what comfortable words the scripture says	18:25
	to all who turn to the Lord.	18:27
	This saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance	18:31
	that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.	18:38
	If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just	18:45
	and will forgive our sins	18:51
	and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.	18:54
	Therefore, be of good courage.	19:00
	And now, let us pray for the whole state of Christ's church	19:06
	using the litany.	19:11
	Most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee	19:14
	to receive these our prayers for the universal church,	19:17
	that Thou will confirm it in the truth of Thy holy faith,	19:21
	inspire it with unity and concord,	19:26
	and extend and prosper it throughout the world.	19:29
	We beseech Thee also so to guide and strengthen	19:34
	the witness of the church	19:37
	to those in authority in all nations,	19:39
	that they may maintain the justice	19:42
	and welfare of all mankind.	19:44
	Give grace, O heavenly Father,	19:51
	to all ministers of Thy church,	19:53
	that both by their life and doctrine,	19:56
	they may set forth Thy true and lively word	19:58
	and faithfully administer Thy holy sacraments.	20:02
	And to all Thy people, give Thy heavenly grace,	20:06
	that with willing heart and due reverence,	20:11
	they may hear and receive Thy holy word,	20:14
	truly serving Thee in holiness and righteousness	20:17
	all the days of their lives.	20:21
	And we most humbly beseech Thee of Thy goodness, O Lord,	20:26
	to support and strengthen all those	20:30
	who, in this transitory life, are in trouble, sorrow,	20:32
	need, sickness, or any other adversity.	20:39
	We remember with thanksgiving	20:48
	those who have loved and served Thee in Thy church on earth,	20:50
	who now rest from their labors,	20:55
	especially those most dear to us	20:58
	whom we name in our hearts before Thee.	21:02
	Keep us in fellowship with all Thy saints	21:09
	and bring us at length to the joy of Thy heavenly kingdom.	21:12
	Grant this, O Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ,	21:18
	our only mediator and advocate.	21:22
	Amen.	21:25
Minister 2	Let us hear and receive	21:39
	the word of God for us this day,	21:41
	and it is found in St. Paul's epistle to Corinthians.	21:43
	1 Corinthians chapter 11.	21:49
	"For I receive this from the Lord	21:54
	what I also delivered to you,	21:57
	that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed,	22:00
	took bread, and when he had given thanks,	22:03
	he broke it and said, 'This is my body which is for you.	22:06
	Do this in remembrance of me.'	22:13
	In the same way also, the cup after supper	22:16
	saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood.	22:19
	Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.'	22:25
	For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup,	22:31
	you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.	22:35
	Whoever, therefore, eats the bread	22:39
	and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner	22:41
	will be guilty of profaning the body	22:45
	and the blood of the Lord.	22:48
	Therefore, let a man examine himself	22:51
	and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup."	22:54
	Here insert reading of the lesson for the day.	23:00
	Amen.	23:03
Minister 3	A little more than a year ago,	23:28
	a student came in to my office with a question.	23:30
	One which grew out of a service of worship	23:35
	he had attended elsewhere a few days earlier.	23:38
	He told me that a campus minister	23:42
	had presided over a service attended by about 20 students.	23:45
	During the service, under the heading,	23:51
	the words of forgiveness.	23:54
	This minister made the following statement:	23:58
	"Our sins are forgiven.	24:02
	All of our sins are forgiven.	24:06
	All of the sins of all of us are forgiven.	24:11
	Our sins are forgiven whether we know it or not.	24:18
	Our sins are forgiven whether or not we ask	24:23
	that they be forgiven.	24:26
	And even if we don't want them forgiven,	24:29
	they are forgiven.	24:33
	All we need to do to have peace of mind	24:36
	is to realize that they are forgiven,	24:39
	to know that we are accepted,	24:43
	and to accept our acceptance."	24:46
	My office visitor went on to say	24:53
	that as comfortable as this might make him feel,	24:55
	he had trouble honestly believing	24:59
	what the minister had said.	25:02
	He doubted that the forgiveness of sins	25:05
	could be all that simple and easy.	25:07
	He wanted to know why an ordained minister	25:11
	would make such a statement	25:13
	and, in short, just what the situation is	25:15
	with regard to the forgiveness of our sin	25:19
	and with regard to our being accepted.	25:22
	Well, because I find more people than just this one student	25:26
	are uncertain about that,	25:30
	I've decided to speak very briefly on it now.	25:33
	There are two lines of thought	25:37
	which have prompted some churchmen to make statements	25:39
	like the one which my student friend reported.	25:43
	Let's take a brief look at them.	25:47
	The first line of thought holds	25:49
	that the concept of guilt, of judgment and condemnation	25:51
	rests upon the assumption	25:58
	that there is a personal supreme being	26:00
	whose righteous nature is outraged by our lust, our hatred,	26:05
	our greed, our prejudice, and our selfishness.	26:11
	And because of that outrage, he rejects us and condemns us.	26:15
	What we need to realize, however,	26:23
	is that no such almighty, divine person exists.	26:25
	So it is alleged.	26:31
	Rather, God is the ground of being.	26:34
	A life force which somehow runs through the universe	26:38
	but which falls short of being personal.	26:41
	The thinkers who hold to this first view	26:46
	contend that individuals who feel guilt-ridden,	26:49
	rejected, and condemned feel that way unnecessarily,	26:53
	and that the church should set them free	27:00
	by announcing that we are forgiven, all of us,	27:02
	and accepted because there is no all-powerful, divine person	27:07
	to reject us and condemn us.	27:14
	Well, I suppose that a man can believe	27:18
	what he wants to believe.	27:21
	And if there are thinkers	27:23
	who wish to believe there is no personal God,	27:24
	that is what they will believe.	27:27
	And they are certainly entitled to that belief.	27:30
	However, to the extent that all of us	27:34
	are under some kind of responsibility	27:37
	to use words honestly and without deception,	27:39
	it becomes necessary for us to call into question	27:44
	the announcement that our sins are forgiven	27:49
	and we are accepted if there is no personal God.	27:52
	This is the case because both the concept of forgiveness	27:58
	and the concept of acceptance	28:03
	require the action or a person.	28:07
	It is therefore patently dishonest	28:13
	to declare that an impersonal ground of being	28:16
	has forgiven or accepted any human person.	28:21
	Suppose that in the dark,	28:28
	I happen to mistake a fence post	28:30
	for a person whom I know I have wronged.	28:34
	If I walk up to the fence post	28:39
	and say, "Will you forgive me?",	28:41
	what response will I receive?	28:43
	I will, of course, receive no response whatsoever.	28:47
	It is true that the fence post	28:51
	will not reject me or condemn me,	28:53
	but to say that it will not reject me is not to declare	28:57
	that it will accept me.	29:00
	And to say that it is not capable of condemning me	29:05
	is not to establish any basis at all	29:08
	for a gospel of forgiveness.	29:11
	Forgiveness, both as a conceptual word	29:16
	and as an experienced reality,	29:20
	requires the conscious and volitional act	29:23
	of a personal being.	29:27
	You can forgive me and I can forgive you,	29:30
	but a fence post cannot forgive either one of us.	29:33
	The very most, which an ordained minister	29:39
	can say therefore, if he believes God	29:41
	to be merely an impersonal ground of being,	29:45
	is that we are not rejected.	29:49
	We are not condemned.	29:52
	He may not, with honesty, declare	29:56
	that God forgives our sins.	29:57
	The second line of thought which has led some churchmen	30:04
	to declare that the sins of all of us are forgiven	30:06
	is one which, unlike the first,	30:11
	assumes the existence and reality of a personal God.	30:14
	This view presents God as being a person	30:19
	who loves His creation in such passion	30:22
	that He cannot bear to see anyone of His creatures	30:25
	lost under any circumstances.	30:29
	While He would, of course, prefer that we be righteous,	30:33
	He actually will accept us just as we are,	30:37
	good, bad, or indifferent.	30:41
	Therefore, according to this view,	30:45
	He does not and He will not,	30:47
	He does not and He will not really condemn us or reject us.	30:51
	He may scold us, but He always forgives us.	30:59
	He may sometimes take away our goodies	31:02
	to try to jar us into being righteous,	31:04
	but He continually accepts us in any case within the fold.	31:08
	Therefore, say these thinkers,	31:14
	the church should frequently remind all men	31:17
	that they are accepted and forgiven by a personal God.	31:20
	Well, unlike the first view,	31:25
	the second view has the advantage, at least,	31:28
	of being a theoretical possibility.	31:31
	However, we must go beyond the theoretical possibility	31:35
	to the question of reliability.	31:40
	On what should we base our beliefs	31:44
	about an activity of God toward us?	31:46
	On our own likes and dislikes?	31:51
	Many have done that.	31:55
	During the Civil War, for instance,	31:58
	many southerners visualized God in a confederate uniform,	31:59
	and an equal number of northerners	32:03
	claimed to see Him in a Yankee uniform.	32:05
	But is our mere wish, our whim, our selfish bias	32:10
	a sufficient basis for concluding that God will do this	32:17
	or that or the other?	32:21
	I think not.	32:25
	For a very long time,	32:27
	the overwhelming majority of Christians	32:29
	have believed that the true nature of God	32:33
	is ascertained from reading the account	32:35
	of the life, the teachings, the death,	32:39
	and the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God,	32:42
	to know whether when and how God forgives sin.	32:48
	Therefore, one should consult not	32:54
	his own private preference, but the New Testament,	32:58
	as it has been interpreted by the Holy Spirit in the church	33:04
	through all the centuries.	33:08
	When we consult the New Testament,	33:11
	we learn about a God who loves His creations so much	33:14
	that He desperately wants us to be righteous	33:20
	and not to destroy ourselves by inequity.	33:23
	A God who nevertheless sees	33:28
	that we have fallen victim to sin	33:30
	and cannot, by ourselves, escape sin's trap.	33:34
	His love extended to such a degree	33:40
	that He sent His son to proclaim for us a new chance	33:43
	to tell of the Father's redeeming love,	33:48
	to demonstrate that love in his own person,	33:53
	and to persuade as many as possible	33:57
	to accept the offered forgiveness and grace.	34:00
	Now, the demonstration of that proclaimed love	34:07
	and offered forgiveness	34:09
	included the spilling of His very lifeblood	34:10
	on an unjust cross.	34:13
	George Frideric Handel has celebrated that act	34:17
	by composing great music.	34:20
	For the scriptural announcement,	34:22
	worthy is the lamb that was slain	34:24
	and hath redeemed us unto God by His blood.	34:28
	Nowhere in the New Testament are we told	34:35
	that God's forgiveness is forced upon us	34:37
	or that it comes automatically.	34:42
	The conditions of its coming are, on the other hand, clear	34:45
	and plain and universal.	34:50
	First, we must recognize sin	34:54
	to be the deceiver and destroyer, which it is.	34:57
	We must recognize our own involvement in it.	35:01
	Next, we must confess to God and before men	35:06
	that we have sinned and come short of the glory of God,	35:09
	and that we seek deliverance from it.	35:13
	We must acknowledge our inability to square the accounts	35:17
	or to energize our own redemption.	35:20
	Last, we must accept freely the forgiveness and strength	35:24
	which God offers in and through His son,	35:29
	Jesus Christ, our Lord.	35:33
	When we do that, our sins are forgiven	35:36
	and we may know that they are.	35:44
	The way we know it	35:47
	is not by having a comfortable feeling in our stomach	35:49
	or by some other physical joy or delight.	35:53
	We know it on the surety of God's promise	35:59
	which Dean Cleland read in the opening scripture verses,	36:05
	that if we fulfill the conditions,	36:11
	He will certainly forgive us.	36:15
	In this way, even a man	36:19
	who doesn't have a comfortable feeling in his stomach,	36:22
	even a man whose body is wrecked by pain	36:26
	can know his sin's forgiven.	36:31
	The holy communion is a sacrament instituted by Christ	36:36
	to be the sign of our forgiveness and acceptance	36:42
	by a personal God, by our heavenly Father.	36:47
	We are bidden to come to His table, be His guests,	36:53
	accept His freely-offered food and drink	36:59
	which today, as on that first supper,	37:05
	are the symbols of His broken body	37:11
	and shed blood on our behalf.	37:14
	Amen.	37:19
	(church organ playing)	37:23
	(church organ playing)	41:17
	(church choir singing)	41:52
	("Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow")	44:52
	♪ Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ♪	45:15
	♪ Praise Him, all creatures here below ♪	45:21
	♪ Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host ♪	45:27
	♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost ♪	45:33
	♪ Amen ♪	45:40
Minister 1	O God, in whom we live	45:48
	and move and have our being,	45:49
	we offer and present unto Thee the gifts of Thy people,	45:52
	silver and gold, bread and wine,	45:57
	for the service of Thy kingdom	46:02
	and the use of the table of Thy son.	46:05
	Accept them, we pray Thee,	46:09
	for we offer them in His name and for His sake.	46:11
	Amen.	46:18
	Lift up your hearts.	46:21
Congregation	We lift them up unto the Lord.	46:24
Minister 1	Let us give thanks unto the Lord.	46:26
	(congregation indistinct reply)	46:29
Minister 1	It is very meet, right in our bound and duty	46:33
	that we should, at all times and in all places,	46:36
	give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, Holy Father Almighty,	46:39
	everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord,	46:45
	who, in substance of our mortal flesh,	46:49
	manifested forth his glory,	46:52
	that he might bring us out of darkness	46:55
	into his own glorious light.	46:57
	Therefore, with angels and archangels	47:00
	and with all the company of heaven,	47:03
	we laud and magnify Thy glorious name,	47:05
	evermore praising Thee and saying-	47:08
	♪ Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts ♪	47:13
	♪ Heav'n and earth are full of Thy glory ♪	47:22
	♪ Glory be to Thee ♪	47:28
	♪ O Lord, most high ♪	47:32
	♪ Amen ♪	47:36
	Let us pray.	47:42
	Almighty God, our heavenly Father,	47:55
	who of Thy tender mercy	47:58
	has given Thine only son, Jesus Christ,	47:59
	to suffer death upon the cross	48:02
	for our redemption,	48:04
	who made there by the one offering of himself,	48:06
	a full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice	48:08
	for the sins of the whole world,	48:12
	and it instituted in his holy gospel command us to continue	48:14
	a perpetual memory of his precious death	48:18
	until his coming again.	48:21
	Hear us, O merciful Father,	48:24
	we most humbly beseech Thee	48:26
	and grant that we receiving these	48:28
	Thy creatures of bread and wine	48:30
	according to Thy son,	48:33
	our savior, Jesus Christ's holy institution,	48:34
	in remembrance of his passion, death, and resurrection,	48:38
	may be partakers of the divine nature through him,	48:43
	who in the same night that he was betrayed took bread,	48:47
	and when he had given thanks, he broke it	48:52
	and gave it to his disciples saying, "Take, eat.	48:55
	This is my body which is given for you.	49:01
	Do this in remembrance of me."	49:06
	Likewise, after supper, he took the cup.	49:11
	And when he had given thanks,	49:15
	he gave it to them saying, "Drink, ye all of this,	49:16
	for this is my blood of the new covenant	49:22
	which is shed for you and for many	49:25
	for the forgiveness of sin.	49:29
	Do this as oft as you shall drink it	49:32
	in remembrance of me."	49:36
	Amen.	49:39
	And now, let's offer unto God, in unison,	49:42
	the prayer of humble access.	49:45
	We do not presume to come to this Thy table,	49:49
	O merciful Lord,	49:52
	trusting in our own righteousness,	49:54
	but in Thy manifold and great mercies.	49:57
	We are not worthy so much as to gather up	50:00
	the crumbs under Thy table,	50:02
	but Thou art the same Lord	50:05
	whose property is always to have mercy.	50:07
	Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord,	50:10
	so to partake of the sacrament of Thy Son, Jesus Christ,	50:13
	that we may walk in newness of life,	50:17
	may grow into his likeness,	50:20
	and may evermore dwell in him and he in us.	50:22
	Amen.	50:27
	(gentle church music)	52:52
	The body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee,	53:51
	preserve thy soul and body unto everlasting life.	53:56
	Take and eat this in remembrance	54:01
	that Christ died for thee and be thankful.	54:03
	The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee,	54:15
	preserve thy soul and body unto everlasting life.	54:19
	Drink this in remembrance that Christ died for thee	54:24
	and be thankful.	54:29
	(gentle church music)	54:49
	(gentle church music)	57:05
	(faint organ music)	1:02:09

Item Info

Title:

Howard C. Wilkinson - "Are Our Sins Forgiven?" (February 2, 1969)

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r4d799b95

Date:

February 2, 1969

Speaker:

Wilkinson, Howard C.

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Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 RR-0466
ref6137_1wh
uachapelsermaud
duke:627966
dcrau002457
ark:/87924/r4d799b95
55287bf6-4a4e-4748-b4bf-7a6c60a2ade9

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Durham (N.C.)

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The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

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Howard C. Wilkinson - "Are Our Sins Forgiven?" (February 2, 1969)

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