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Remission

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Forgiveness or release from sin and its guilt or liability before God, especially through the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

At a Glance

Remission is the biblical idea of sins being pardoned or released by God, especially in connection with Christ’s atoning death and the proclamation of forgiveness through repentance and faith.

Key Points

Description

Remission refers to the forgiveness, release, or cancellation of sins and their liability before God. In Scripture, the idea is bound up with God’s merciful pardon and with the saving work of Christ, whose shed blood secures forgiveness under the new covenant. Christian teaching therefore uses remission to describe not merely a subjective feeling of relief but an objective act of divine grace in which sin is pardoned on the basis of Christ’s atonement. Because the term belongs primarily to biblical and doctrinal usage rather than to philosophy or worldview analysis, it should be framed first by the Bible’s teaching on sin, atonement, repentance, and forgiveness.

Biblical Context

Biblically, remission is tied to the forgiveness God grants to sinners and to the message of repentance and pardon proclaimed in the name of Christ. The term should be read in context with the Bible’s teaching on sacrifice, blood, covenant, and the removal of guilt before God.

Historical Context

In English Bible usage, remission often reflects older translation language for forgiveness or pardon. In Christian theology it has commonly served as a doctrinal term describing the forgiveness secured by Christ and applied to believers.

Jewish and Ancient Context

In the Old Testament background, forgiveness is often expressed through sacrificial and covenantal categories. Second Temple Jewish expectations of cleansing, pardon, and covenant renewal help illuminate the New Testament usage, though Scripture itself remains the controlling authority.

Primary Key Texts

Secondary Key Texts

Original Language Note

The New Testament idea is closely associated with Greek aphesis, meaning release, pardon, or forgiveness. Older English translations sometimes render this concept as "remission."

Theological Significance

The term matters because it describes the gracious pardon God gives through Christ. It touches sin, repentance, atonement, forgiveness, and the believer’s standing before God.

Philosophical Explanation

As a general concept, remission means forgiveness or release from a debt, penalty, or obligation. In Christian usage, however, the term must be governed by Scripture and not reduced to a merely moral or psychological sense.

Interpretive Cautions

Do not detach remission from its biblical setting or reduce it to a feeling of relief. The term should be interpreted by the surrounding context of sin, sacrifice, repentance, and divine pardon.

Major Views

Christians broadly agree that remission means forgiveness or pardon, though traditions differ on how to explain its application, especially in relation to baptism, repentance, and assurance.

Doctrinal Boundaries

Remission should be handled within the boundaries of Scripture, the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement, and historic Christian orthodoxy. It must not be used to imply salvation apart from the gospel or to contradict the Bible’s teaching on repentance and faith.

Practical Significance

Remission gives believers a clear way to speak about God’s pardon, the gospel invitation, and the assurance that sins are truly forgiven in Christ.

Related Entries

See Also

Data

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