Are all sins forgiven to the truly repentant?
Are all sins forgiven to the truly repentant?
§ 95. The ninth controversy is: “Are all sins forgiven to the truly repentant?” Bellarmine (ch. 15) rightly affirms this against the Novatians since the Holy Spirit not only promises the forgiveness of all sins without any exception to those who are truly repentant (Ezek. 18:22; 36:25; and in many other places) but also testifies in clear language that grace abounds over sins (Rom. 5:20). Furthermore, Christ’s merit and satisfaction are of infinite worth and value.
Origen (on Job, bk. 2): “Every sin will receive pardon through leniency, and everyone who has repented sincerely will find and receive remission and mercy from God.”
Hilary (on Matthew, can. 18): “It is not right for us to be included in the number of those to be forgiven on the basis of a command of the Law, since God has forgiven us through the Gospel’s grace without measure.”
Ambrose (bk. 1, Letter 3): “The Lord is of such great gentleness that He would have forgiven even Judas himself, if he had hoped for Christ’s mercy.”
Gregory (on Job 6): “However many and however grievous our sins may be, they are easily forgiven through God’s mercy.”
Mar. Victor.: “Man bears no fault of sinning so dire that God does not remit it with a clement heart, if only he repent his act,” etc.
The points which Bellarmine (ch. 16) argues about the sin against the Holy Spirit, which is unforgivable, had their own place earlier in the treatise On Actual Sins [Commonplace XIII] (§§ 107[–9]).