crowd that had assembled was astonished at the apostles and those who were
SERMON 229E 281 there ones who would be his own, he could see ones who would very soon believe in him, he wanted them to be pardoned. Our head was hanging on the cross, but he could recognize his members on the ground.
Absolutely all sins are forgiven in baptism, even the sin of killing Christ
2. When the book of the Acts of the Apostles was read, you heard how the crowd that had assembled was astonished at the apostles and those who were with them speaking the languages of all nations, which they hadn't learned, under the inspiration and instruction of the Holy Spirit they had received; and how Peter addressed them, still thunderstruck at the miracle, and explained to them that they had indeed committed this evil of killing the Lord in ignorance, but that God had thereby carried out his intention that innocent blood should be shed for the whole world to blot out the sins of all who believed,1 because the one who died was one in whom no sin could be found. The bill for our sins was still outstanding, the devil was holding a bond against us;2 he had taken posses¬ sion of those he had deceived, he was the owner of those he had defeated. We were all debtors, since all are bom with the hereditary debt; sinless blood was shed, and canceled the bill for sin.
So those who had come to believe as Peter spoke, in the Acts of the Apostles, were disturbed, and said, What shall we do, brothers ? Tell us. They hardly dared hope, you see, that such a monstrous sin could be forgiven them. And they were told, Repent, and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and your sins are forgiven (Acts 2:37-38).
What sins? All of them. How much, all of them? Even such a great one as this, that you killed Christ. Could you have done anything more wicked, after all, than to kill your creator, who was created for your sakes?
Could a frantic man do anything more grave than that his doctor should be killed by him? Yet even this is forgiven; they are told, "All is forgiven; you raged and shed innocent blood; believe, and drink what you shed."
So they had been there,3 those who now said, rather desperately, What shall we do?; and they heard that by believing in the one whom they had killed, they could obtain pardon for such a dreadful crime. They had been there, he could see them. He saw them standing in front of his cross, having foreseen them before the foundation of the world.4 It was for them that he said, Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing (Lk 23:34). They were killing the healer; the healer was making a medicine for his killers out of his blood.
What wonderful mercy and glory! What wasn't forgiven them, when they were forgiven for killing Christ? That's why, dearly beloved, nobody should ever doubt that in the washing of rebirth (Ti 3:5) absolutely all sins, from the least to the greatest, are altogether forgiven. Here, after all, we have an example