The Institution of Christian Religion

But (such is their perverseness) they say that both forgiveness of sins and reconciliation are performed both at one time,¹ when we are in Baptism received into the favour of God by Christ: that after baptism we must rise again by satisfactions: and that the blood of Christ profiteth nothing, but so far as it is distributed by the keys of the Church. Neither do I speak of a doubtful matter, forasmuch as they have in most evident writings bewrayed their own filthiness, and not one or two of them, but all the Schoolmen universally. For their Master, after that he had confessed that Christ had payed the penalty of sins upon the tree, according to the doctrine of Peter,² immediately correcteth his saying with adding this exception, that in baptism all temporal penalties of sins are released, but after baptism they are minished by the help of penance, that so the cross of Christ and our penance may work together. But John saith far otherwise, if any sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ which is the propitiation for our sins. I write unto you children, because your sins are forgiven you for his names sake. Truly he speaketh to the faithful, to whom when he setteth forth Christ to be the propitiation of sins, he showeth that there is no other satisfaction by which God, being displeased, may be made favourable and appeased. He doth not say: God was ones reconciled unto you by Christ, now seek you other means: but he maketh him a perpetual advocate, alway to restore us by his intercession into the favour of his father: a perpetual propitiation, by which our sins may be cleansed away. For this is ever true that the other John said:³ Behold, the Lamb of God, behold him that taketh away the sins of the world. He taketh them away (saith he himself and none other, that is to say: forasmuch as he alone is the Lamb of God, he alone also is the oblation for sins, he alone the propitiation sacrifice, he alone the satisfaction. For whereas the right & power to forgive belongeth properly to the father, in the respect that he is distinguished from the son, as we have already seen: Christ is here set in an other degree, that taking upon himself the pain due unto us, he hath taken away our guiltiness before the judgment of God.