Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 51, question 126. What is the fifth petition? And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. That is, be pleased for the sake of Christ's blood not to impute to us miserable sinners our manifold transgressions, nor the evil which still always cleaves to us, as we also find this witness of thy grace in us that it is our full purpose heartily to forgive our neighbor. You may notice a couple of elements in this question and answer that are quite significant. You have, of course, a confession of sin. You have the confession of sin in the reality that we're called miserable sinners. Miserable sinners is, of course, sinners who are unhappy about it, sinners whose sin is a burden to them. But of course, it's also just a reality. We are still struggling against sin. Because of this, it can speak of manifold transgressions, not one, not two, manifold transgressions. And indeed, there is an evil which always clings to us, even at our best moments, even in our holiest works. There's something there that's not what it should be. But we're taught to pray in this way, and we're taught to pray in this way because God answers this kind of prayer. We need forgiveness, but God holds it up. And then you also notice that the definition of forgiveness is put in this language not to impute. In other words, not to reckon to our account, not to hold against us. In the Bible, the non-imputation of sin and the imputation of righteousness go together. In other words, where God does not hold our sins against us, he also applies to us the righteousness of Christ. So there's that element of imputation where God charges our sins to Christ instead of to us, And he charges or lays to our account Christ's righteousness instead of our own. So that concept of imputation is extremely important for understanding the Bible's teaching about the forgiveness of sins. That's why it's brought in here, explaining this in the Heidelberg Catechism. And in the very first Reformed confession that was ever written in Italian from 1559, the Italian refugee congregation in Geneva, we read this. By faith in Christ alone, and not by any good work or merit of ours, we obtain the forgiveness and the remission of sins worked by Him, by God, so that they are no more imputed to us and counted to us in God's judgment. You see how that's expressed? Forgiveness means the non-imputation of sin. They are not counted to us. in God's judgment. Well, as you think about the sins you have committed, as you think about the evil that still always clings to you, what a mercy, what a blessing to know that none of that is held against you. There's a non-imputation of sin.