The catechism speaks about forgiveness many times, but in this article the focus is that this belongs to the communion of saints specifically!

Technically, sin shows itself in many facets of life. It is always a missing of God's Glory! (as it relates to the law and His commandments.) Though I serve the law of Christ in my new man, the old man of sin is still with me and daily we stand in a fight with sin. It's everywhere. But, it IS against our will and should be. It drives us to confession with tears running down our faces and sorrow in our hearts. We plead for forgiveness!

The Lord reminds us that He continues to look at us in our Lord Jesus Christ and the cross. We pray for forgiveness so that we may be assured it was as if we had never had sin. Not that God does not just look away or forgets about our sin, but that we are JUSTIFIED! Christ, that dies and is risen again! We are risen with Christ too and after grappling with our sins receive assurance that we sit with Him and are forgiven!

Isn't it this very fact (the body) that binds us together?! We have taken out sins and the sins we have between each other and confessed them to Christ and one another. We take hold of Christ in His suffering and death for propitiation for our sins in the way of confession!

We do this together don't we?