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Knowing
and believing that all of our sins (past, present, and future)
have been completely forgiven through the blood of the Lamb is the
doorway through which every child of God must walk before he can
begin to truly understand the amazing grace of God. Trying to
teach a Christian that he has a new identity in Christ, that the
Holy Spirit now actually lives in him, and that his Heavenly
Father loves and accepts him unconditionally will make little
sense without him first believing that the sin issue between
himself and God is over.
Perhaps no other aspect of our
salvation in Christ has been so confusing, paralyzing, and even
divisive within the body of Christ as the forgiveness of our sins.
How tragic that one of the most glorious and foundational truths
of the gospel has deteriorated into a perplexing doctrine that
many Christians would prefer to argue was an incomplete work of
our Savior rather than one that is actually "finished"
(John 19:30).
Why the confusion on something so
elementary and crucial to our salvation? Your enemy, the father of
lies, does not want you to know and believe that you have been
forgiven, once-and-for-all. Since he cannot alter your eternal
destiny if you are in Christ, then he will do all he can to
deceive you into thinking that your behavior is to be the primary
focus of your life.
Some Christians seem to think
that the key to experiencing the "abundant life" that
Jesus promised is to "keep short accounts with God."
Let’s wake-up, Church! The last thing that Satan wants is for
you experience the freedom you now have in Christ (Gal. 5:1)
through setting "your mind on the things above" where
"your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:2-3).
You see, the accuser of the
brethren (Rev. 12:10) knows that if you believe the truth that
your sins have actually been "removed" by God, "as
far as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12), you will
begin to shift your attention off of yourself and onto your
blessed Redeemer!
Many teachers today tell their
listeners that the sinner can come to God just as they are and
receive forgiveness of sins (salvation is much more than just
getting forgiven). But just as quickly as the sinner responds to
Christ by faith and is saved, they are told to make sure they keep
all their sins confessed so they will stay forgiven! Huh?
Let’s see, Mr.
Banker. I’m 10 years behind on my mortgage and still have 20
years of payments to go. But
you are telling me that you will pay my entire past, present,
and future debt as a gift if I will just receive it? Well, thank
you! I accept! Gosh, I’m so excited I don’t know what to do
next?! What’s that you say? I need to make sure I get all my
future payments in on time or you
will throw me in jail?!! But, I thought you said…
It’s no wonder
that the anxious questions from many of today’s Christians seem
to have no end: "As a child of God, have I been completely
forgiven through the shed blood of my Savior or not? Did He only
forgive me for my past sins and now it’s up to me to keep myself
forgiven? Don’t I need to continue to ask Him to forgive me?
Isn’t it my ongoing, continual confession of my specific sins
that makes me right with God? If I die today before asking,
begging, pleading, confessing a certain sin to Him, am I on my way
to hell? Didn’t Jesus himself teach that ‘if you do not
forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your
transgressions’ (Matt. 6:15)? Aren’t we all just
‘positionally’ forgiven? What if I miss a sin? Please,
somebody tell me, am I forgiven or not?!!!!!!!"
There is only One
"somebody" who can answer these questions. He is The
Bible Answer Man…He is the Holy Spirit (John 16:13)! The Holy
Spirit is the One who reveals truth to us through the written
Word. We are dependent upon Him alone to show us from the Word
"the things freely given to us by God" (1 Cor. 2:12). So
let’s examine just a few of the precious gems in Scripture that
speak to the topic of our forgiveness through Christ, relying upon
the Spirit to show us what is true…
Have you placed your
faith in the person of Christ plus nothing as your only hope
for salvation? If so, you can know that "everyone who
believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins" (Acts 10:43).
What have you received by trusting in Him? Forgiveness of sins! Is
this reason to praise His name? You bet it is, but there is
more…
If He has saved you,
then "by His doing you are in Christ Jesus" (1
Cor. 1:30). Why is that important to know? Because, "in
Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of
our trespasses" (Eph. 1:7). Is our having forgiveness based
upon our confessing, asking, pleading with God? No, we have
forgiveness (now and forever!) "according to the riches of
His grace" (Eph. 1:7). His grace really is amazing!
But didn’t Jesus
teach that we would only be forgiven if we made sure we forgave
others (Matt. 6:14-15)? He sure did. At the perfect time in all of
history, with the old covenant still in effect, "God sent
forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that
He might redeem those who were under the Law" (Gal. 4:4-5).
How was God going to redeem those who were under the Law? By
coming down to earth Himself to show man and teach man that
"by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His
sight" (Rom. 3:20). Jesus’ teachings took the Law to a
whole new level…impossibly unachievable! He took the Law past
the realm of external performance to the realm of the heart to
reveal the wickedness and hopelessness of all men. Why? So that
they would come to Him for life (John 6:33; 8:24; 14:6)! Do you
ever struggle with unforgiveness toward others? Then just like the
Pharisees of Jesus’ day, friend, you need the Savior!
Through His
once-and-for-all sacrifice on the Cross almost 2,000 years ago, we
have been forgiven (Col. 3:13). Unlike the old covenant
sacrifices, Jesus’ blood did not atone or cover our sins…He
took them away (John 1:29; Heb. 9:26). There will not be a future
payment (Heb. 10:12). He will not, and does not, get up on the
Cross again and again to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole
world (Heb. 10:10, 18; 1 John 2:2). When He said, "It is
finished," He meant it!
Consider the
following. Like the Apostle John writing to a gathering of people
in Ephesus toward the end of the first century, I am writing this
brief teaching to not only the people on our mailing list, but
anyone else who may read it here at the end of the 20th
century. Do I know for certain that every person on our mailing
list and all those who will read this teaching are saved? No, I
don’t. Can you say for certain that everyone who gathers in your
church building on Sunday mornings is saved? Was John 100%
convinced and assured that all those who assembled in Ephesus were
born-again? It is only God who knows the heart.
So let me ask all
of you who read this teaching a couple of questions: "If
we," any of us including myself, were to "say that we
have no sin," and "that we have not (never)
sinned," wouldn’t we be "deceiving ourselves,"
calling "Him a liar," and "the truth (John
14:6a)" and "His word is not in us" (1 John
1:8,10). After all, a prerequisite to salvation is admitting you
are a sinner in need of the Savior! On the contrary, "if
we," any of us including myself, "confess" (agree
with God, acknowledge, say the same thing that God says about; see
Rom. 3:23, John 8:24) "our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness."
Has there ever been
a moment in time when you realized your sinfulness and your need
of Jesus Christ to save you? If so, having placed your faith in
Christ and Him alone, you can be sure that He not only forgave
you, cleansed you of all unrighteousness, and did away with the
old you (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 6:6), but you can be just as certain that
He has raised you up as an entirely new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) and
"has given (you) eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
He who has the Son (that’s you!) has the life; he who does not
have the Son of God does not have the life" (1 John 5:11-12).
So, are you forgiven
or not? Saints, either He did it all or we’re up the creek. Look
at the weight of Scripture and meditate upon the Word in light of
the finished work of the Cross. Have you forgotten that the new
covenant promise from our faithful Lord is that our "sins and
(our) lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Heb. 10:17)? If
He has chosen to remember them no more, why do we insist upon
parading them before Him day after day? That may make you feel
better, but are you walking by faith?
Have you ever
considered the fact that since "whatever is not from faith
(a.k.a. unbelief) is sin" (Rom. 14:23), that each time you
ask God to forgive you or do anything to gain further forgiveness
from Him, you are saying that you do not believe (a.k.a. sin) that
His death on the Cross was sufficient? And what about all the
moments in your past that you chose not to walk by faith (a.k.a.
sin)? Have you enumerated each and every one of those acts of sin
to the Lord? Are you getting a little overwhelmed? Do you see why
Jesus had to do it a-l-l? Are you beginning to see that He
"will not give (His) glory to another" (Is. 42:8)?
It’s time for the
body of Christ to humbly, yet boldly, declare the truth of the
complete forgiveness that is available through Jesus Christ.
Choose to believe, no matter how you may feel, that you have been
forever forgiven! Share the good news with others! Forgive
others just as the Lord forgave you (Col. 3:13)! Make a choice
to rest in the finality of the cross of Christ. Let us "give
thanks to the Lord, call on His name. Make known His deeds among
the peoples; make them remember that His name is exalted. Praise
the Lord in song, for He has done excellent things" (Is.
12:4-5).
"I write
to you, dear children, because your sins
have been forgiven on
account of His name" (1 John 2:12)
--John
Moneypenny
NOTE:
God’s forgiveness of us does not stand alone as a
separate element of our salvation. In fact, it is an essential
prerequisite to our having also been reconciled, redeemed,
justified, and made righteous. Each time the word of God declares
those who are in Christ have been reconciled, redeemed, justified,
and made righteous, it is also declaring the believer to have been
forgiven (Please note Rom. 3:24,28; 4:5,11,13,25;
5:1,9,10,11,16-19; 8:10,30,33; 9:30; 10:4,10; 1 Cor. 1:30; 6:11; 2
Cor. 5:18-21; Gal. 2:21; 3:6,13; Phil. 3:9; Col. 1:20,22; 1 Tim.
1:9; Titus 3:7; Heb. 9:12,15)
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