By Pastor Mike
Total Forgiveness
God’s forgiveness is complete. Because God is too pure to approve or tolerate what is evil (Hab.1:13; Ps.5:4-5; et al.), to say that we are God’s beloved children because we are accepted by God in Christ, is to make a gigantic claim that assumes that our sin problem has been totally resolved.
It can only mean “total” forgiveness. To see yourself in the promise of Romans 8:1 “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” is to affirm that your connection with Christ through faith can be nothing less that 100% release from any residual trace of your sin in the files of heaven.
While there may be earthly consequences, we must admit that the cross of Christ has eradicated all eternal traces of your sin that would otherwise alienate you from a perfectly holy God. The transaction which took place on the cross didn’t “help” your problem, it obliterated it! If your trust is in Christ your sin and its condemnation has been forever resolved “once and for all” (Heb.10).
When we doubt God’s forgiveness as a complete and finished work we either don’t understand the profound nature of the cross or we underestimate God’s holiness. For the Bible declares that “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Christ” (Heb.10:10). If we are made holy by God’s standards through the work of Christ then we are holy, perfectly holy.
While our lives are in a process of learning to live holy (i.e., “sanctification”), our account has been cleansed by the transaction on the cross (i.e., justification). So, while you may be tempted to doubt it, fight the temptation and revel in your perfect forgiveness!
Thanks Pastor, what a great reminder to us to revel in our forgiveness….
If we confess our sins….He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Ps 51:3-4
I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You,You only , I have sinned, and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justifuied when You speak and blameless when You judge.
Because we have been forgiven much we too must forgive others, therefore it should be the character of my life. Matt 18, Eph 4:32 Col 3:13.
Because He put my sin to His account, I am totally forgiven in Christ, now I must show others the same forgivness He has showed me.
Thanks for the encouraging blog Pastor Mike! It is always such a good thing to remember that I am completely purified by Christ’s blood, and that on the day of His return I can be presented before Him in joy (Jude 24-25)! MARANATHA!!!
I’m a new Christian and I must say I feel confused. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to “revel in [my] perfect forgiveness” when your Aug. 7 (”Certain Conversions”) vlog instructs me that I shouldn’t celebrate my new spiritual birthday for at least a few months, if not 12 or 24 months, to be sure my conversion is genuine. What if I follow Christ my whole life and then fail miserably at the end of my life and prove I was never a Christian. What good is celebrating my forgiveness if there is also the possibility that I might sin and prove my unworthiness. I’m beginning to feel that I can never know if I am forgiven.
Do you know if you’re forgiven? Are you 100% confident? I’m not sure I can say that I am if I’m being honest with myself. I truly don’t know if I will stay the course of faith all my life. So I guess that means I cannot revel in my forgiveness until I die and find out if, in fact, I was forgiven all along. This is not what I expected Christianity to be like.