We have so perverted the Gospel of Grace, and the finished work of Christ, that we have reduced it to a warmed over, old covenant, daily rememberance of sin. We teach a believer that they have been forgiven for all their sins, that sins have been removed as far as the east is from the west, then out of the other side of our mouth we claim that if we sin as a believer, we must go through some forgiveness ritual of remembrance and confession of those sins.
The inner man (soul and spirit) has been crucified with Christ. Our old identity has been removed through death and we have been raised with Christ as a new creation and transferred into a different kingdom. The Holy Spirit has joined Himself to us in an unbreakable union. We now have union with God Himself. That is our new identity. Sin can not touch this new creation. This treasure has been placed in jars of clay (the earthly body) temporarily until the redemption of the body.
To say that a believer needs daily forgiveness for sin is saying the cross did not work, and daily forgiveness depends on our ability to remember them and confess them. What about the ones we forget? The Spirit does not convict a believer in Christ of sin in order to be cleansed. There is no scripture that states this. The Spirit convicts the world of sin because they believe not. The Spirit convinces a believer of their righteousness.
A watered down, legalistic, sin conscience gospel will not turn the world upside down. It is another gospel.
If daily forgiveness of sins is required for a believer, you would think Paul would have mentioned it at least one time. He does not. The only “proof text” that can be taken out of context in the epistles is 1john 1:9. This is just a simple verse that addresses a Gnostic heresy in the audience that John is writing to. It is simply saying that if a person does not agree that they are a sinner, and that they do not need forgiveness for salvation, then they are a liar, the truth is not them, and they are of antichrist. This is not a description of a believer. But if that person will only agree with God about sin, then God will forgive and cleanse them from all unrighteousness. We must rightly divide the scriptures.
The Lord’s Prayer is Jesus burying the Jews in the spirit of the law. Read the chapters before and after. Love the Romans (your enemies), do good to them that hate you, pluck out you eyes and cut off you hands if they cause you to sin, and if you just think about a woman with lust then you have committed adultery. None of those Jews could measure up to God’s Holy standard. That was the point Jesus was trying to get them to see. They needed to see they were hopeless without a savior. A savior who would stand as them in their place in judgement. One who would meet all the requirements of any law(s) that was against them. One who would give them God’s righteousness as a free gift.
These aforementioned scriptures were never meant to be placed on a believer. The law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this first, that the law is not for the righteous. An emphasis on rules and regulations as a guide for daily living is a sign of spiritual immaturity. The immature believer believes God is still holding their sins against them in some way. Either regarding their salvation, but most commonly their fellowship with God. If they obey, God accepts them. If they disobey, God removes His fellowship until they repent and confess and ask forgiveness.
If we say that a believer needs forgiveness of future sins, we minimize the work of the cross and put it on the same level as the blood of bulls and goats. The blood of bulls and goats only covered past sins. Future sins needed additional atonement . Isaiah said that God would make a new covenant with the house of Israel, “not like” the covenant He made on Mt. Sinai. It appears we have erroneously made the new covenant exactly like the old in reference to the forgiveness of sin.
Hebrews 10:12 “but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God. “
Yesterday was a “time”, today is a “time”, tomorrow is a “time”. Believer’s sins are forgiven for all time.
If we do not have the proper understanding of the forgiveness of sin settled in our mind, our mind will never be renewed to the truth of the gospel. We will become teachers of a mixed message of law and grace, and calling it the gospel. But it will actually be another gospel.
Come let us reason together.
“It is Finished” 