In Christ, our sins -past, present and future- have been forgiven once for all.
According to the Law of Moses as outlined in Leviticus, a person who sinned was to take an animal prescribed by the law and without blemish to the Tabernacle where a priest would make atonement for him for his sins; remember "the wages of sin is death." The unblemished animal had to die in the sinner's place so the sinner would not die.
Under the Law of Moses, the sacrifice lasted only until the sinner's next sin, "....For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." Romans 9:22. The Tabernacle was a really busy place! This old covenant system of atonement for sins with the blood of bulls and goats is a shadow whose reality is the salvation from sins that we have through the blood of Jesus Christ today. Paul said of the ever-busy priests in the old setting:
"They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”" Hebrews 8:5.
But we see in Paul's letter to the Hebrews that the many sacrifices offered according the law could never take away sins: "But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." Hebrews 10:3-4.
But as believers in Christ, we have the One of Whom John the Baptist spoke of when he said in John 1:29- "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Jesus Christ our Saviour takes away the sin of the world. A clean sin-slate forever for all who believe Him.The blood of bulls and goats of the old covenant system are akin to payments made with credit cards: a debt whose payment has been postponed. It still has to be paid when due. They could not provide perfect cleansing. See Hebrews 10:2-
"If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared."
Notice the "purified once for all time?" And why on earth would one feel guilty if he has not sinned? Let's take our blessed brains to church:) Only people who fall and fail feel guilt. Only people who don't have it all together have guilt that can disappear by Christ's "once for all time" purification. A perfect cleansing (which the old covenant guys did not have) would have stopped the animal sacrifices and whenever the people sinned, there would be no guilt and thus no condemnation nor fear of judgment.
Believers, Christ is our "perfect cleansing." In Him, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1.) Bear in mind that if a person does not sin, there will be no need to give him the gift of no condemnation. Let's take our blessed brains to church. We who are in Christ have His gift of no condemnation because we all mess things up sometimes. But because we are free from guilt through His gift of no condemnation, we do not continue to sin; as it was with the woman caught in adultery, His "Neither do I condemn you" is what makes us "go and sin no more."
But in many places of worship, we are taught "Stop sinning then there will be no condemnation for you." Why would we need the gift of no condemnation if we could stop sinning on our own? Christ came to clear our sin debt for us "once for all." See Hebrews 10:
"First, Christ said (to God), “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were You pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). 9 Then He said, “Look, I have come to do Your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. 10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time."
11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There He waits until His enemies are humbled and made a footstool under His feet. 14 For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy."
15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For He says,
16 “This is the new covenant I will make
with my people on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
17 Then He says,
“I will never again remember
their sins and lawless deeds.”
18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices."
How does all of this relate to the believer today? We are under the new covenant!
The sacrifice that Christ made for us is not like that of the old covenant where the one who sinned had to keep going back to the priest with sacrifices in order to be forgiven. Christ "offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time." In Him, our sins -past, present and future- have been forgiven once for all, unlike the old system where the priests had to offer blood for each sin. In Him, God will never again remember our sins and lawless deeds (see Hebrews 8:17 above.) Even our future sins have been taken away by Christ's perfect cleansing. This is Grace- undeserved, unmerited favour.
But many in the church do not believe that all of their sins are forgiven in Christ. Many try to put in additional conditions for salvation beyond John 3:16 because they feel that Grace will cause people to go on sinning sprees... so they mix it with a little law: "neither hot nor cold!"
Many think that unless they "catch and confess" each sins and do "restitution," God will punish them and they will not make heaven. This is to reject the perfect cleansing and forgiveness that Christ paid for with His blood and His gift of everlasting righteousness that He FREELY gives to all who believe. This is unbelief. Christ's blood no longer avails here. This is to go back to the old system of the law. Worse, with no blood, "....For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." The old covenant guys had it better than those who mix law and grace: professing Christ yet trying to deserve salvation by works. Neither hot nor cold.
Remember Hebrews 10:2- "If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared." The one who professes Christ but still feels guilt for sins and believes that he has to do something by human effort (e.g. catch and confess each sin or else he is not forgiven) is rejecting Christ's perfect cleansing that takes away sins forever. By God's grace, let's not be found here. Keep on hearing the word of Christ and faith will abound.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" is being distorted by some to mean 'catching every sin and confessing it or else one is not forgiven.' Many wrongly interpret this verse to mean that in Christ, our sins are not forgiven until we do certain things.
The word "confess" here is from the Greek word "omologÅmen" which means "to speak the same, to agree." Please check it out on your own in any Bible lexicon because many are using this verse to, intentionally or otherwise, keep people under condemnation by making them feel that until they confess each sin one by one, those sins remain unforgiven.
To "confess our sins" in the context of 1 John 1:9 is to be in agreement with God that you are a sinner and to believe His word: "There is none righteous, no not one." It is confessing a state of being, the same way we confess Jesus as Lord.
Many people misinterpret the word "confess" above to mean "catch every sin that you commit and tell God how sorry you are about it, or else God will not forgive you and you will fall out of fellowship with Him." But this way, your salvation is still contingent on what you must do and not what Christ has done. This speaks of salvation by merit and not by grace, and thus, is not salvation. This teaching is not of Christ. Hebrews 10:12 says Christ's sacrifice for our sins was a one time sacrifice, "good for all time."
In Christ, you are not like those of the old covenant who were righteous only until their next sin as those who try to twist this word "confess" out of its context say. His gift of righteousness is everlasting and apart from works. It is by His obedience that we are made righteous (Romans 5:19) and not what we do or don't do after we got saved. Remember He leads us on the path of righteousness....not you nor I.
Saying that one has to confess each sin in order to remain righteous and in fellowship with Christ is like believing that when we were sinners, our confession of the good things we did could change our old sinner status. By all means tell our Abba Father about your sins (I do this too,) but not in order to be forgiven. It is with thanksgiving that I have been forgiven and that He leads me on the path of righteousness. Christ finished this work of forgiving us our sins already according to 1 John 2:12-
"I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake."
Notice "have been forgiven" and not "will be forgiven when you confess particular sins?" See the Amplified version:
"I am writing to you, little children (believers, dear ones), because your sins have been forgiven for His name’s sake [you have been pardoned and released from spiritual debt through His name because you have confessed His name, believing in Him as Savior]."
Believers, our sins are forgiven not because we religiously catch and confess each sin but because we confess (say the same thing as His word) and believe in Jesus as Saviour.
One more thing to note in the offering of sacrifices for sins under the old covenant is that the priest never examined the sinner for blemishes; he examined the lamb that was brought by the sinner and if it was without blemish, it died in place of the sinner, and the sinner went away righteous until his next sin. But today, many are saying that God is examining the sinner for blemishes and will punish the sinner if he has blemishes! Not so. The lamb got the punishment that it did not deserve. The sinner went away freed from his sin debt.
For us believers in Christ, Jesus Christ the Lamb of God Himself is the "once for all" "good for all time" sacrifice for our atonement. He is perfect in every way. No blemishes in Him. God the Just is satisfied to look on Him and person all who believe. Remember Hebrews 10:2-
"If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared."
Unlike the blood of bulls and goats offered under the old covenant system, Christ's blood provided us with a perfect cleansing, stopped every sacrifice, purified us once for all time and removes every feeling of guilt whenever we fall. In Him, we have everlasting righteousness, no by our own obedience but by His obedience (Romans 5:19.)
Believers, believe right. Christ has finished dealing with our sins. He died in our place like the sacrificial animal of the old covenant system. We who believe are freed from every sin debt forever by His perfect cleansing. When He returns for us, it is not to judge us on how well we have been able to obey the Ten Commandments in order to remain righteous. His obedience has made us righteous. See Hebrews 8 (MSG):
27-28 "Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when He next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet Him is, precisely, salvation."
Under the Law of Moses, the sacrifice lasted only until the sinner's next sin, "....For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." Romans 9:22. The Tabernacle was a really busy place! This old covenant system of atonement for sins with the blood of bulls and goats is a shadow whose reality is the salvation from sins that we have through the blood of Jesus Christ today. Paul said of the ever-busy priests in the old setting:
"They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”" Hebrews 8:5.
But we see in Paul's letter to the Hebrews that the many sacrifices offered according the law could never take away sins: "But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." Hebrews 10:3-4.
But as believers in Christ, we have the One of Whom John the Baptist spoke of when he said in John 1:29- "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Jesus Christ our Saviour takes away the sin of the world. A clean sin-slate forever for all who believe Him.The blood of bulls and goats of the old covenant system are akin to payments made with credit cards: a debt whose payment has been postponed. It still has to be paid when due. They could not provide perfect cleansing. See Hebrews 10:2-
"If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared."
Notice the "purified once for all time?" And why on earth would one feel guilty if he has not sinned? Let's take our blessed brains to church:) Only people who fall and fail feel guilt. Only people who don't have it all together have guilt that can disappear by Christ's "once for all time" purification. A perfect cleansing (which the old covenant guys did not have) would have stopped the animal sacrifices and whenever the people sinned, there would be no guilt and thus no condemnation nor fear of judgment.
Believers, Christ is our "perfect cleansing." In Him, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1.) Bear in mind that if a person does not sin, there will be no need to give him the gift of no condemnation. Let's take our blessed brains to church. We who are in Christ have His gift of no condemnation because we all mess things up sometimes. But because we are free from guilt through His gift of no condemnation, we do not continue to sin; as it was with the woman caught in adultery, His "Neither do I condemn you" is what makes us "go and sin no more."
But in many places of worship, we are taught "Stop sinning then there will be no condemnation for you." Why would we need the gift of no condemnation if we could stop sinning on our own? Christ came to clear our sin debt for us "once for all." See Hebrews 10:
"First, Christ said (to God), “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were You pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). 9 Then He said, “Look, I have come to do Your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. 10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time."
11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There He waits until His enemies are humbled and made a footstool under His feet. 14 For by that one offering He forever made perfect those who are being made holy."
15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For He says,
16 “This is the new covenant I will make
with my people on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
17 Then He says,
“I will never again remember
their sins and lawless deeds.”
18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices."
How does all of this relate to the believer today? We are under the new covenant!
The sacrifice that Christ made for us is not like that of the old covenant where the one who sinned had to keep going back to the priest with sacrifices in order to be forgiven. Christ "offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time." In Him, our sins -past, present and future- have been forgiven once for all, unlike the old system where the priests had to offer blood for each sin. In Him, God will never again remember our sins and lawless deeds (see Hebrews 8:17 above.) Even our future sins have been taken away by Christ's perfect cleansing. This is Grace- undeserved, unmerited favour.
But many in the church do not believe that all of their sins are forgiven in Christ. Many try to put in additional conditions for salvation beyond John 3:16 because they feel that Grace will cause people to go on sinning sprees... so they mix it with a little law: "neither hot nor cold!"
Many think that unless they "catch and confess" each sins and do "restitution," God will punish them and they will not make heaven. This is to reject the perfect cleansing and forgiveness that Christ paid for with His blood and His gift of everlasting righteousness that He FREELY gives to all who believe. This is unbelief. Christ's blood no longer avails here. This is to go back to the old system of the law. Worse, with no blood, "....For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness." The old covenant guys had it better than those who mix law and grace: professing Christ yet trying to deserve salvation by works. Neither hot nor cold.
Remember Hebrews 10:2- "If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared." The one who professes Christ but still feels guilt for sins and believes that he has to do something by human effort (e.g. catch and confess each sin or else he is not forgiven) is rejecting Christ's perfect cleansing that takes away sins forever. By God's grace, let's not be found here. Keep on hearing the word of Christ and faith will abound.
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" is being distorted by some to mean 'catching every sin and confessing it or else one is not forgiven.' Many wrongly interpret this verse to mean that in Christ, our sins are not forgiven until we do certain things.
The word "confess" here is from the Greek word "omologÅmen" which means "to speak the same, to agree." Please check it out on your own in any Bible lexicon because many are using this verse to, intentionally or otherwise, keep people under condemnation by making them feel that until they confess each sin one by one, those sins remain unforgiven.
To "confess our sins" in the context of 1 John 1:9 is to be in agreement with God that you are a sinner and to believe His word: "There is none righteous, no not one." It is confessing a state of being, the same way we confess Jesus as Lord.
Many people misinterpret the word "confess" above to mean "catch every sin that you commit and tell God how sorry you are about it, or else God will not forgive you and you will fall out of fellowship with Him." But this way, your salvation is still contingent on what you must do and not what Christ has done. This speaks of salvation by merit and not by grace, and thus, is not salvation. This teaching is not of Christ. Hebrews 10:12 says Christ's sacrifice for our sins was a one time sacrifice, "good for all time."
In Christ, you are not like those of the old covenant who were righteous only until their next sin as those who try to twist this word "confess" out of its context say. His gift of righteousness is everlasting and apart from works. It is by His obedience that we are made righteous (Romans 5:19) and not what we do or don't do after we got saved. Remember He leads us on the path of righteousness....not you nor I.
Saying that one has to confess each sin in order to remain righteous and in fellowship with Christ is like believing that when we were sinners, our confession of the good things we did could change our old sinner status. By all means tell our Abba Father about your sins (I do this too,) but not in order to be forgiven. It is with thanksgiving that I have been forgiven and that He leads me on the path of righteousness. Christ finished this work of forgiving us our sins already according to 1 John 2:12-
"I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake."
Notice "have been forgiven" and not "will be forgiven when you confess particular sins?" See the Amplified version:
"I am writing to you, little children (believers, dear ones), because your sins have been forgiven for His name’s sake [you have been pardoned and released from spiritual debt through His name because you have confessed His name, believing in Him as Savior]."
Believers, our sins are forgiven not because we religiously catch and confess each sin but because we confess (say the same thing as His word) and believe in Jesus as Saviour.
One more thing to note in the offering of sacrifices for sins under the old covenant is that the priest never examined the sinner for blemishes; he examined the lamb that was brought by the sinner and if it was without blemish, it died in place of the sinner, and the sinner went away righteous until his next sin. But today, many are saying that God is examining the sinner for blemishes and will punish the sinner if he has blemishes! Not so. The lamb got the punishment that it did not deserve. The sinner went away freed from his sin debt.
For us believers in Christ, Jesus Christ the Lamb of God Himself is the "once for all" "good for all time" sacrifice for our atonement. He is perfect in every way. No blemishes in Him. God the Just is satisfied to look on Him and person all who believe. Remember Hebrews 10:2-
"If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared."
Unlike the blood of bulls and goats offered under the old covenant system, Christ's blood provided us with a perfect cleansing, stopped every sacrifice, purified us once for all time and removes every feeling of guilt whenever we fall. In Him, we have everlasting righteousness, no by our own obedience but by His obedience (Romans 5:19.)
Believers, believe right. Christ has finished dealing with our sins. He died in our place like the sacrificial animal of the old covenant system. We who believe are freed from every sin debt forever by His perfect cleansing. When He returns for us, it is not to judge us on how well we have been able to obey the Ten Commandments in order to remain righteous. His obedience has made us righteous. See Hebrews 8 (MSG):
27-28 "Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when He next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet Him is, precisely, salvation."
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