THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS
For the new christian the forgiveness of sins is a vitally important question, and a matter that should be settled once and for all. Before we were saved we were convicted of our sins, and we realised that they had separated us from our God. If we were not convicted before we were saved, we certainly saw the Lord Jesus Christ bearing our sins on the cross when we were saved.
A problem arises after we are saved when we sin. Quite often the believer is so upset to think that they could ever do such a thing that they feel that they may have lost their salvation.
The first question that may occupy one's mind is, what must I do to be forgiven? What do I have to do to make sure that I am always forgiven? What about the sins I commit now and in the future? Under these circumstances a dark cloud may descend upon that poor one.
Let us not answer these questions immediately because they all stem from one source. That is a misunderstanding of what God has done for us. In order to discover what He has done we must turn to His word which is infallibly true. Let us see what God says on this matter.
The Word Forgiveness
The word forgiveness, forgive, remission, are the same Greek word (aphesis) and means exactly the same as the English. It means: to refrain from exacting or inflicting or executing punishment for, in our case, sins. It means that we are no longer subject to punishment for our sins.
Forgiveness - Remission
The relevant passages in God's word are:
1. Luke 24:46 A proclamation to the world
2. Acts 5:31 A proclamation to Israel
3. Acts 10:43 A proclamation to whosoever
4. Acts 13:38 A proclamation to all who believe
5. Acts 26:18 A proclamation to the Gentiles
6. Rom.4:7 A blessing to the forgiven
7. Eph.1:7 Forgiveness is through His blood
8. Col.1:14. Forgiveness is through His blood
9. Heb.9:22 Without the shedding of blood - No forgiveness
10. Heb.10:18 Christ is one sacrifice for sins for ever
We will now examine some of the verses above.
A Proclamation
There are 5 verses listed above where we see that the proclamation of forgiveness is prophesied to go throughout the world. After Pentecost forgiveness is proclaimed to Israel, to whosoever, to all who believe, and to the Gentiles. It is therefore a universal proclamation that goes out in pure grace, but we shall see more of that later in the notes.
Through His Blood
We also notice that the next four verses clearly state that forgiveness is through His blood. Let us see what that means.
First it means that death is involved so let us look at Eph.1:7, "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace". His blood is the ground upon which we have redemption, and the forgiveness of sins. Over and above all that it is "according to the riches of His grace".
These verses open up three questions which must be answered if we are to understand what is entailed in our forgiveness.
1. Why was the shedding of blood necessary?
2. Why was the redemption price so high, and what have we been redeemed from?
3. How is grace involved and what does it mean?
For the new convert, the answers to these three questions may shed new light on the subject of forgiveness, and we may say it is absolutely necessary light. It will show the glory of God.
THE SHEDDING OF BLOOD
The shedding of blood is prophesied in the book of Genesis chapter 3 after the first man and woman, Adam and Eve sinned. Man disobeyed God and took the fruit at Satan's suggestion, the consequence of which is with us today. Up to that time man lived in a perfect environment and had fellowship with God. Sin was unknown. The word of God to them was "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Death in the Garden
Initially the garden was perfect for man. He had everything he needed, a companion, he had dominion over all living things, and there was no death. After the fall, God made coats of skin. The death of an innocent victim came in to the scene. The third chapter of Genesis is the seed of the plot for salvation.
God spoke to the serpent and said, "Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly thou shalt go, and dust thou shalt eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel", Gen.3:14-15.
It is Between God and Satan
God said to the serpent, "because thou hast done this" the blame fell on Satan. The remedy for the situation was all God's. It is God who covered Adam and Eve, and that at the cost of a life given.
"It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel" spoke of the future death of Christ, the seed of the woman. It spoke of the cross where Satan was finally defeated, and where the Lord died for our sin. Only His heel is spoken of as there was to be the resurrection, and final glorious victory by the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Fall
God had spoken, and God can not lie. His word is final. One may ask what has that got to do with us? Everything, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned:" ! Rom.5:12.
The result of the first man's sin was far reaching in that all his descendants take after him. His nature changed and was such that he could produce nothing but sin, he became a slave of Satan. Not one single thing he did, or ever could do would ever be up to the standard required by God.
Results of the Fall
Another result for Adam and Eve after they broke God's command was the judgement of eternal separation from God, spiritual and physical death. This is also our inheritance from Adam. Listen to God's word, "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God", Rom.3:23. "The wages of sin is death", Rom.6:23. That is bad enough as it states that we have not, nor ever can reach the standard required by a holy God. Even worse is yet to follow. Let us hear the word of God again, "for even when we were dead in sins". Now not only are we hopeless, but also helpless. What can a dead man do to help himself? Nothing!
It means there is no way out, no escape from the judgement pronounced by God. The wages of sin is death. Now notice, "Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me", and together with, "Even when we were dead in sins, hath He quickened us with Christ", certainly indicates two things:
1. Dead in sins means we are dead to God; we can neither see, speak, nor communicate with God in any way
2. Worse still at death we face the second death, an eternal lake of fire, Rev.20:10.
The Integrity of God
The first and most important attribute of God is that He is holy. This simply means He has the highest integrity. He can never lie, He does not change His mind, He is at all times upright, He is open and frank, and what He says, He means. He is righteous in all His dealings. These are some of the major characteristics of a holy God.
How That Effects Us
What God has decreed that He can not, under any circumstances change, "With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning", James 1:17. This means finally and forever we can not, by our own means or effort, ever reach heaven. Let us think for a moment, if God could wink at some and let them into heaven, He has done two things. First He has shown partiality, and second He has lied as the wages of sin would not then be death. He would then no longer be holy. One final thing, is God's word true? Let us take the statement, "the wages of sin is death", is that true? Well if it were not, there would be no cemetery as no one would die. We know death is certain, and that it is a result of what we are, a product of Adam's sin.
No Way Out
In the face of the foregoing we have a certain future, and that is in the eternal lake of fire. We most certainly are without hope and without strength. We can never attain eternal life and heaven. The judgement of God must be carried out. We each can say "the wages of my sin is certain. I must die and be eternally separated from a holy God as I am unholy". We, in ourselves have no way out.
God's Problem
It is absolutely true, God is bound by His own word. Because He is what He is, He must execute judgement on us as we have sinned, by breaking His law. No intelligent normal person can deny this. Now God is Holy and says, "my covenant will I not break, nor alter that which has gone out of My lips", Psa. 89:34
There is a second problem. God hates sin and I am sin. "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity", Psa.5:5, "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness", Psa.45:7.
Now look at this, "but the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth", Psa.11:5. Thirdly we can not help ourselves:
1. God's word about our judgement can not be altered
2. God hates the sinner.
3. We can not help ourselves
Our situation seems impossible.
Judgement is Sure
Judgement can not be averted, that is God's word. Judgement is sure and certain, and that judgement is righteous as none of us reach His standard. Man, himself, chose to disobey and fall under that judgement, and every human being continues to do so. "There is none righteous, no not one". "The wages of sin is death". God can not and will not alter that judgement.
We are Helpless and Under Wrath
Every human being who thinks rationally realises that they have no contact with God. There are no lines of communication. We do see however, men everywhere attempting to reach God in their own way. God says it is all to no avail, "there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death", Prov.16:25.
No matter how we look at the situation there is nothing we can do to reach God. To confirm this God says "we are dead in sin" which indicates total inability on our part, and without the Son, the wrath of God abideth on us, Jno.3:36.
The Problem Defined
Looking at this problem and following the plan of God, we see how a holy God solves the problem without ignoring anything. It is here that we will begin to see the infinite righteousness, grace, mercy, and love of God in action.
Holiness and righteousness come first with God, but He is also a God of love (agape) , which is not the love of affection (phileo). These two words are entirely different. The primary love that God has is a love which has a determination to do good to or for an object irrespective of whether there is any value or merit in that object whatsoever. Therefore, being true to His nature, He can say He hates the wicked, but at the same time He says, "as I live saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live", Ezek.3:11. God hates the wicked but has no pleasure in his death.
This love to determine to do good to or for that which he hates is beyond the natural capability of man. Neither does God bestow affection on that which He hates, that is totally inconsistent. What He does is to determine to do good to that which he hates simply because it is His will to do so. No emotion is involved whatsoever. Now He can not determine to do good unless it is on a righteous basis, "but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance", 2 Peter 3:9.
THE PROBLEM SOLVED
The wages of sin is death, but man can not pay that penalty and survive. God can not wink at sin otherwise His integrity is gone. God can not change the judgement or His integrity is lost again. This would seem to be an insurmountable problem with no way for God to forego the execution of judgement, but He has a plan.
God's Eternal Plan
Right from the very beginning of time, before the world was, God had a plan. A plan that would glorify Him, Father, son, and Holy Spirit. God of His own divine will, determined to pay the penalty Himself; glorious grace. How was He to do this? By becoming a perfect man, without sin, and taking the sinner's place. Hence we have the perfect plan of God, and we find that the Lord Jesus Christ became a man, lived a perfect life, with the express purpose of taking the sinner's judgement. Now God has executed judgement on His son instead of us, and as the penalty is paid in full we can be forgiven.
Man is Not Involved
Man never took, did take, nor will ever take any part whatsoever in this plan. Be it understood that he can not! First because he is the guilty party, and, as such, can do nothing but await the execution of judgement. Secondly he could do nothing anyway as he has no power to alter the situation. It matters little whether he cries, repents, does good works to gain favour, turns over a new leaf, or any other thing he cannot avert the course of judgement. That judgement is settled and immutable.
It must be clearly understood man has no part or lot in the matter of the forgiveness of sins. It is all God's plan and work. He and He alone will have the glory. Please forgive the repetition, but it is where many a soul falters. They think that they must in some mysterious way have something to do with the forgiveness of their sins. The foregoing notes have attempted to show that man can not, and will never have any part in his salvation.
Faith
The basis of forgiveness is faith. First of all, however, we noted earlier it was a proclamation to all who believe. That brings in faith. You may say, well did I not exercise faith? The answer, yes you did. Let us look, however, at God's word, "for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast", Eph.2:8-9.
Dear believer look at that! First we are saved by grace. What is grace? "It is the plan and policy of the justice of God for blessing fallen man". It is for the undeserving. You will notice that justice comes first so that God maintains His holiness and forms the basis for grace, mercy, and love. We can say, no justice, no grace.
It means that forgiveness and salvation are absolutely free gifts, and that is made abundantly clear in verse 9 where, if it were other than a free gift, salvation would be by works. What about faith? What is the first thing we notice about faith in the verse? It does not come from ourselves it is the gift of God. It means that any faith we exercise can be labelled non-meritorious. That is to say, we get no credit for exercising it. It is a gift in the first place. God has ruled out man as having any lot or part in the matter of forgiveness or salvation. He will not share His glory with another. He is the sole author of salvation, and is a holy God of infinite grace and mercy, and a love which far surpasses the thoughts of man.
Misconceptions Cleared Up
You may ask, why have you related the gospel story? Because this is the day of defective gospel preaching. Quite often a mixture of works and grace is preached where the sinner is asked to do something for his salvation; Give your heart to Jesus, come out to the front, and other directives may be given, all of which tend to confuse the sinner. All he has to do is to believe Christ died for his sins. Man's sins were laid on Him, and thus God's love is manifested to him.
This mixture of works and faith for salvation leads one to believe that something must done to keep their salvation. There is nothing you can do to save yourself nor can you do anything to keep yourself. It is totally a work of grace on God's part.
What Happened When We Believed
From the point of view of assurance of forgiveness we must look to the word of God to see what He says.
1. We are not our own we have been bought with a price, we are not our own, 1 Cor.6:20, 1Cor.7:23,
2. We have been promised eternal life, Jno.10:28, Heb.5:9,
3. Our sins are forgiven, past, present, and future, Heb.10;18.
Among other things, at our salvation we become the purchased possession of God and we are not our own, we have been bought with a price. Furthermore the Lord Himself could say "I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish". "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgression from us", Psa 103:12. The question of judgement for our sins will never arise again. The proclamations noted on page 1 should settle the question of forgiveness forever.
"Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins", Acts 10:43, which sins? All sins past, present and future! It is absolutely unconditional, only believe. Remember this, no forgiveness, no salvation. You were not yet born when He died for you. There was one sacrifice for sins forever when Christ died on the cross, never to be repeated, Heb.10:18. When saved, sin will break our fellowship with God which is restored when we confess our sins because He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. We do not lose our salvation, only fellowship. We must remember we are baptised into His body. Eternally joined to Him in heaven, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. When we trusted Him His word binds Him to keep His promises, one is that He has given us eternal (never ending) life. Forgiveness is forever.
3240/JEG8/5/93