The Gospel of Grace - Boasting in God and His Gospel (Another Hyper-Grace Thread)

[JGIG]

The following is a quote from another thread by one who has come to be one of the main opponents to what they believe is a false belief system.

While I admire their passion, I'm a little surprised at their quickness to believe things that are spoken about those who preach the Gospel of Grace (labeled 'Hyper Grace' by authors/teachers/preachers who mix Law and Grace).

Why so many 'Hyper-Grace' threads?

Most of those threads have not been 'Hyper Grace' (as one poster was accused of making - I went through the list of threads he's started - all 87), but have been threads of encouragement to build you believers up in who you are in Christ! Most of the rest have been either attacks by others based on false information about on 'Hyper-Grace' or defenses against those attacks by those who have been seeking to build others UP in their faith.

The mis-perceptions about the Gospel of Grace are many, and one good example is below:

You cannot believe yourself to be righteous no matter how much thought you take about God's grace. Believing yourself to be righteous when you are not is nothing more than delusional, as is shown by proclaiming yourself to be something when your sinful actions prove otherwise. This believing yourself to be righteous is nothing more than a self proclaimed self-righteousness, and shows the error in Mr Princes thinking.

Yet Scripture says:

30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (from 1 Cor. 1)

​

We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (from 2 Cor. 5)​

You cannot give new birth to yourself no matter how much wishful thinking you do. You are either born again of the Holy Spirit, or you are not. Those who are born again of the Holy Spirit will be able to cease from sin, those who cannot cease from sin are called cursed children in scripture. This was in response to post #15.

Yes, we are either born of the Spirit or we are not, and it is a gift from God - agreed.

Your next sentence gives a false dichotomy, however: "Those who are born again of the Holy Spirit will be able to cease from sin, those who cannot cease from sin are called cursed children in scripture."

Those who are born of the Spirit WILL be able to cease from sin - we always have a choice, yes.

Those who are born of the Spirit, however, CAN STILL SIN, and admit it or not, we - you, me, and every other born-of-the-Spirit believer in this life still DOES sin on occasion. It's not who we are, it's not what we want, but we still DO sin.

And believe it or not, there are born-of-the-Spirit-believers out there who STRUGGLE with sinning - addictions, pride, selfishness, bearing false witness . . .

Since the wages of sin is DEATH and not 'loss of fellowship' or punishment until the 'debt is paid', God has constructed His Gospel so that even when we do sin, Scripture tells us that

1. All of our sins have already been completely forgiven at the Cross (Ps. 103:12, Is. 1:18, Col. 2:13, 1 Jn. 1:9, Acts 10:43***see below, and sooo many others)
2. God chooses to not hold our sins against us (2 Cor. 5:18-19)
3. God declared BEFORE the Cross that in His New Covenant He would CHOOSE to be merciful to our iniquities and remember our sins no more (Is. 43:25, Jer. 31:34, Heb. 8:12)

*** Acts 10:43. What I love about forums like this (and I'm being real here - I really do love this part), is that, for me, I'm pushed to the Scriptures to see what God has to say on a matter. When a belief that I hold is challenged, I go to the Scriptures, go to the Greek when a word's definition is needing clarification/definition, consider context, etc., I'm willing to dive in to see what's what. With that in mind, and for your consideration, here's Acts 10:43:

43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
​

Remission - G859 - aphesis​

1. release from bondage or imprisonment
2. forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty

So in reality, after 'whosoever believeth in Him' believes in Him, they are released from bondage and have received forgiveness/pardon of sins - as if they had never been committed!

That's how God can say that He chooses to be merciful to and remember no more our sins while still being JUST. His Justice was satisfied at the Cross.

That's how we can be free from the power of sin:

​

9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (from Rom. 6)​

That is the message of the Gospel of Grace - you are a forgiven person, now go out an live as who you are in Christ!

All this 'Hyper-Grace' condemnation is very misplaced - those condemning the Gospel of Grace are condemning the very tenets of the faith that they claim to embrace.

Boasting in God and His Gospel (Good News),
-JGIG

 

[Grace777x70]

Thank you for boasting on the love and grace of our Lord Jesus!

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

Just because someone claims to be of God does not make it so. Just as if someone claims they are in Christ does not make it so either. Lip service means nothing, the proof of a true conversion will be in the words and actions of the believer, and living in ongoing sin is a sure sign of a false conversion. Another sure sign of one who does not have the Holy Spirit is their doctrine. God's Word is Truth, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.

If someone's doctrine does not line up with the Word of Truth, then it is not being spoken by a person with the Holy Spirit. Joseph Prince and his doctrine is of the world, and is also of the spirit of this world, because it does abide in the Truth according to the words of God.


If a person is not born again from above by the Holy Spirit, they do not belong to the body of Christ.

Romans 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

Does Joseph Prince preach this....

1 John 3:9
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1 John 5:18
We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

Does he preach this......

Some folks will tell you that in this life you can never be free from sin, and that you will always sin, and be in sin. But this my friends is not of faith in the good news gospel and power of God in Jesus Christ. That is another gospel, and doctrine of doubt in what the power of God can do you in your life by faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus came to save us from our sins, to cleanse us from all iniquity, and to also set us free from sin, and to also give us the power by the grace of God so that sin shall not rule over you, but rather righteousness.

Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.

1 John 5:17 “All unrighteousness is sin:….” Jesus cleanses us from all sin>>>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. = 0 sins left after cleansing. And then he empowers us by His Spirit and by Christ working in us (seed of promise) to remain sin free>>>1 John 3:9 “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” = being “In Christ” and not being “in sin”.

Being made free from sin….

Romans 6:3-7 "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?[SUP]4 [/SUP]Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.[SUP]5 [/SUP]For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:[SUP]6 [/SUP]Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.[SUP]7 [/SUP]For he that is dead is freed from sin.”

Romans 6:18 “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Romans 6:20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

John 8:34-36 “Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.[SUP]35 [/SUP]And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
[SUP]36 [/SUP]If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

So don’t doubt the power of God in Christ Jesus, but rather believe. Peace

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

Does he preach this....

Jesus said in John 15:1-10 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.[SUP]2 [/SUP]Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.[SUP]3 [/SUP]Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.[SUP]4 [/SUP]Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
[SUP]
5 [/SUP]I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.[SUP]6 [/SUP]If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
[SUP]
7 [/SUP]If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.[SUP]8 [/SUP]Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.[SUP]9 [/SUP]As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
[SUP]10 [/SUP]If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.”

Ok, some claim all Christians are sinners, and that they keep on sinning even though they have been saved. And even despite that disobedience and reoccurring sin they proclaim you still abide in Christ. This my friends is false, because you cannot remain in sin and in Christ at the same time.

Notice Jesus said in order to bear fruit one must abide in Him, that also means believing in and abiding in His words. And here is what it means to abide in Him…
1 John 3:9 “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”

The seed mentioned there is Christ, but again to be in Christ is to 1 John 3:6 “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.”
So the simple truth is in order to bear fruit we must abide in Christ, and to abide in Christ one must stop sinning.

Now if one is sinning are they truly in Christ? Not according to the Lords words above. Also we are given what happens if one in Him does not bear fruit in Jesus, as said in John 15:2 [SUP]2 [/SUP]Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:” So anyone in him that does not bear fruit he takes away. And not only that we are told in verse 6 [SUP]6 [/SUP]If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

Also we cannot bear fruit on our own except we abide in Him John 15:4 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” And again, to abide in Christ means you cannot abide in sin.

And if you remain in sin, then you truly don’t abide in Christ do you? And as Jesus said, those who do not abide in Him are cast forth as a branch, and then gathered and cast into the fire and burned.

Christ is not a vine of sin (minister of sin) Galatians 2:17But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

Anyone who says you can abide in sin and also remain in Christ at the same time is a liar and a deceiver.

 

[Willie-T]

Just because someone claims to be of God does not make it so. Just as if someone claims they are in Christ does not make it so either. Lip service means nothing, the proof of a true conversion will be in the words and actions of the believer, and living in ongoing sin is a sure sign of a false conversion. Another sure sign of one who does not have the Holy Spirit is their doctrine. God's Word is Truth, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.

If someone's doctrine does not line up with the Word of Truth, then it is not being spoken by a person with the Holy Spirit. Joseph Prince and his doctrine is of the world, and is also of the spirit of this world, because it does abide in the Truth according to the words of God.

I was a little surprised, but it was good to see you agreeing that Joseph Prince's doctrine "DOES abide in the words of God." That must have been God guiding your fingers in their typing.

If a person is not born again from above by the Holy Spirit, they do not belong to the body of Christ.

Romans 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

..............................................

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

..............................................

Clearly a typo error on my part, here let me fix that for ya......

If someone's doctrine does not line up with the Word of Truth, then it is not being spoken by a person with the Holy Spirit. Joseph Prince and his doctrine is of the world, and is also of the spirit of this world, because it does NOT abide in the Truth according to the words of God.

 

[Grace777x70]

.........

 

[dalconn]

I guess one must conclude that grace really is amazing huh?

 

[Grace777x70]

Yes..brother!..let's sing about it to the Lord!

[video=youtube;Bn5zk3yCRr0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn5zk3yCRr0[/video]

I guess one must conclude that grace really is amazing huh?

 

[PeterJens]

Jesus's love and righteousness is amazing.

The Lord of all, should come as a man, to live a perfect life that we might walk in His footsteps and be called His friends, that is amazing grace, I cannot imagine that my King Loves Me.

Amen.

And to walk empowered by His Spirit and His love to bring healing to this world, stunning victory complete.

 

[Goodnewsman]

Grace777x70 let me ask you a question: HOW BIG IS YOUR BIBLE? it cant have the O.T and oh lets see .75% of the N.T in it. you must totally delete, remove and burn the book of James.

in my opinion this is worse than Islam, JW, Catholicism

I always wondered how homosexual "pastor's" would make there way to the pulpits of America because even the liberal churches used to preached against that. NOW, HERE'S THIS HYPER-GRACE (soft, limp wristed, effeminate, sissy "gospel")
no I can see how you guys allow openly gay pastors, I mean after all the grace of God already forgave them, before they came out of the closet, instead of cleaning it up.

how can you preach that our "future sins" are already forgiven before they are committed?

the fact that all our sins were in the future at the time of Christ's atonement is totally immaterial.

our sins were not forgiven at the time of Christ's death. we were not justified when he said "it is finished"

what was finished was the supreme and eternal and perfect work of Christ in providing the basis of our justification
Romans 3:26 (KJV)
[SUP]26 [/SUP] To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Christ on the cross offered to God a perfect substitute for the penalty which should have been inflicted upon us. we became partakers of His sufficient Grace WHEN AND ONLY WHEN we savingly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

justification takes place the moment we accept God's gracious gift, not at the time Christ died on the cross.

our sins were not remitted at CALVARY, they were remitted at CONVERSION

The idea of justification in respect to sins which have not yet been committed is directly contrary to the teachings of God's word

paul is writing about justification in Romans 3 look what he says:
Romans 3:25 (KJV)
[SUP]25 [/SUP] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

he distinctly states that justification is "for the remission of sins that are past"

try this nonsense with your wife (if you have one) next time you disagree. I mean really tell her how the cow ate the cabbage, even smack her jaw, slam the door on way out. come home 1 hour later and act as if nothing ever happened.

would you need to ask her to forgive you? or was it all forgiven the day you stood in the altar and said I do?

 

[Grace777x70]

Forgiveness is a done deal bought for by the blood of our Lord. Despite what our religious upbringing has taught us. This is what scripture has to say about forgiveness but men's made up terms to support their religious views.

1 John 2:12 (NASB)
[SUP]12 [/SUP] I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name's sake.

have been forgiven = perfect passive

Perfect Tense

The basic thought of the perfect tense is that the progress of an action has been completed and the results of the action are continuing on, in full effect.

In other words, the progress of the action has reached its culmination and the finished results are now in existence. Unlike the English perfect, which indicates a completed past action, the Greek perfect tense indicates the continuation and present state of a completed past action.

passive = voice = action is happening to you....you are not doing it

Without a doubt this verse says that the sins are forgiven from a past action that remains in a continuous state and that was put on them....not something they did


Brethren ...we have a great salvation in our Lord!

Here are some more scriptures on the forgiveness of God thru the precious blood of our Lord!....


Ephesians 1:7 (KJV)
[SUP]7 [/SUP] In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

We have redemption = present continuous action...so this means we have present continuous forgiveness of our sins...and look...that hyper-grace stuff shows up again!...it's all according to our loving Father's grace that He has given to us in Christ our Lord.

Colossians 1:13-14 (NASB)
[SUP]13 [/SUP] For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
[SUP]14 [/SUP] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Same thing here too...present continuous action = forgiveness of sins


Redemption!..we have been bought with the precious Blood of Jesus... Let's honor His work

 

[Grace777x70]

I find it funny that you "hunted" me down in here to post about "gay pastors, forgiveness, your wife..etc. ...as I have said nothing about forgiveness here or anything else.....interesting..

but YES..i love the grace of God exhibited in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ!

He is awesome and has done mighty things for us. We have a good loving, faithful Father that can be trusted with our lives!

 

[Goodnewsman]

what are you talking about? "hunted" you down to post about gay pastors? if you are a "gay pastor" this is the first I've heard about it and didn't know (if your not gay, I don't know what your talking about) LOL. I thought this was a discussion forum?

do you need to change the title of your thread? does it not say (Another Hyper-Grace Thread)?
isn't HYPER-GRACE what I'm tried to discuss in my comments?

I would challenge you though to consider the scriptures I've posted

I find it funny that you "hunted" me down in here to post about "gay pastors, forgiveness, your wife..etc. ...as I have said nothing about forgiveness here or anything else.....interesting..

but YES..i love the grace of God exhibited in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ!

He is awesome and has done mighty things for us. We have a good loving, faithful Father that can be trusted with our lives!

 

[Willie-T]

Goodnewsman,
You're going to be a barrel of laughs.

 

[Grace777x70]

Well this is a simple one to answer...

Romans 3:25 is simply talking about the sins done in the past to the ( all have sinned and come short of the glory of God ) and were passed over because of Jesus being the justifier now to those who believe in Him.

Notice verse 25 - Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith...when Jesus hung on the cross that was when He took the sins of all the world..past present and future upon Himself. This is when the past sins were "let go unpunished "..in your KJV = remission.

The greek word for "remission" = Passing over, disregarding, letting go unpunished, dismissed.
Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary, The - The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Pi-Rho.

On what ground were all these past sins forgiven? The same applies for all sin in the future...same blood took all the sin away and it is all forgiven.

If you believe it you receive it.. once you come to Christ.. we should be believing in His finished work on the cross and resurrection.

Romans 3:23-26 (KJV)
[SUP]23 [/SUP] For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
[SUP]24 [/SUP] Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
[SUP]25 [/SUP] Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
[SUP]26 [/SUP] To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Jesus is the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world. Behold the Lamb.

Go to post # 14 for the reality of forgiveness of sins now....and if future sins were not forgiven when Jesus shed His blood...then we are all in deep trouble.

Here are examples of the real gospel being preached by Peter and Paul. Here you will see that it was "proclaimed" to them that they had the forgiveness of sins...when they heard that...that is when faith came...faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ.

They "received" the forgiveness that was already there.Acts 10:43-44 (NASB)
[SUP]43 [/SUP] "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."
[SUP]44 [/SUP] While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.

They were not told to "repent" here. I love how the Holy Spirit "falls upon " them as soon s they hear about the forgiveness of sins proclaimed to them because of Christ

Paul preached the gospel of grace here in the only recorded time in scripture.

Acts 13:38-39 (NASB)
[SUP]38 [/SUP] "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

Both Peter and Paul preached the gospel stating that all sins were forgiven...and I might add without the "traditional" repentance ( altho they did repent as they changed their mind to turn to God and believe that their sins were all forgiven )

As far as this garbage here you wrote below....

."NOW, HERE'S THIS HYPER-GRACE (soft, limp wristed, effeminate, sissy "gospel")
no I can see how you guys allow openly gay pastors, I mean after all the grace of God already forgave them, before they came out of the closet, instead of cleaning it up."

All this slanderous malicious junk above you can take just leave some place else. A bit bitter aren't we? If you are going to act like this..I'll just put you on ignore.

 

[Grace777x70]

Oh..alright then..I'll give you some more...

You were forgiven 2000 years ago
“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Col 2:13-14)


We all need to forgive and be forgiven, but when it comes to sin, your forgiven-ness is a done deal. Jesus forgave all your sins at the cross long before you were born, long before you did anything. Your performance never came into it. I said above that 1 John 1 was written for unbelievers who don’t see their need for forgiveness. In the second chapter John writes for the saints, and what does he tell them? “Your sins have been forgiven on account of His name” (1 Jn 2:12). If your sins have already been forgiven, what are you confessing for?

You were forgiven through His blood

Under the old covenant law, there could be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Heb 9:22). What the law prefigured, Christ fulfilled. At the Last Supper Jesus explained the basis of our forgiveness:

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mat 26:28)

True confession is a positive response to something that God has already done. It is verbalizing faith. It is saying “thank you Jesus for your blood that was poured out for my forgiveness. Because of You, I am forgiven!”

Never forget that you are forgiven

What is the number one reason why Christians are barren and ineffective in their knowledge of the Lord Jesus? According to 2 Peter 1:9, it is forgetting that we have been cleansed from our old sins. To keep the church weak and impotent, the enemy only needs to get us to forget our forgiven-ness.

Indeed, forgiveness is easy to forget when we sin. And that’s why it is important to confess the word of God over ourselves. So the next time you stumble, don’t get introspective but put your faith into action. Look at yourself in the mirror and declare with confidence that you have been forgiven by the blood of the Lamb!

It's a done deal...believe and receive it by faith....then rejoice in all that our Lord paid for with His precious blood.

We have an awesome and wonderful Lord and a good, loving Father that loves us dearly. Let's believe in Him and what He has done for us - His children!

 

[Grace777x70]

Ok...just one more...but this is definitely the last time...

The Axe of Forgiveness

Have you ever noticed how Jesus went around forgiving people who neither asked for forgiveness nor deserved it? A paralyzed man is brought to Him.

Everyone watches for the physical healing but Jesus says, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven” (Mt 9:2). A woman caught in adultery is brought to Him for judgment. Jesus has famously said that law-breakers are in danger of hell-fire (Mt 5:29) and this woman is a bona fide law-breaker. But instead of picking up rocks Jesus says, “I don’t condemn you” (Jn 8:11).

Why did Jesus do it? Why did He forgive the sick and the sinful? Because if sin is the root of man’s problems, then forgiveness is the axe. Once Jesus had dealt with the root, He dealt with the fruit. The paralyzed man was healed. The adulteress was empowered to go and sin no more.
Christmas is the time when we celebrate God’s good gifts embodied in His Son. Of the many gifts God has given us, forgiveness is the first. It is the gift that unlocks all the other gifts. Do you need healing? Then take heart – your sins are forgiven! If Jesus has borne your sins, He is has borne your sicknesses as well (Is 53:4).

In Christ you have been forgiven of sin and set free from all its effects including sickness. However, if you don’t know for sure that you have been forgiven, then you will have a hard time receiving healing. You may even think that you deserve your sickness or, worse, that God made you sick.

Forgiveness is the gift that everyone needs, but you will never receive it if you think you have to do something to get it. In Part 1 of this study, we looked at three reasons why Christians can never earn God’s forgiveness through confession.

In today’s post we will look at three more reasons why Christians never need to confess-to-be-forgiven. Before you write in and tell me that you find confession helpful and liberating, let me reiterate that I am not against confession. It is good to be open and transparent about our weaknesses and failings.

What I am opposed to is the lie that says Christians must confess, or do anything, to maintain their forgiveness.

If you routinely confess-to-be-forgiven you’re actually disobeying God and cursing what He has blessed. Instead of being a stepping stone to your deliverance and healing, the Bible teaches that this sort of confession will actually empower sin and minister death to you.

The remedy for any lie is the truth. So following on from Part 1, here are three more wonderful promises regarding your forgiveness:

4. You were forgiven completely for all time

“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.” (Heb 10:12)

Jesus’ death on the cross was a once-off sacrifice offered for all time. It was perfectly perfect in every respect and there is nothing you can do to improve upon it.

Those who take 1 John 1:9 as their justification for trying to earn what we’ve already been given, need to pay more careful attention to what John is saying: the blood of Jesus purifies us from “all sin” (1:7) and cleanses us from “all unrighteousness” (1:9). All means all. “All sin” includes the sins we haven’t done yet and all the sins we have never confessed.

Jesus went to the cross as humanity’s sinless representative. With His dying breath God the Son asked God the Father to forgive us(Lk 23:34). Then having fully satisfied the requirements of the law that stood against us, and having forged a new covenant in His blood, Jesus declared “it is finished” and gave up His spirit.

His redemptive work complete, Jesus now sits at the right hand of God waiting for His saints to rise up boldly in their forgiven-ness and put His enemies – sickness, poverty, oppression – under their feet and His.

Jesus will never go to the cross again. If you sin today, He is not going back to Calvary tomorrow. Asking Him to forgive you again is like saying His first sacrifice was not enough – that you really need Him to get back up on the cross. This is disgraceful (Heb 6:6), but “we are confident of better things in your case” (Heb 6:9).

Rejoice that His one-time sacrifice paid for it all and you are eternally forgiven. When you sin, guess what – you are still forgiven! God’s grace is greater than your sin. I’m not encouraging sin and if you are choosing to live in sin then you are unacquainted with the grace of God that teaches us to say no to sin. But if you trust in Jesus and His finished work, then rest assured that nothing in the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither life nor death, can separate you from God’s forgiveness. Hallelujah!

5. You were forgiven in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Eph 1:7)

What is the limiting measure of God’s forgiveness? Is it our performance? Is the state of our confession? No!

We are forgiven according to the riches of God’s grace. God is not stingy with grace. How do we know God is gracious? Because He has forgiven us and His forgiveness is 100% a gift. If you have to do something to get it, then it is no longer a gift but an obligation, and God owes you nothing.

Jesus forgave the paralytic before the man had uttered a single word. He forgave the adulterer who was speechless with sin. One didn’t say anything and the other couldn’t say anything, yet Jesus forgave them both.

Jesus forgave to demonstrate that He had authority to forgive. Forgiveness is His business, His decision, His initiative, and His gift to us. The only thing you have to do is receive it, and the only way you won’t receive it is if you try to earn it through confession or other dead works.

6. Your sins are long gone

“But now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” (Heb 9:26b)

In the Bible, the word “forgive” literally means to send away. You sin hasn’t merely been overlooked, it has been abolished (AMP), put away (ASV), and removed (GNB).

Neither has God put away your sins in the same way that you might put your rubbish in a bin by the back door – close by and smelly. He has removed them from you as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12). If you were to go looking for your sins, you wouldn’t find them. They’re gone! They’ve all been blotted out (Is 44:22).

You may ask, but what about the sin I did just this morning? Like all your sin this one was dealt with at the cross. It was not recorded as a black mark next to your name because God is not in the business of imputing sin (Rms 4:8). God’s got better things to do than count men’s sins against them (2 Cor 5:19).

It is human nature to keep score but this is not God’s nature. God is love and love keeps no record of wrongs (1 Co 13:5). Your Father is not a fault-finder. If you were to ask Him about this morning’s sin, He would say, “What sin? I have no record of that sin. Stop looking for it and look to Jesus.”
You did have a sin problem, but God dealt with it by nailing it to the cross (Rm 6:6).

This circumcision of your old nature was not done by the hand of man, but by Christ Himself (Col 2:11). You have been given a new nature with new desires. As you renew your mind you will come to see that although sin is destructive and best avoided, it cannot touch His love for you. God is quite able to deal with your sin and the axe of His forgiveness has already been laid at the root of that bad tree!

Jesus – not confession – is the cure for condemnation

The amazing thing about Jesus is that He forgives us in advance. We “go and sin no more,” not to get free from condemnation, but because we are free from condemnation. The secret to overcoming sin is not found in making promises we can’t keep, but in knowing that Jesus believes in us!

Stop examining yourself and examine Him! He’s altogether wonderful. Stop confessing your sins and confess Jesus your Redeemer. Confess that He is your wisdom from God – your forgiven-ness, your righteousness and your holiness (1 Cor 1:30).