Okay, so here's another question I have. Some believe that only our past and present sins are forgiven, but not any FUTURE sins of ours, since we don't know what they will be or when we'll sin.
Did Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, also take care of any future sins that we may do?
I know I sound stupid, lol.. I promise I'm not.
It's just that these are the things that my simple brain wonders about.. LOL
Unfortunately, no Christ's sacrifice on the cross did not take care of
future sins. Sins are "acts of crime against God"; "works unto death". To have something cover a future crime is creating a license to commit that crime in the future. Christ told folks to stop sinning after they were forgiven of the sins they *previously* committed. Notice the following passages...
John 5:14
Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you."
John 8:11
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Matthew 9:6
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.
Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Also, notice Christ was *already* forgiving peoples' sins personally long before he went to the cross because he was given the authority to do so from the Father as the true high priest. But his sacrifice on the cross provided the blood to accomplished a very important task
related to forgiveness of sin...
Leviticus 16:2
2 And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.
...Because God is holy, the way to his heavenly throne was blocked by us because of our filthiness of sin. So pure blood was needed to cover the throne SO THAT WE COULD APPROACH like only a priest could (once his own uncleanness was covered by the blood, and only on a specific day of the year). Prior to that, we could not BOLDLY approach the throne OURSELVES to do only what the priest could do as our representative, which was "ask forgiveness for sin".
So what Christ was previously doing
one...person...at...a...time...could now be accomplished for MANY and WHENEVER necessary because he's now a high priest who's everlasting, in heaven. He offered his blood once for all (people) who would take advantage of it.
This did not end the process of a person seeking God's forgiveness for sin. People still have to seek God's forgiveness for their future sins they commit. But what Christ did is streamline the process and open the door for us, so that we no longer had to:
1. Go to the temple in Jerusalem (which many of us today could never afford to do)
2. Offer up a sacrifice (which many of us don't know how to do)
3. Kill that sacrifice as payment (which would turn many of our stomachs)
4. Sprinkle or pour the blood (which was only a placeholder anyhow and could never really cleansed because it's animal's blood)
Again, WE could now BOLDLY COME before the throne to obtain MERCY (for our sins we commit; i.e. forgiveness) and GRACE (i.e. divine empowerment to live righteously to eventually stop sinning). This is why James says...
1 John 1:8-10
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us
The way has been made open by Christ for God to forgive all people's sin in a new and living way;
a way to reconcile the world TO him, not him TO the world. We still must reconcile with God (i.e. ask for forgiveness when we do sin). Our slate is cleaned once we first come to him asking for forgiveness in faith, and our slate is cleaned whenever we confess to him any sin we commit. And as we allow God and Christ into our hearts to be sprinkled with his blood, he writes his law on it so that the work Christ begins in us - which is to make our heart like his - he will eventually complete.
Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.