Are we only forgiven from our sins until we sin again? Most people believe this to be true. They believe that God only forgives us of the sins we have confessed and that until we confess them, we are not forgiven. They cite 1 John 1:9 as their text, which is written to unbelievers.
When the soldiers crucified Jesus on the cross, how many of our sins did Jesus take? He took them all--past, present and future. We cannot commit a sin that has not already been bore by Jesus on the cross. All of our sins--past, present and future--are forgiven.
Why did Jesus die on the Cross?
Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve's sin. Contrary to popular belief, Adam was not off tending the animals while Eve spoke to the serpent. Genesis 3 clearly states that Adam was with her. Evil triumphs when good men remain silent.
God told them not to eat the fruit of the Tree Of The Knowledge Of Good And Evil. The devil, satan in disguise, convinced them that if they ate of its fruit that they would be like God.. Once they ate it, sin entered the world because of their disobedience. Now everyone who is born into this world is sinful. There are no faultless people.
God's wages for sin is death (Romans 6:23) but to enforce those wages meant that He would be eternally separated from us forever. In order to be just yet merciful, a sinless, blameless sacrifice had to be made. He send His Son to be born of a virgin woman. Since He led a blameless, sinless life, He could die in our place.
On the cross, Jesus took all our sins--past, present and future. Jesus doesn't need to be crucified again and again because we sin.
We cannot earn our salvation. We cannot be good enough to earn it. Salvation has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with Jesus.
We will suffer the physical death of our bodies when we pass on, but once we accept what Jesus did for us, our spirits never die. We will live in our new bodies with Jesus in Heaven. Later we will live on a new Earth (Revelation 21:1, Isaiah 65:17) after evil has been wiped out on this one.
Jesus' shed blood continually cleanses us of our sin. Continually. Not once than then it stops. No, continually.
For most of us this concept is foreign. We have never been taught it in the churches. We have been taught to be sin-conscious, to dwell on all our sins, to name them one by one. Dwelling on our sins only causes us to sin more. Whatever our minds dwell on is the direction in which our lives will go.
The opposite is also true. If we dwell on our righteousness in Christ, on what Jesus did for us on the cross, we will find ourselves doing what is right. Where our minds go, our bodies follow.
When a race car driver is first learning to race, a good instructor will teach him what to do when he is about to hit a wall. He must take his eyes off the wall and focus them on where he wants to go. When he does, the car will move in that direction.
The same is true with our lives. The more we study sin, think about sin, try to keep all the commandments and laws of the Bible, the more we sin because sin has become our focus.
When we redirect our attention to what Jesus did for us, to His death, burial and resurrection, then we will move in that direction.
For the longest time, I was like Job (Job 1:5). I repented of everything that I may have remotely been involved with because every church I went to focused on sin.
As a child, I was very sin-conscious, which lead to sinning all the more. I just couldn't measure up. I tried to do what was right, but always ended up making bad choices.
Finally, I learned that Jesus took all my sins on the cross. Jesus didn't just take today's and yesterday's but tomorrow's as well. He took them all once and for all. His blood is continually cleansing us of our sins.
I believe it is important for us to confess our sins to God, knowing that we are already forgiven. The confession is not for God but for us. As the old saying goes, "Confession is good for the soul." It is a way for us to relieve ourselves of the guilt, but God has already forgiven us of all our sins at the cross.
The blood of Jesus is continually, without end, cleansing us.
A famous hymn writer used to be focus on sin, always confessing it. One day she realized that in the original Greek, I John 1:7 says that the blood that Jesus shed on the cross continually cleanses us.
We don't have to beg and plead for God to forgive us because He already has.
From that day on, the hymn writer refused to live a life focused on sin. Instead she allowed I John 1:7 to revolutionize her life. I heard her family buried that Scripture with her.
Just like the hymn writer, we need to let the truth of I John 1:7 change our lives as well.
Once we accept Jesus, Colossians 1:13 says that we are translated into the light. We aren't suddenly translated back to the darkness because we have sinned or made a mistake.
We are still walking in the light as long as we have accepted Christ. I John 1:7 says that if we are in the light, the blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin.
Not some sin. All sin. What does all mean? It means without exception, every one. In other words, there is not a sin that we have committed or will commit that Jesus didn't take on the cross, that wasn't forgiven there and then.
We are already forgiven of all our sins. That's God's grace. This is not a license to sin. When we stay focused on the cross and what Jesus did for us, we find ourselves doing the right thing.
However when we focus on sin and not doing it, we sin all the more. Whatever we are focus on is what becomes a reality in our lives.
Now how would you rather live? Would you rather focus on sin and continue to allow sin to entrap you? Or would you rather focus on Jesus and what He did for you, knowing that if you do sin, Jesus' blood is continually cleansing you? Why live defeated when you can live in victory?
As an ebook, freelance and mystery writer, Annagail Lynes was born and raised in Phoenix Arizona. Her work has been published in 21st Century, SeaLetter, Christian Home and School, You! and many more online and offline publications. For Her Blog, go to http://atouchofdailywisdom.blogspot.com/ For Her Free Ezine, go to http://www.annagaillynes.net/currentezine.html
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