Forgiveness is one of the most misunderstood subjects when it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Bible. I believe that if you get forgiveness wrong, you can run the risk of getting everything else in your Christian life wrong as well. The sad thing is many people know the truth, but they don't live it. With that said, here are five forbidden truths about forgiveness.
1. The death of Jesus Christ doesn't save anybody.
If you ask many Christians, "What is your understanding of the Gospel?" they would respond by saying, "Jesus died for my sins so that I can go to heaven when I die." This isn't wrong, but it is incomplete. In 1 Corinthians 15:17, the apostle Paul writes, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." To put it bluntly, the death of Jesus Christ doesn't save anybody. Salvation is the restoration of the life of God, lost when Adam sinned, to all who accept Jesus Christ by faith. Forgiveness is necessary for salvation, but it isn't salvation. If Jesus had walked up to the grave of Lazarus, as recorded in John 11, and shouted, "Lazarus, you're forgiven!" nothing would have happened. Lazarus would have remained in his grave dead. But, Jesus said, "Lazarus, come out!" Then we read that "The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face (John 11:44)." Forgiveness makes salvation possible and it is why we don't lose our salvation after we receive the life of God. However, without the resurrection, we are still in our sins; forgiven, but spiritually dead.
2. Jesus Christ did not atone for our sins.
How often have we heard about the "atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ" or the Lord's "substitutionary atonement?" Atonement isn't forgiveness. Forgiveness takes away sins. Atonement remembers our sins. Hebrews 10:3-4 says, "Instead, those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." The Jewish sacrificial system required the death of many animals. All they did was put off the debt of sin until later, sort of like paying an annual fee on a credit card or making a monthly payment on a loan. When it comes to the death of Jesus Christ, what did John the Baptist say? When he saw Jesus coming toward him, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!" Jesus took away our sins when He died. He didn't remember them. That is why the death of Jesus Christ is a propitiating sacrifice. Propitiation means satisfaction. God is satisfied with the death of Jesus Christ. Therefore, our sins no longer separate us from Him. To this point, John wrote, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10)." The Jews have a Day of Atonement. The fact that this occurred annually is proof their sins were not taken away but remembered. The death of Jesus Christ was once for all and for eternity.
3. The whole world is forgiven.
People will freak out about this, but it is true. Everybody, including unbelievers, is forgiven. Earlier, I said that forgiveness doesn't save anybody and that dead people don't need forgiveness, but rather life. Unbelievers, often referred to as the lost, may not recognize their need for the forgiveness of God, but it doesn't mean they are not forgiven. When the lost stand before God and discover they are going to Hell, it will not be because of their sins. It will be because of their sin of unbelief in Jesus Christ. They will be spiritually dead. And like a friend of mine said, "What do you do with dead things? You burn them." It is through faith in Jesus Christ and receiving the resurrected life of God where a person experiences the benefit of forgiveness. That benefit is that they do not lose the life of God when they sin. Therefore, the life they have is eternal life. Why do I say the entire world is forgiven? The Bible tells me. 1 John 2:2 says, "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." In 2 Corinthians 5:19, it says "that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." Notice the verses use "world" when discussing the ramifications of the death of Jesus Christ. John even clarifies that the Lord's death was not only for our sins, Christians but the entire world. Christians are to bring the "message of reconciliation," that your sins are forgiven and you need the life of Christ, not a "message of alienation" that requires one to get forgiven before they come to Jesus Christ.
4. Permissible doesn't mean permission.
Sin is terrible. It is so terrible that it required the death of God as payment. We are right in exposing and condemning it. Yet, there is one truth about forgiveness and sin that even I struggled with accepting. 1 Corinthians 6:12 says, "Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything." Everything is permissible. Everything is permissible for me. We have to be willing to admit that because we are forgiven, that there is no law, no command, forbidding us from engaging in sin. Now, this doesn't mean God is telling us to sin or giving us permission to sin. What it means is that we are free! Why did God put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden knowing the ramifications of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit? He did so because God wants people to choose to come to Him and receive His love, grace, and mercy. Does it not mean more to us when someone chooses us because they want to be with us, spend time with us, and love us, rather than because they are forced to do so? When we are receiving the love, acceptance, meaning, and purpose to life that God created us to have in Himself, through faith in Jesus Christ, the attraction of sin diminishes. Yes, we still sin. Unfortunately, we will sin the rest of our lives.
And sin has consequences. But, the only way to see it diminish in our lives is when our heart changes and we decide to depend on and trust in our God. Thankfully, when we turn to sin and face its consequences, God is still there with us waiting for us with loving arms that are eager to pour out His grace and mercy.
5. Bloodless sacrifices
What do most people, of all religions, not just Christianity, do when they sin? They perform a sacrifice. The Bible says that "the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22)." In the next chapter, it says, "Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary (Hebrews 10:17-18)." God is not remembering our sins. There is no sacrifice for sin necessary. Yet, what do we do? We ask forgiveness from God. We keep short accounts. We confess to a priest and promise to make penance. We answer altar calls at church making false promises to do better next time. We take 1 John 1:9, a verse meant for unbelievers without the truth in them, and use it as a Christian "bar of soap" to keep ourselves "clean" before God. We are asking God to forgive us for sins that He is no longer remembering by engaging in bloodless sacrifices He no longer requires. Is that an act of faith? Are you exercising belief in God by doing this? No. If the blood of bulls and goats couldn't take away sins and you aren't even shedding blood of any kind, what does your sacrifice get you? Nothing. It only tells God that the death of Jesus Christ was not sufficient to take away your sins; that you are not forgiven and Jesus needs to do more. You are forgiven or you are not forgiven. You believe God or you don't believe Him. You have faith in your actions or faith in the actions of Jesus Christ. The choice is yours.
I pray God can use this to lead you into a deeper understanding of forgiveness and the love He has for you.
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