Stop Asking for Forgiveness
This post will be controversial, but that's okay. Really...you are free to disagree with me. I still love you!
In the church, it is commonplace for a believer to be taught that the proper response to sin is going before God with a sorrowful heart, asking for forgiveness. Typically, it would sound something like this:
"God, I sinned. I am really really sorry! I feel badly for what I did, and I promise to try harder next time. Please forgive me for my sin."
Well, if this is your patterned response to sin, I would like to propose that you have been bamboozled! There is hope for a different response that is absent of shame and guilt...and, it actually dis-empowers sin in your life!
Let's see what Scripture says about the forgiveness of sin for a New Covenant believer (you)...
Hebrews 10 is loaded with truthful treasures regarding this topic. Verse 2 says, "If they (sacrifices) could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped." Here, we are told that Old Covenant believers (not you) had to continually offer sacrifices because their animal sacrifices only provided TEMPORARY cleansing of sins. For these unfortunate believers, Jesus had not yet come to die as the PERMANENT, ONE-TIME SACRIFICE. The purpose of these on-going sacrifices was to come before God with a remorseful heart asking for His forgiveness. This was done so out of recognition of their lack of ability to remain holy before God. We see in this verse that if their offerings could have provided for a complete cleansing, this process would have stopped.
Now, let's jump to verses 17-18 where God promises, "I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds. And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices". In this verse, the Greek origin of forgiven is aphesis, which means 'to be pardoned' or 'letting go as if never committed.' Christ's death pardoned ALL our sins- PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE! God is eternal, not limited to our finite view of time. He isn't worried whether or not Jesus' blood is powerful enough to cover the sins we haven't yet committed. If his one-time sacrifice wasn't sufficient, we would still be sacrificing animals, reminding ourselves of our sins, and asking for forgiveness. The beauty of the New Covenant is that God doesn't even remind himself of our sins (v 17). He remembers them no more!
When we agreed to being a sinner needing a Savior, we were forgiven ONCE AND FOR ALL and were declared pure and holy (v 10).
Be encouraged that you no longer need to remind yourself, or God, of your sins! Stop condemning yourself, because God isn't condemning you. The shame that you feel after you mess up is from the devil, the father of lies. The Biblical response to sin is to repent (change the way you are thinking and believing). Remind yourself of your righteousness in Christ! Believe in the goodness, kindness, and unconditional love of Daddy God. His love for you is completely detached from your behavior. It is the same whether you are sinning or not. Let that sink in!
Watch what happens as this Biblical response to sin actually causes sin to lose its appeal and power in your life. We are free from being sin conscious. The Holy Spirit is leading us into truth, reminding us of our righteousness. YOUR DAYS OF MAKING SACRIFICES, FEELING SHAMEFUL, AND ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS ARE OVER!
In the church, it is commonplace for a believer to be taught that the proper response to sin is going before God with a sorrowful heart, asking for forgiveness. Typically, it would sound something like this:
"God, I sinned. I am really really sorry! I feel badly for what I did, and I promise to try harder next time. Please forgive me for my sin."
Well, if this is your patterned response to sin, I would like to propose that you have been bamboozled! There is hope for a different response that is absent of shame and guilt...and, it actually dis-empowers sin in your life!
Let's see what Scripture says about the forgiveness of sin for a New Covenant believer (you)...
Hebrews 10 is loaded with truthful treasures regarding this topic. Verse 2 says, "If they (sacrifices) could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped." Here, we are told that Old Covenant believers (not you) had to continually offer sacrifices because their animal sacrifices only provided TEMPORARY cleansing of sins. For these unfortunate believers, Jesus had not yet come to die as the PERMANENT, ONE-TIME SACRIFICE. The purpose of these on-going sacrifices was to come before God with a remorseful heart asking for His forgiveness. This was done so out of recognition of their lack of ability to remain holy before God. We see in this verse that if their offerings could have provided for a complete cleansing, this process would have stopped.
Now, let's jump to verses 17-18 where God promises, "I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds. And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices". In this verse, the Greek origin of forgiven is aphesis, which means 'to be pardoned' or 'letting go as if never committed.' Christ's death pardoned ALL our sins- PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE! God is eternal, not limited to our finite view of time. He isn't worried whether or not Jesus' blood is powerful enough to cover the sins we haven't yet committed. If his one-time sacrifice wasn't sufficient, we would still be sacrificing animals, reminding ourselves of our sins, and asking for forgiveness. The beauty of the New Covenant is that God doesn't even remind himself of our sins (v 17). He remembers them no more!
When we agreed to being a sinner needing a Savior, we were forgiven ONCE AND FOR ALL and were declared pure and holy (v 10).
Be encouraged that you no longer need to remind yourself, or God, of your sins! Stop condemning yourself, because God isn't condemning you. The shame that you feel after you mess up is from the devil, the father of lies. The Biblical response to sin is to repent (change the way you are thinking and believing). Remind yourself of your righteousness in Christ! Believe in the goodness, kindness, and unconditional love of Daddy God. His love for you is completely detached from your behavior. It is the same whether you are sinning or not. Let that sink in!
Watch what happens as this Biblical response to sin actually causes sin to lose its appeal and power in your life. We are free from being sin conscious. The Holy Spirit is leading us into truth, reminding us of our righteousness. YOUR DAYS OF MAKING SACRIFICES, FEELING SHAMEFUL, AND ASKING FOR FORGIVENESS ARE OVER!
Jed - you rock brother. Keep fighting the good fight and loving "Daddy God" more every day!
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