Continuing on with the subject "Sin - What a Subject"? John 16:8-9 says, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me.” The singular sin the Holy Spirit reproves us of is the sin of not believing on Jesus. That’s not to say that the Holy Spirit will not show us things we do are wrong, but He uses them to illustrate that we don’t believe on Jesus.
The Holy Spirit isn’t nailing us every time we sin. He loves us back into faith and trust in Jesus. That’s the whole issue with God. What difference does it make in our lives if we accept forgiveness as something that has already been accomplished? There is a huge difference. It gives us security and peace knowing that God isn’t mad at us, and won’t be mad at us.
Our sins are already forgiven. Not just the past sins we committed before we were born again, but all of our sins—past, present, and even future ones are already forgiven. “How can God forgive our sins before we commit them?” Well, you better pray that He can do that, because Jesus only died for our sins once 2,000 years ago, before you committed any sin. If He can’t forgive sins before you commit them, then you can’t be saved.
It says in Hebrews 10:10-12 and 14, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (emphasis mine).
We have received eternal, not momentary, redemption (Heb. 9:12). One sacrifice was made for all sin forever. We have been perfected forever. How can we read these scriptures and come to any other conclusion other than that every sin—past, present, and future was forgiven and our redemption is eternal.
If you have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for your sins by faith, then your spirit is perfect (Heb. 12:23). Your spirit has been born again. A million years from now your spirit will be identical to what it is right now, and it is identical to Jesus (1 Cor. 6:17 and 1 John 4:17).
Am I making light of sin or saying sin doesn’t matter? No! Sin is a terrible thing. It’s an inroad for Satan into your life (Rom. 6:16). I hate sin! I just value the blood and the atonement of Jesus above sin. His sacrifice was infinitely greater than all the past, present, and future transgressions of the entire human race.
We don’t have to continue to confess sin in order to stay saved in order to retain, or to maintain our salvation. If I believed that was so, I would kill every person who came forward for salvation right after they were saved. I might go to hell, but that’s the only way they would ever get to heaven.
Confessing does not mean we tell God we’re sorry and then beg Him to forgive us. It means we come into agreement with God, and out of agreement with the devil. That stops Satan from dominating us through that sin, and draws the forgiveness and purity which is already in our born-again spirits into our flesh.
Our born-again spirits are already eternally redeemed (Heb. 9:12). Unfortunately, most Christians do not believe this, and are not taking advantage of the provisions of God. They have not renewed their minds, and they still don’t understand that we are also redeemed from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13).
The average New Testament believer is still trying to get God to respond to them based on their performance. Most Christians still believe their relationship with God is dependent on their performance. They believe answered prayers and God’s blessing in their lives are in direct proportion to their attempt at holiness and ability to overcome sin. Let me say that holiness is not a prerequisite for God to have a relationship with you.
Many think that if they attend church, pay their tithes, read their Bibles, control their flesh, then they have somehow earned the blessing of God. That may sound reasonable at first, but that line of thinking will destroy your confidence in God, and couldn’t be further from the truth. The truth is sin isn’t even an issue with God. Again, that may seem like a radical statement, but it is exactly what the Word teaches. Romans 3:4 says, “Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar.”
There's still a lot more to this subject, so hang in there. Grace and Peace.
