Effects of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection

Effects of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
Part Four of a Series

Forgiveness

Jeremiah 31:33-34 (KJV)
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Hebrews 10:17-18(KJV)
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Jesus died once for all. There is no more offering for sin. He did not just cover our sin; He took our sin away. Do you see that? There is no more offering for sin. There is no further forgiveness; that is finished. There is not even any more accounting of sins going on. He remembers them no more.

The description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 is often quoted. In verse five we read, “[Love] Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

The word translated “thinketh” here is the Greek Word: λογίζομαι (logizomai). It means Account, Consider, Count, Esteem, Impute, Reckon, Reckoning, or Think.

(Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary)

God is love, and He does not think evil of you. He does not account, consider, count, esteem, impute, or reckon evil (or wrongs) – that is your sin. How could He? He promised to remember your sins no more!

Here is David’s perspective found in Psalm 103:12 (KJV)
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Our sins have been taken away. They have not simply been covered by the blood. They have been completely removed. They no longer exist. They have been annihilated. David knew this long before the cross! When we change our minds about sin and God and believe Jesus, forgiveness is a done deal.

Here are a couple of more passages on your forgiveness.

Colossians 1:14 (KJV)
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

This is present tense. We have redemption and forgiveness.

Ephesians 4:32 (KJV)
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

This time, past tense. He has forgiven us. And notice here that our forgiveness is not contingent upon how we forgive others. We should forgive others, but not so we will receive forgiveness. We should forgive others because we have received forgiveness.

Before the cross, Jesus told the disciples how they should pray. He was teaching them for the present moment—while they were still under the old covenant of the Law. In His teaching, he said they should pray that God would forgive them as they forgave others. Here is the passage:

Luke 11:1 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Now jumping down to verse four, Luke 11:4 (KJV)
4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.
For = because. This famous prayer is also recorded in Matthew.
Matthew 6:12 (KJV) says, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

As = in the same way as.
Matthew 6:14-15 (KJV)
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

This prayer has caused many to doubt their forgiveness. When we are honest, we know that we do not always forgive well. Sometimes we do not forgive at all.

Forgiveness is very different under the old and new covenants. The old is based on works—adherence to the Law. The new is based on the finished work—done by Jesus Christ at the cross. Under the new, forgiveness is a done deal.

Colossians 2:13 (KJV) gives us yet another reassurance.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

He did not forgive only the sins you’ve confessed. He forgave all of them. The ones you committed before you were saved; the ones you commit today; and every single sin you will ever commit in the future.

1 John 1:9 (KJV) says it well. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I want to clarify this verse a bit because it is often used as the basis for some bad theology. It is common to hear that this passage means that we need to confess our sins regularly in order to get more forgiveness. The idea is that since we keep sinning, we need to update our account balance with God by confessing that we have done so.

But this is not talking about some sort of daily confession so that believers “keep short accounts” with God. A short account is still an account, and God says He remembers our sins no more. He is not keeping an account. Who are we to remember what He has chosen to forget?

In this part of First John, the Apostle was speaking to unbelievers who were claiming they had no sin, or that they did not sin. The word translated “confess” here is homologeo, which when translated literally, means “to say the same thing” or “to agree with.” First John One Nine is saying that unbelievers need to say the same thing God says. They need to agree with God that they have sinned. And it is saying that if they acknowledge their sinfulness, God will cleanse them from all unrighteousness—just as He has cleansed each of us who has come to faith in Him.

Beginning in Chapter Two, John goes on to talk to the believers in his audience.

1 John 2:12 (KJV)
12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.

So be reassured about how you stand before God. You are completely forgiven but wait! There’s more! Stay tuned.

Grace and peace to you.
Larry