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Let speak about Forgiveness of sin.
By: Dov Avnon
The second important subject after salvation or how to be save is
forgiveness. The history if full of teachings that have one thing in
common: you have to do something, you have to ask for it, you have
to pray for it, you have to pay for it or you have to be baptized in
water for it. To make the answer short. Most people and I mean saved
people, get confused when I tell them, you do not have to ask for
forgiveness but to thank God for it. Why?
Under the LAW OF MOSES
LEVITICUS 5:13 And the priest shall make an atonement for him as
touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall
be forgiven him
Under the law that God gave to Moses we speak about temporary
forgiveness through animal sacrifices – temporary because they had
to do it over again and again
The sermon on the mountain
MATTHEW
6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors.
MATTHEW
6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly
Father will also forgive you
MATTHEW
6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will
your Father forgive your trespasses.
Most bible believers who do not know about the dispensation of Grace
that Christ gave to Paul, referring most of the time to the Lords
words when he was on earth. It was at that time conditional. IF IF
IF. People think That the sermon on the mountain is Christ word for
every one today. What most people do not know is that this sermon
was for the nation of Israel and not for us, members of the body of
Christ under the dispensation of Grace.
The day of Pentecost
ACTS 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The day of Pentecost was one of the feast that God gave to Israel.
It was AFTER Christ died on the Cross and the resurrection. After he
even was ascended to heaven, and yet we still read about Repent,
and be baptized - for the remission of sins…
So we need again to as our self: “ Do we need in this dispensation
of Grace first to REPENT than to baptize in water in order to know
that our sins are forgiven ? the answer is no. Water or changing of
attitude will not help.
So where do we find the real answer and the assurance that our sins
are forgiven?
The answer is starting with the Gospel of the grace of God that
Christ gave to Paul.
The dispensation of grace.
ACTS
13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men [and] brethren, that
through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins
You see it is important to follow Paul if we want to understand how
forgiveness is working under the dispensation of Grace. So first
Paul was just preaching forgiveness of sins. He did not say
Repent, and be baptized - for the remission of sins… . Paul
was not preaching the same gospel that Christ gave first to Peter
and the other 11 apostles. Paul was preaching the gospel of the
grace of God.
EPHESIANS
1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness
of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
COLOSSIANS
1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the
forgiveness of sins
Remember the words IN WHOM IN WHOM – this mean the person of Christ
.
In whom we have redemption through his blood = deliverance from sin
=
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the
flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and
for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: Rom. 8
So you see the cross under the dispensation of Grace is not just
history but the place where God took our SIN our GUILT on HIM. This
was not known before and it now preaching when Christ gave to Paul
the dispensation of Grace.
through his blood –
Remember – there was never any forgiveness accept by BLOOD.
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to
you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is
the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
Leviticus 17:11
3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins
every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of
goats should take away sins. Hebrews 10
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and
without shedding of blood is no remission. Hebrews 9
The point here that those people who lived before the dispensation
of grace started did not know that forgiveness was only by the blood
of Christ. It was not revealed at that time. Those people act in
faith. They did just what God told them to do at that time.
Faith + Law of Moses + animal sacrifice
Faith + Law of Moses + animal sacrifice + water baptism
And today under the dispensation of Grace it is just Faith + the
blood of Christ on the cross.
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his
blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that
are past, through the forbearance of God; Rom. 3
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his
grace;
Here you will find the principal how forgiveness work in this
dispensation of Grace. according to the riches of his grace.
Not according how many time you try to repent. Not according how
many time you ask for it. Not according how many time you have been
baptized in water. according to the riches of his grace. We
as a sinners save by grace, have hard time to understand it. You can
find a person that committed murder or other heavy crimes. Crimes
that society will never forgive you and will put you in jail. But
when you come to Gods grace under the dispensation of Grace even
this person can have forgiveness. Not according his works but only
according to the riches of His grace and the blood of Christ on
the cross.
forgiving one another
EPHESIANS
4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Now that you already know that you have forgiveness the question is
– what is what is the motivation to forgive each other? Is it
because other way Christ will not forgive you? No He already did it.
Whether you will forgive someone or not, God already forgive you
thorough Christ our Lord.
Forgiveness is not forgetting what happen but putting all the anger
and the wrath and the revenge on the cross of Christ. You forgive
someone not because you like it or you can do it by your own but
because God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
COLOSSIANS 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him,
having forgiven you all trespasses;
Forgiveness of sin is through the blood of Christ – We forgive
because Christ already forgave us. Forgiveness of sin is also very
important part in the finish work of Christ on the Cross.
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality
and power
11 In whom also ye are circumcised
with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of
the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism,
wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the
operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
having forgiven you all trespasses;
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;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of
the way, nailing it to his cross;
So now we understand how important it is to preach that we have
forgiveness . To learn People that they should thank God for what He
already done for them and not ask again and again the same thing,
while God say in His word “I already do it for you on the Cross
through Jesus Christ.”
If we confess our sins
1 JOHN
1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 JOHN
2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are
forgiven you for his name's sake.
I think the verse in 1 John confuse many who do not know that we are
living under the dispensation of Grace.
As we already see it, under the dispensation of Grace we have fully
forgiveness through the blood of Christ and not because - If
we confess our sins. As a saved person there are time in
life that you know that something went wrong and you did serve the
sin, you did let the sin have a control on your life, but even then
you already have the forgiveness even if on your part there was no
any confessing or admitting that you was wrong.
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those
that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you:
for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall
we sin, because we are rom 6
The verse in 1 John 1:9 was written as part of the gospel to the
circumcisions that Christ gave to Peter James and John. This gospel
will be more effective during the tribulation period after Christ
already take the Church. I know many are struggling about this point
so I will emphasis again the main point. Under this dispensation of
Grace it is not:
If we confess our sins
But
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches of his grace; Eph 1:7
For God is de glory Amen
Dov Avnon
www.gracegospel.eu
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