Forgiven

by Dr. Ken Matto

 

 

One of the greatest joys of being a Christian is the fact that God has forgiven all our sins in Christ Jesus. This means that we will never have to face the judgment of God for our sins since they were all taken from us and nailed to the cross of Christ.

 

(Col 2:13-14 KJV) 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;

 

Notice what this verse states, that ALL our trespasses have been forgiven and nothing remains to indict us. It is a shame that so many Christians have taken this teaching and have glibly accepted it and not realized the impact it should have in our life. To be totally forgiven from every sin in my life creates a spiritual liberation in my soul. Many believers simply do not grasp the fact of forgiveness and continue to live as those who are really still under the condemnation of God.

 

(Isa 38:17 KJV) Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

 

Here is a verse which states a dramatic truth in the believer’s life. God has taken our sins and cast them behind his back. This means that because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, sin is no longer an issue with God in the life of the believer. Unfortunately many Christians continue to walk around as if all their sins are strapped to their back when God says He has removed them.

 

(Psa 103:12 KJV) As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

 

If Christians are going to live a joyous and victorious Christian life, they need to stop adopting the attitude that they are still sinners. Where is that found in Scripture?

 

(1 John 3:9 KJV) Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

 

When we received our new resurrected souls we became sinless in the sight of God. All our sins have been removed and those born of God cannot sin. The word "cannot" is a word of ability. This means that since every sin has already been paid for, what sin is there that I could commit that would put me under the judgment of God? Whenever we sin, we confess it, we deal with it, forsake it, and move on. Too many like to dwell in the tar pits of self-pity when they sin and this is why many believers are on Prozac. Have you ever seen a trampolinist in action? As soon as they descend and make contact with the bed, they spring right back up again. This is how the Christian needs to bounce back from a sin, not sit there and wallow in self-pity with the "poor me, look what I have done" attitude.

 

(Phil 3:13 KJV) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

 

The Apostle Paul stated that he had not apprehended. Apprehended what? From the context in this verse, one meaning is he is looking at total sinlessness which we will have in heaven. The Bible is admonishing us here that none of us have yet attained sinlessness but that when we do sin we should not get bogged down in it but we are to move on or else we will remain stagnant in our Christian walk. The Christian life is an advancing life in that we go from trial to trial and from ministry to ministry and we cannot progress in our Christian walk if we are just standing around with a sin mirror and reflecting on sin instead of setting our eyes on Christ.

 

(Isa 26:3 KJV) Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

The perfect peace which the Christian can claim comes only from resting in Calvary. If we do not grasp this truth that the Bible gives us about our sin condition before God, we will never experience peace in our life and it will cause us to live a miserable Christian life. It will also spill over on to others around us causing some to flee to the hills when we come near. The forgiveness we received because of Calvary is beyond comprehension.

 

(Eph 1:7 KJV) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

 

Our forgiveness came through His blood and according to His riches in grace. God’s grace is beyond what we can even fathom that He should even consider saving some. In this verse we see that beautiful word "according." He gave grace to us according to the riches of that grace and withheld nothing from His children.

 

I want to offer a thought which may clear up the position many have adopted that Christians are still sinners. When we were born the first time into the flesh, we received the Adamic nature which was our sin nature. It is because of this sin nature that we sin. Basically, because we are sinners we sin and we do not sin to become sinners, since we are already sinners we are just acting out of the old nature, which is a dead spirit towards God. Now we receive salvation and we now have a living and clean spirit toward God being indwelled by the Holy Spirit. When a Christian sins, they cannot sin out of their new spirit but they sin out of the flesh, when they allow the flesh to momentarily rule. If Christians are still sinners, then out of what are they sinning, since they now have the new nature? The Bible says that if we are born of God we cannot sin, therefore the Christian is no longer categorized as a sinner according to the Scriptures. It is a shame that pulpits, radio, and TV preachers continue to beat the redeemed sheep with the false teaching that they are still sinners. As I have repeatedly said in the past in both person and word, Christ did not go to the cross to make God’s elect sinners, He redeemed us to be saints, alive unto the living God. When we reject this marvelous truth, we will live a defeated and a disconsolate life. What keeps me going through rough times is the assurance God gives me that I am His and nothing will change that. He wrote this to me personally:

 

(Jer 31:3 KJV) The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

 

(Eph 1:3 KJV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

 

God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing through the Lord Jesus Christ and probably the greatest blessing is that we have total forgiveness for our sins. So there is no need to walk around as if God lied to us about having forgiveness. It is time to believe the Bible and not our emotions. If God has said that He has forgiven us in Christ Jesus, then take Him at His word. After all, your whole eternity is based upon what Christ has done. Why is it so easy to trust what the Bible says about the future yet we refuse to believe what it says about the present? Isn’t it time we start looking at the Bible as a personal message from God and not only a manual of doctrines? Think about it!  Will the ushers please come forward!  (4/1/01)

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