Since God will not overlook sin, or just forgive it, the only way we
could have forgiveness was for Christ to die in our place (Joshua
24:19). That means that without Christ's sacrificial death on our
behalf there would be no forgiveness (Acts 4:12). And, without the
forgiveness that Christ secured for us by His death on the cross, we
would all spend eternity in hell (1Corinthians 15:3, Revelation 14:11,
1John 1:7).
Moreover, because Satan is well aware of that fact,
his greatest efforts are directed at preventing people from looking to
Christ for forgiveness. He may lead them to deny their sin, or imagine
that they can pay for their own sin, earn forgiveness, or just get
forgiveness for the asking without ever placing their faith in Christ.
However, the words, “Neither is there salvation in any other” make it
clear that such ideas are a delusion (Acts 4:12). Furthermore, all who
trust in that delusion are throwing away their one chance of salvation
(Mark 16:16, 2Corinthians 6:2).
Satan deludes some by leading them to try to
motivate themselves by the threats of the law and fear of punishment.
Those who fall into that trap cannot admit that they deserve hell
without losing their motivation. He leads others to try to atone for
their own sins, or satisfy God’s wrath by austerity, self-denial, and
self-inflicted punishments. However, the important thing is not how he
deceives them, but the fact that they are deceived. For, by placing
their faith in what they do, they have failed to place their faith in
Christ (Galatians 1:6-9 and 5:4).
In order to be saved, we must be delivered from the
delusion of self-righteousness, and come to the place where we can say
with the Apostle Paul, “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,)
dwells no good thing” (Romans 7:18). Nevertheless, coming to that place
is not easy. It is only by the grace of God that anyone receives the
truth of the Word, when it exposes their sin and tells them that even
their “righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).
Part of the problem lies in the fact that whenever
we put forth an effort, we want to believe that we are gaining
something as a result of that effort. Therefore, when we resist the
sinful yearnings of our flesh, the carnal mind wants us to think that
we are more worthy or righteous because of the effort. However, Instead
of seeing our efforts as evidence that we are righteous, God sees our
sinful yearnings as proof that we are wicked (Isaiah 64:6, Romans
7:18). And, those who trust in their own efforts actually receive
greater condemnation, for they are not trusting in Christ (Romans 10:3).
As long as someone clings to the idea that the law
can make them righteous, they will not be able to understand the gospel
aright, for they will wrongly assume that freedom from that law is the
freedom to be unrighteous. It only as we come to the place where we can
say with Paul, “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no
good thing,” that we can understand that freedom from the law is
freedom from condemnation, not freedom to sin (Romans 7:18). Instead of
allowing us to get into heaven without being righteous, the gospel is
what makes us righteous, as it is written, “Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to every one that believeth” (Romans 10:4).
One of Satan’s delusions, is the idea that
forgiveness is cheap. Those who are under that delusion fail to
understand that God would not forgive any sin, if Christ had not take
those sins upon Himself, and died in our place (Joshua 24:19). Because
they have no understanding, or appreciation, of what Christ had to go
through, they imagine that forgiveness comes just for the asking.
However, if God required us to pay what our salvation was worth, no man
could ever meet the price for its value is far beyond anything we could
imagine, much less pay. Furthermore, because the price was so high, God
would have never sent Christ to the cross if anyone could have been
saved any other way (Galatians 3:21). If infants could be saved because
of their own goodness or innocence, God would not have sent Christ to
the cross. If some people in heathen lands could have been saved
without Christ, then God would not have sent Christ to the cross. And,
if works could have saved anyone, then God would not have sent Christ
to the cross. Yet, as horrible as the cross was, Christ went to it
willingly, and took upon Himself the condemnation that we deserved,
because He knew that there was no other way that we could ever be
saved.
Because Christ died in our place, all who trust in
Him have been raised from spiritual death to everlasting life
(Colossians 2:12-13 and 3:1). It does not matter whether the Bible
refers to that spiritual resurrection as quickening, begetting,
regeneration, or a new birth we receive it through faith in Christ
alone. Works have nothing to do with it! [Ephesians 2:1-6, James 1:18,
1Peter 1:3, 1Corinthians 4:15, Colossians 2:13 and 3:1, Psalm
119:50,93, Titus 3:5, 1Peter 1:23.]
The forgiveness that we have in Christ makes us
righteous in the sight of God, the children of God, the apple of His
eye, and citizens of His heavenly kingdom (Mark 1:14-15, Luke 17:21,
Colossians 1:13). Through that forgiveness, every blessing of heaven is
ours, and because God no longer sees any fault in those who are
forgiven, He will bless those who bless us, while heaping coals of fire
on the heads of those who hate us. [Genesis 12:3, Romans 2:28-29,
Galatians 3:29, 1 Corinthians 3:21, Galatians 4:26, Proverbs 25:21-22,
Romans 12:20.]
Knowing the deceitfulness of the human heart, we
have a responsibility to bring our thinking into accord with the
written Word of God (Romans 12:2, 2Corinthians 10:5). That means, that
when we read the words, “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,)
dwelleth no good thing” we need to weed all contrary thoughts out of
our mind (Romans 7:18). At the same time, we need to recognize the fact
that those who undermine the gospel by teaching works righteousness,
are false prophets, and that includes all who claim that their nature
was made less sinful when they were born again. What happens when we
are born again, is that we are delivered from the power of Satan and
have the help of the Holy Spirit in resisting the flesh (Acts 26:18,
Galatians 5:17). However, sin will not be removed from our nature until
the resurrection (1Corinthians 15:52).
Trusting in Christ, we should walk in a clean
conscience, knowing that because of the forgiveness that is ours in
Christ, no sin will be imputed to us. Because our conscience needs to
be tender before God, it is important for us to admit our faults
instead of excusing them. We should want to do the right thing because
we appreciate the righteousness that is ours in Christ, not because we
are trying to make ourselves righteous. However, in saying this I need
to add a word of caution because people tend to confuse the conscience
with guilt. Our conscience tells us that something is wrong, while
guilt is the condemnation we feel when we do what is wrong. In
addition, the carnal mind generally tries to deal with guilt by
excusing the sin (rather than repenting), and those who excuse the same
sins over and over again, often cease to feel any guilt. Nevertheless,
the absence of guilt does not mean that they have a clean conscience.
On the contrary, if they had a clean conscience, they would never have
had to make an excuse to begin with.
It is also important to avoid sexual sin, for such
sin not only robs us of God's blessing, but also brings with it a
hardening of the heart that can destroy the soul. In fact, God wants
our refusal to become involved in such sins to be a mark of distinction
that sets us apart from the world (1Thessalonians 4:3, 1Timothy 5:22,
Hebrews 10:26, 1Corinthians 6:18). For that reason, it is hypocritical
for those who are willfully immoral and unrepentant to claim that they
are trusting in Christ. Since Christ died to deliver us from the
bondage of sin, not to help us continue in that bondage, the Bible
calls them enemies of God (James 4:4). I might also add that, the gift
of faith is given to those who condemn their shortcomings, not to those
who justify their sin (1Corinthians 6:9, Acts 2:38, Luke 18:10-14,
1Corinthians 11:31).
We should never take the forgiveness that we have in
Christ for granted. Not only did that forgiveness cost Christ
immeasurable suffering, but if he had not loved us enough to go to the
cross on our behalf, we would doomed to hell. Moreover, because the
forgiveness that He won for us is a treasure of greater value than
anything this world can offer, true love requires us to share the good
news, and to make sure that it is preserved and passed on to future
generations.