Brothers and Sisters,
When we first repented of our sins, and First believed on the Lord, the forgiveness and cleansing was real to us. We knew that the Lord was OUR Lord, and that He died for our sins. WE WILL NEVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE SINS THAT WE COMMITTED BEFORE WE FIRST BELIEVED AND BECAME CHILDREN OF GOD. We were "Saved" from our sins by the blood of God's Lamb, which cleansed us. This is irrevocable, unchangeable, and lasts forever. It is God's gift by His love and favor. I doubt anyone who reads this will disagree.
Most of the "churches" teach this, and I rejoice in that. But there is much, much more that we need to learn than just being "saved" from our past sins. Though we are forgiven of those past sins, we need our Lord to deliver us from PRESENT SIN. We not only need forgiveness for our past sins, but also for our daily sins after we believed--after we were "born from above" by the Holy Spirit and believed on Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.
We are not "saved" at our initial believing in the Lord, and then it is over with (as so many teach). That is just the BEGINNING of our LIFE OF SALVATION, for God intends for us to look to Him ALWAYS, ALL OF OUR LIVES FOR DELIVERANCE!
(I am going to use the word "deliverance" from now on, for it more accurately conveys the meaning of the Original in the Greek. I also use it because we have been indoctrinated with this idea that we were "saved" when we first believed on the Lord, and thus, our "salvation" is over.)
Here is the True deliverance from God:
"Brothers, I am telling you the Good News which I've already told you. You accepted it and you are still staying with it. IF YOU HOLD ON TO THE GOOD NEWS WHICH I TOLD YOU, THEN, THROUGH IT, YOU ARE BEING DELIVERED..." (1 Cor 15) You see, we need to be delivered every day, every minute, every second from the temptation, deception, and guilt of our own sin. We need to "hold on" to Christ for forgiveness and deliverance. It is not over with when we first believed. Christ is alive! He is the High Priest that intercedes for us NOW, if we trust in Him to help us. If we trust in Him to deliver us. If we think that we do not need Him to deliver us now, we deceive ourselves, and Peter says that we are "blind, and have forgotten the cleansing of our old sins".
You probably agree with all of this so far. Here is the "hard" part.
"IF we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1John). "He that covers up his transgressions shall not prosper; he that confesses and forsakes them shall find mercy". (Prov)
Let me quote this passage from Hebrews 10 again, and let it sink in. Chew on it. BELIEVE GOD, DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
Paul warned us about believers that turn away from God's present, delivering power, and live in WILLFUL SIN:
"We have received the truth; we know it. If we continue SINNING ON PURPOSE, there will be NO MORE SACRIFICES FOR SIN, only a TERRIBLE WAITING FOR JUDGMENT AND FOR THE GREAT FIRE to burn up the enemies of God. If someone did not want to obey the law of Moses, and two or three people said that this was true, then that person died without mercy. Who deserves more punishment than that? THE PERSON WHO WALKS ALL OVER THE SON OF GOD, WHO THINKS THAT THE BLOOD WHICH MADE HIM HOLY IS UNHOLY, WHO INSULTS THE LOVING SPIRIT. We know who said this:
"Revenge belongs to Me; I will pay it back." (Dt. 32.35)
Again,
"THE LORD GOD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." (Dt. 32:36)
It is a terrible thing to fall in to the hands of the
living God".
(Heb. 10:26-31
This passage in Hebrews 10 is addressed to CHILDREN OF GOD; BELIEVERS
1.) Paul said, "if WE continue sinning on purpose..." The "WE" is Paul, you, I, and all other believers.
2.) these "willful sinning believers" treat "the BLOOD WHICH MADE THEM HOLY" as unholy.
This is a horrible thing for a child of God to do, and yet the world is full of those that do it. They continue on in sin after they are first delivered. They do not depend on God's grace and power to keep them from sin. Even if there is no outward, blatant sin in their lives, their hearts practice it. They have "secret sin" that they go on living in, not confessing nor forsaking it. Their speech gives them away, for "out of the abundance of the heart, the man speaks".
Peter says, "It would have been better for them not to have known the WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (trusting in God for help and deliverance) than to have known it, and to turn away from the HOLY COMMANDMENT (BE HOLY!) that was delivered to them. It has happened to them just like the true proverb,
'the dog turns back to its own vomit,
and the pig that was washed to rolling in the mud'." (2 Pet 2:21-22).
You see, God will judge those children that do not confess AND FORSAKE their sin. This judgment will occur at the Judgment Seat of Christ, when He comes and establishes His real, literal kingdom on earth. (More details on this later, if you wish).
Let's look at a parable that teaches how Christ will deal with sinful believers at His Return:
Parable of the "Unforgiving Slave"
"Then Peter came to Jesus and said, 'Lord, how many times must I forgive my BROTHER when he sins against me? Seven times?'
Jesus said to him, "I am not saying seven, but seven times seventy! The kingdom of heaven will be like a man who is ruling. He wanted to make His servants give an account. When the audit began, a man who owed the ruler several million dollars came to him. The man could not repay. So, the master ordered that his wife, children, and everything he owned be sold to pay the debt. The servant fell down and began bowing to him. He said, 'Be patient with me! I will pay you back everything! ' The master felt sorry for that servant. He cancelled his debt and allowed him to leave.
However, the same servant went out and found another servant who owed him three month's wages. He grabbed that servant and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay me what you owe me!' The servant fell down and began to beg him, 'Be patient with me! I will pay you back!' But he wouldn't do it. Instead, he went and threw the servant in jail until he could repay what he owed.
When the other servants saw what had taken place, they felt very sad. They went and told the whole story to their master. Then the master of the first servant came to him and said, 'You evil servant! You begged me, so I cancelled your whole debt. You should have given mercy to your fellow servant as I did to you!'
The master became very angry. He HANDED THE SERVANT OVER TO SOME MEN TO PUNISH HIM, UNTIL HE PAID BACK EVERYTHING HE OWED. MY HEAVENLY FATHER WILL TREAT YOU THE SAME WAY, IF EACH OF YOU DOES NOT FORGIVE HIS BROTHER FROM HIS HEART" (Matt 18:21-35).
All were slaves. One slave that was forgiven would not forgive one of his fellow-slaves. The master was angry with him, because THE MASTER HAD FORGIVEN THE UNFORGIVING SLAVE OF A GREAT DEBT. Yet the slave could not find it in his heart to love his fellow-slaves.
The Master PUNISHED HIM UNTIL HE PAID BACK ALL OF THE WRONG THAT HE HAD DONE. A picture of the coming judgment. No unbelievers mentioned here. A brother not fogiving another brother.
These believers forget the precious blood of God that was shed for them and provided forgiveness for them! They treat God's sacrifice of His Son with contempt! God will repay. Christ said to HIS DISCIPLES (believers) "if you forgive people of the things they have done wrong to you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. However, if you do not forgive people, then your Father will not forgive the wrong things which you have done." (Mat 5:14-15)
This teaching is abundant throughout the whole Bible. We can look at further proof, if you like.
Favor be with you.
Chandler
When we first repented of our sins, and First believed on the Lord, the forgiveness and cleansing was real to us. We knew that the Lord was OUR Lord, and that He died for our sins. WE WILL NEVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE SINS THAT WE COMMITTED BEFORE WE FIRST BELIEVED AND BECAME CHILDREN OF GOD. We were "Saved" from our sins by the blood of God's Lamb, which cleansed us. This is irrevocable, unchangeable, and lasts forever. It is God's gift by His love and favor. I doubt anyone who reads this will disagree.
Most of the "churches" teach this, and I rejoice in that. But there is much, much more that we need to learn than just being "saved" from our past sins. Though we are forgiven of those past sins, we need our Lord to deliver us from PRESENT SIN. We not only need forgiveness for our past sins, but also for our daily sins after we believed--after we were "born from above" by the Holy Spirit and believed on Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour.
We are not "saved" at our initial believing in the Lord, and then it is over with (as so many teach). That is just the BEGINNING of our LIFE OF SALVATION, for God intends for us to look to Him ALWAYS, ALL OF OUR LIVES FOR DELIVERANCE!
(I am going to use the word "deliverance" from now on, for it more accurately conveys the meaning of the Original in the Greek. I also use it because we have been indoctrinated with this idea that we were "saved" when we first believed on the Lord, and thus, our "salvation" is over.)
Here is the True deliverance from God:
"Brothers, I am telling you the Good News which I've already told you. You accepted it and you are still staying with it. IF YOU HOLD ON TO THE GOOD NEWS WHICH I TOLD YOU, THEN, THROUGH IT, YOU ARE BEING DELIVERED..." (1 Cor 15) You see, we need to be delivered every day, every minute, every second from the temptation, deception, and guilt of our own sin. We need to "hold on" to Christ for forgiveness and deliverance. It is not over with when we first believed. Christ is alive! He is the High Priest that intercedes for us NOW, if we trust in Him to help us. If we trust in Him to deliver us. If we think that we do not need Him to deliver us now, we deceive ourselves, and Peter says that we are "blind, and have forgotten the cleansing of our old sins".
You probably agree with all of this so far. Here is the "hard" part.
"IF we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1John). "He that covers up his transgressions shall not prosper; he that confesses and forsakes them shall find mercy". (Prov)
Let me quote this passage from Hebrews 10 again, and let it sink in. Chew on it. BELIEVE GOD, DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
Paul warned us about believers that turn away from God's present, delivering power, and live in WILLFUL SIN:
"We have received the truth; we know it. If we continue SINNING ON PURPOSE, there will be NO MORE SACRIFICES FOR SIN, only a TERRIBLE WAITING FOR JUDGMENT AND FOR THE GREAT FIRE to burn up the enemies of God. If someone did not want to obey the law of Moses, and two or three people said that this was true, then that person died without mercy. Who deserves more punishment than that? THE PERSON WHO WALKS ALL OVER THE SON OF GOD, WHO THINKS THAT THE BLOOD WHICH MADE HIM HOLY IS UNHOLY, WHO INSULTS THE LOVING SPIRIT. We know who said this:
"Revenge belongs to Me; I will pay it back." (Dt. 32.35)
Again,
"THE LORD GOD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE." (Dt. 32:36)
It is a terrible thing to fall in to the hands of the
living God".
(Heb. 10:26-31
This passage in Hebrews 10 is addressed to CHILDREN OF GOD; BELIEVERS
1.) Paul said, "if WE continue sinning on purpose..." The "WE" is Paul, you, I, and all other believers.
2.) these "willful sinning believers" treat "the BLOOD WHICH MADE THEM HOLY" as unholy.
This is a horrible thing for a child of God to do, and yet the world is full of those that do it. They continue on in sin after they are first delivered. They do not depend on God's grace and power to keep them from sin. Even if there is no outward, blatant sin in their lives, their hearts practice it. They have "secret sin" that they go on living in, not confessing nor forsaking it. Their speech gives them away, for "out of the abundance of the heart, the man speaks".
Peter says, "It would have been better for them not to have known the WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (trusting in God for help and deliverance) than to have known it, and to turn away from the HOLY COMMANDMENT (BE HOLY!) that was delivered to them. It has happened to them just like the true proverb,
'the dog turns back to its own vomit,
and the pig that was washed to rolling in the mud'." (2 Pet 2:21-22).
You see, God will judge those children that do not confess AND FORSAKE their sin. This judgment will occur at the Judgment Seat of Christ, when He comes and establishes His real, literal kingdom on earth. (More details on this later, if you wish).
Let's look at a parable that teaches how Christ will deal with sinful believers at His Return:
Parable of the "Unforgiving Slave"
"Then Peter came to Jesus and said, 'Lord, how many times must I forgive my BROTHER when he sins against me? Seven times?'
Jesus said to him, "I am not saying seven, but seven times seventy! The kingdom of heaven will be like a man who is ruling. He wanted to make His servants give an account. When the audit began, a man who owed the ruler several million dollars came to him. The man could not repay. So, the master ordered that his wife, children, and everything he owned be sold to pay the debt. The servant fell down and began bowing to him. He said, 'Be patient with me! I will pay you back everything! ' The master felt sorry for that servant. He cancelled his debt and allowed him to leave.
However, the same servant went out and found another servant who owed him three month's wages. He grabbed that servant and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay me what you owe me!' The servant fell down and began to beg him, 'Be patient with me! I will pay you back!' But he wouldn't do it. Instead, he went and threw the servant in jail until he could repay what he owed.
When the other servants saw what had taken place, they felt very sad. They went and told the whole story to their master. Then the master of the first servant came to him and said, 'You evil servant! You begged me, so I cancelled your whole debt. You should have given mercy to your fellow servant as I did to you!'
The master became very angry. He HANDED THE SERVANT OVER TO SOME MEN TO PUNISH HIM, UNTIL HE PAID BACK EVERYTHING HE OWED. MY HEAVENLY FATHER WILL TREAT YOU THE SAME WAY, IF EACH OF YOU DOES NOT FORGIVE HIS BROTHER FROM HIS HEART" (Matt 18:21-35).
All were slaves. One slave that was forgiven would not forgive one of his fellow-slaves. The master was angry with him, because THE MASTER HAD FORGIVEN THE UNFORGIVING SLAVE OF A GREAT DEBT. Yet the slave could not find it in his heart to love his fellow-slaves.
The Master PUNISHED HIM UNTIL HE PAID BACK ALL OF THE WRONG THAT HE HAD DONE. A picture of the coming judgment. No unbelievers mentioned here. A brother not fogiving another brother.
These believers forget the precious blood of God that was shed for them and provided forgiveness for them! They treat God's sacrifice of His Son with contempt! God will repay. Christ said to HIS DISCIPLES (believers) "if you forgive people of the things they have done wrong to you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. However, if you do not forgive people, then your Father will not forgive the wrong things which you have done." (Mat 5:14-15)
This teaching is abundant throughout the whole Bible. We can look at further proof, if you like.
Favor be with you.
Chandler
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