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Do You Really Believe You Are Completely Forgiven?


I would have to say that one of the most pivotal and life transforming moments in our lives was the moment my husband and I came into an understanding that our complete forgiveness for all of our sins – past, present and future sins – was made possible for us by Jesus Christ alone through His finished work on the cross and that this was a reality in our lives because of our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

It was actually a reality all the years we had been Christians, but we were not living in the victory of this Biblical truth because we didn’t know.

Several years ago I signed up to receive a daily email encouragement called Mediate & Believe Right from Joseph Prince Ministries that I really like.

Last year I sought permission from Joseph Prince Ministries to post one of Pastor Prince’s email encouragements on my website once in a while. They said yes!!

As I was having my devotional time this morning I felt led to share this one with you. I know it will encourage you! After you read it, read my comments below where I share with you how this revelation of complete forgiveness through Jesus Christ has radically changed our relationship with God.

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Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

TOTAL AND COMPLETE FORGIVENESS 

“People have said to me, “Pastor Prince, I was taught that only my past sins—from the day I was born until the day I became a Christian—have been forgiven, and that my future sins are not forgiven until I confess them and seek forgiveness.”

My friend, when Jesus died on the cross, how many of your sins were future?

Unless you are more than 2,000 years old, all your sins were future then! Jesus took them all upon Himself, nailed them to the cross and declared, “It is finished!” So if you are not forgiven of all, then you are not forgiven at all.

“You mean Jesus also died for the sin that I have just committed?”

Yes!

“And also for the sins which I will commit?”

Yes! That is why He said, “It is finished!”

But many of us are inconsistent in our believing. One part of us says, “God has forgiven me of all my sins.” But another part says, “Yes, but I must still confess my sins to be forgiven of them.” Are you like that?

Beloved, you are forgiven not because of your work of confession. Your confession cannot wash away your sins. You are forgiven because of the blood of Jesus shed for you. His blood alone cleanses you.

You cannot believe that you are forgiven of your past, present and future sins, and still think that there is something for you to do to make that forgiveness complete. If you do, then it becomes your work too, not Jesus’ alone.

Is there a place for confession of sins? My friend, if you have just sinned, you can always tell God about it without feeling condemned because you know that you already have forgiveness and that Jesus was condemned in your place. But you don’t confess your sins to God in order to be forgiven. You already have total and complete forgiveness because of the blood of Jesus!”

Joseph Prince

To receive Joseph Prince’s Meditate & Believe Right devotionals delivered daily to your email, just subscribe here: https://www.josephprince.com/meditate

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My comments:

This truth of our complete forgiveness as a result of Jesus’ finished work has so radically changed mine and my husband’s relationship with God that it is unbelievable!

We are so close to Jesus now and feel we get closer to Him everyday as we continue to meditate on the truth of what He has provided for us through His finished work on the cross.

God’s grace really is amazing. He provided for us what we were not able to provide for ourselves.

There is no price left to pay to earn forgiveness. As believers in Jesus, we are redeemed!

Once we learn to live under the waterfall of God’s grace – including the forgiveness of all of our sins (past, present and future sins) – living under this grace waterfall will naturally lead us to also live a lifestyle of repentance.

See here:

Romans 2:4 reminds us that it’s God’s goodness that leads us to repentance.

Steve and I lived our Christian life backwards for years and as a result we lived in so much fear.

But I’m happy to say we’ve learned to receive God’s grace even when we don’t feel like we have behaved well enough to earn it. In fact, we know now that we would never be able to earn what God has chosen to freely give us. This is so humbling in the best kind of way and makes us so very grateful for Jesus.

Sometimes Christians are afraid that if other Christians realize they are completely forgiven for all of their sins this will make them lazy in their Christian walk and cause them to use this wonderful Biblical truth as a license to sin.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Of course there will always be some people who take the truths of God’s Word and twist them to live a lifestyle of sin, but Steve and I believe these people do not understand God’s true grace.

For my husband and I, the truth about God’s grace and our complete forgiveness through Jesus has literally caused our spiritual lives to take off like a rocket. And this has continued for nearly four years.

I’m telling you the truth, we used to be so sin-conscious and self-conscious and now we are so very Jesus-conscious!

JESUS – the one who freed us from both sin and self!

Does this mean we are never selfish and we never sin. No way.

But what we have found to be true is that the more we keep our eyes locked on Jesus and the fact that He did it all for us, the more free we become from both sin and self.

HE finished the work. HE purchased our redemption. By the shedding of HIS innocent blood we are completely forgiven.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says,

“1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” (NLT)

The truth is, before I understood my complete forgiveness in Christ as a revelation I used to have a very hard time admitting when I sinned. Now it doesn’t bother me at all to admit when I have sinned. In fact, I live a lifestyle of repentance by God’s grace.

I’m totally fine with confessing my sin now that I’m not using my confession as a “work” to obtain forgiveness. I actually enjoy being open and honest with my heavenly Father about where I’m at and what I’m struggling with, knowing that His love for me is unconditional. And I love receiving His gift of forgiveness and showing Him gratitude for everything He has provided for me by being willing to give up His only begotten Son to pay the price that I could have never paid and finish the work that I could have never finished!

You see my friends, it’s so very important that we start from the right starting place as we live out our Christian lives. If we don’t, then we get all mixed-up in trying to do something that has already been done or pay for something that has already been paid for instead of simply receiving God’s wonderful gift of grace – Jesus – and allowing Him to live His life through us.

In Christ, by Christ, through Christ alone!

There is simply no other way!

If you have not yet made Jesus your Savior and received the wonderful joy that His finished work on the cross has provided for you to live in, please visit my page here titled Jesus In The Driver’s Seat. On this page I explain the good news of the gospel and you will have the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation, making Jesus your Savior! Jesus loves you and His arms are wide open!

Sandra McCollom

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