13 You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God's people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins. Colossians 2:13 CEV
And although you were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our transgressions, Colossians 2:13 MOUNCE
13 God took us out of a life of darkness. He has put us in the holy nation of His much-loved Son. 14 We have been bought by His blood and made free. Our sins are forgiven through Him. Colossians 1:13-14 NLV
When a discovery is made, it is often heralded and celebrated. We have begun a new series on discovering who we are and what we have in Christ. Let this be a reminder of who you already are and rediscover what it means to be in Christ.
We have seen that we are deeply loved by the Father. Our Father in Heaven looks upon us with loving kindness and mercy. He isn't looking upon us with disappointing eyes. He saw all our mistakes and still chose us.
It's like when we were young, attending school or some activity, and they were choosing teams to compete in a game or activity. Sometimes we weren't the best players, and we were the last picked. I know it may not be the best illustration if you are a star athlete; however, even the best don't get drafted by every team.
God, however, is not like man. He saw all our flaws and failures and still readily chose us. In fact, God chose us first to be on "His team". He didn't choose us last. He chose us first! That's God's Love! This Love expressed itself in Jesus' perfect work of Redemption.
Perhaps you think sure He loves us but I have sinned, or I have too much sin for Him to use me or choose me. The Good News is that Jesus paid the price. You may say, I am not a Christian, that's not for me. No, my friend, Jesus paid for all the sins of all mankind;
2 He paid for our sins with His own blood. He did not pay for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 NLV
Jesus paid it all. He has paid this sin debt in full. Now all one must do is RECEIVE the forgiveness of sins. Although the price has been paid, God won't force you to respond and receive it. He will allow you to attempt to pay for your transgressions with your own goodness. This is why people end up eternally separated; they chose their own works and goodness to save them.
Jesus has paid the price in full. In Christ, we are fully forgiven of our sins. Our sins are completely forgiven. From now to eternity, our sins are washed, cleansed, and removed from us. We are forgiven past, present, and future. There is not one sin we have committed that has not been forgiven, nor is there one we have yet to commit that God's not already forgiven.
I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus. 1 John 2:12 NLT
You may be struggling to accept that our future sins are already forgiven. This is an area where many believers struggle to accept. It seems like it is reckless, making light of poor choices or rewarding bad behavior. If this feels unsettling, it’s not because grace is reckless—it’s because grace is bigger than we were ever taught. The reality is we are making much of Jesus' Finished Work, His once-for-all sacrifice.
Let the Word of God be the final authority;
17 I will erase their sins and wicked acts out of My memory as though they had never existed. 18 When there is forgiveness such as this, there is no longer any need to make an offering for sin. Hebrews 10:17-18 Voice
God has confirmed through His Word that He has forgiven all our sins. All means all. If it were so that our future sins aren't forgiven, then what sacrifice is needed to pay for them? This is the arrogance of man and his self-righteous thinking that they can "pay" for their sins.
God gave me this beautiful illustration of total forgiveness. When I was a young man, my mother and I went to see a Veterans' Day parade. We are on the street level, looking at the parade floats as they pass by. Someone had advised that there was a better view on one of the open rooftops. From this view, we saw the entire parade.
When I was on that rooftop, I saw the parade from the first float up to the very last one. Likewise, when we come to Christ, He sees our entire life. He saw us from the first breath we took up till the very last breath we take. He saw our whole entire life and declared forgiven!
We are forgiven of all our sins. We are free from all our sins and transgressions. God is not accounting our sins against us. He has forgiven us. In Christ, we are forever forgiven. This is not something we strive to become. This is who we already are in Christ.
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