6.6 In Christ we have forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace
(Ephesians 1:7-8, NKJV)
IN HIM we have redemption through His blood, the FORGIVENESS OF SINS, according to the RICHES OF HIS GRACE…
Yesterday, we said that there is no condemnation in Christ. This is because in Christ, we have forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. How great is the magnitude of His grace? It is unlimited. Likewise, we have forgiveness to the extent of His grace.
Some people say that our past sins are forgiven when we received Christ. We limit God by saying that future sins are not forgiven. As a result, when we fall into sin, we have to punish ourselves, confess our sins, beat ourselves, do good works, or condemn ourselves - before our conscience is satisfied.
The truth is that none of our actions mentioned above have the power to satisfy our conscience. It is only by faith in His blood that our conscience can be at peace. God wants us to live life knowing that in Christ, all our sins have been forgiven – not because He wants to encourage us to sin, but because He wants to free us to live by the power of His grace alone. He wants us to focus on who we are in Him, instead of trying within our own effort to live right.
There are so many verses that I could quote to tell us about the eternal work of our Savior. Christ has offered one sacrifice for sins forever (Heb 10:12), forgiven all our trespasses (Col 2:13), and He will remember our sins no more (Heb 8:12). He has obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb 9:12), given us everlasting righteousness (Dan 9:24), and perfected forever those who are being sanctified (Heb 10:14).
In Christ, sin is no longer the issue for sin has been conquered on the cross. Religion makes sin bigger than Christ, but God wants us to know that Christ has triumphed over sin. The real issue is faith – whether we believe in the finished work of Christ, and whether we believe who we are in Christ.
Too many Christians are still struggling to get right with God in action and behavior. It is like how Paul describes the man living under law in Romans 7:19 - “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” His own efforts were noble but they resulted in failure. His solution was found only in Christ (Rom 7:25).
The irony is that the harder we try, the more likely we are to fail. Have you experienced that before? God wants us to rest in Christ. When we are conscious and secure in Christ, we start living in Him as a new creation. When we live by faith in Him, we start to experience the reality of Him living in us.
IN HIM we have redemption through His blood, the FORGIVENESS OF SINS, according to the RICHES OF HIS GRACE…
Yesterday, we said that there is no condemnation in Christ. This is because in Christ, we have forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. How great is the magnitude of His grace? It is unlimited. Likewise, we have forgiveness to the extent of His grace.
Some people say that our past sins are forgiven when we received Christ. We limit God by saying that future sins are not forgiven. As a result, when we fall into sin, we have to punish ourselves, confess our sins, beat ourselves, do good works, or condemn ourselves - before our conscience is satisfied.
The truth is that none of our actions mentioned above have the power to satisfy our conscience. It is only by faith in His blood that our conscience can be at peace. God wants us to live life knowing that in Christ, all our sins have been forgiven – not because He wants to encourage us to sin, but because He wants to free us to live by the power of His grace alone. He wants us to focus on who we are in Him, instead of trying within our own effort to live right.
There are so many verses that I could quote to tell us about the eternal work of our Savior. Christ has offered one sacrifice for sins forever (Heb 10:12), forgiven all our trespasses (Col 2:13), and He will remember our sins no more (Heb 8:12). He has obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb 9:12), given us everlasting righteousness (Dan 9:24), and perfected forever those who are being sanctified (Heb 10:14).
In Christ, sin is no longer the issue for sin has been conquered on the cross. Religion makes sin bigger than Christ, but God wants us to know that Christ has triumphed over sin. The real issue is faith – whether we believe in the finished work of Christ, and whether we believe who we are in Christ.
Too many Christians are still struggling to get right with God in action and behavior. It is like how Paul describes the man living under law in Romans 7:19 - “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” His own efforts were noble but they resulted in failure. His solution was found only in Christ (Rom 7:25).
The irony is that the harder we try, the more likely we are to fail. Have you experienced that before? God wants us to rest in Christ. When we are conscious and secure in Christ, we start living in Him as a new creation. When we live by faith in Him, we start to experience the reality of Him living in us.
posted by Joshua Lye @ 7:59 PM
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