"Forgiveness"
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Forgiveness: That beautiful thing that we could never fully understand. That gift undeserved by even the most religious among men. That perfect thing, given to the imperfect, paid for in blood by One who was perfect. That gift from God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, for those that could not even begin to fathom the depth of that perfect love behind it.
Can it be yours? How can it be yours? How do we claim that which is offered from God without regret or recall to those of us whom would only repent, believe upon, and ask for it? How do we seek forgiveness? Where will we find forgiveness? Surely God left us
Church is good, but do we need to rely on a Church system for our salvation, with all the frailties of man that it holds? Or are we to go directly to our Heavenly Father with our prayers for forgiveness? Did God put us here without the answers? Will He judge us in our ignorance, when we had prayed to Him for the answers, when we had prayed to Him for the way to guide us to the true path?
Of course not, eternal life was never meant to be a mystery or a guessing game! God wrote us a letter and within it He tells us all things. He wrote it to us before we could read. He wrote it to us before we were born. He wrote it thousands of years ago through the hand of the Prophets and Apostles. That letter is the Bible, and it is written to you. You must study from it, for all your answers are contained within it.
Let's go to those scriptures for our answers, lets listen in as Jesus Christ speaks to His Father, Almighty God, and then listen to the words of comfort and promise that Jesus speaks to us whom He died for:
Matt 11:25-30 (Christ's words in BOLD)
25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
26 Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.
27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (KJV)
The key to it all is in verse 29 above: "and learn of me". You must learn of the things that God has provided for you. He wrote you a letter; did you know that? It is called The Bible; have you read it? Do you study from it, and pray that He will open up your understanding of it? Do you believe the promises that it contains about forgiveness and salvation? You will believe Almighty God won't you?
Or could it be that you are someone who doesn't believe that you are worthy of His love? God's love which in-and-of itself is more than powerful enough to pardon every sin you have or will ever have committed, it is a perfect love that we will never fully understand. And through Jesus Christ we are made worthy upon repentance. God knew that on our own we could never have been worthy, that's why He sent us Jesus, so that whosoever will believe upon Him shall have everlasting life. [Jn 3:16]:
John 3:16-18
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (KJV)
Or perhaps maybe even worse yet; are you like the so many who seem lost in the watered down churches, Synagogues, and Temples of today? Are you one of them that would learn of God and salvation from those that teach it not from the true Word of God, The Bible, but rather from the "traditions of men" that make void the very Word of God? You've seen them, they say they are men of God, they look like men of God, they dress like men of God, but they teach from books other than the true Word of God. They teach from books other than the Bible, books that are of dubious origin, books that contradict the Bible; and are simply the imaginations of deluded self appointed prophets.
God, who is all knowing, foresaw that many false teachers would come in the end times, and Jesus warned us of them. Jesus also told us how we could identify them, and what would become of them and those who participate in their heresies:
Matt 7:15-23 (Jesus speaking)
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (KJV)
Those in this world who have become complacent "Believers," letting other men work out their salvation for them, are basically telling God that they don't have time in their all important lives for him. They just punch the time clock at the local Worship House once a week, for an hour or so, and blindly buy into everything the man standing at the pulpit tells them. But how do you know if he's right? What if he's wrong? What if you've been misled, either by his ignorance of God's true Word, or by evil intent?
Do you think that any man will stand between you and Almighty God on that great and final day of judgment? And when the books are opened and you find yourself falling short, do you think that God is going to be receptive to your pleas of: "Well, that's what some man told me down at the local church?" When God had given you an able mind and wrote down for you everything he wanted you to know!
I can not answer that, only God knows what your fate will be. I would never presume to judge anyone, but it is my intent rather to drive you into studying the Bible, so that you can have the necessary reliable information available to you, directly from the Word of God, to make your choices. Your choice will be made by you, you will have made a choice either by your action or your inaction. And you are the one whom will have to either live or die by your choice eternally. There is only one way to forgiveness and eternal life:
John 14:6-7 (Jesus speaking)
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. (KJV)
Do not think that I am against church, quite the contrary, there are good Bible teaching churches, staffed by sincere and competent men and women of God, and God bless each and every one of them. And you should attend and support them, but you should supplement your Church services with in-depth Bible study, otherwise how will you know if you are in a good Bible teaching church, as opposed to some "worship house" that would teach you from the traditions of man that have been handed down for centuries by God knows who, the origin of such being unknown, and which make void the true Word of God. And if your not Worshiping the True God and learning His True Word, then who do you think you are learning from and worshiping? HINT: God only has one enemy.
It would be impossible to teach the true Word of God about forgiveness without out first dispelling the false teachings and half-truths that this generation was nursed on.
It is our intention here, to teach the true word of God about forgiveness, directly from the Bible, so that you can read along with me and document what I am stating. And if one is to endeavor to teach God's true Word amongst the sometimes blasphemous traditions of men, one must first expose through the Word of God; the half-truths and traditions of men that have fueled the facade that has become twentieth century "spirituality."
Man: He has from the very beginning attempted to take God and Jesus out of salvation. God; through Moses, led the people out of 400 years of bondage to the Egyptians, and while Moses was gone a short time on the mountain receiving God's law, those very people who witnessed the parting of the Red Sea, and the bread (Manna) and quail fall from heaven to sustain them, built a golden calf and created false gods to worship.
NOTE: For an enlightening personal study read the entire 32nd chapter of Exodus, and apply it to some of the things you see going on in the religious community today in the Churches, Synagogues, and Temples.
That was how man treated Almighty God. Jesus? well him they murdered! Oh The arrogance of man to even conceive of such a notion as to omit God and Jesus from the plan, much less believe it. And then in a step of furtherance, teach it to God's children who believe that they are learning the truth. On that great and final day of judgment, God will begin judging at the pulpit, that is to say that he will judge firstly and harshly those that claim to teach His true Word, but who instead pervert God's Word with traditions of men, and twist it to serve their own benefit.
In this study we won't bother to cover all the Heathen religions who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah, only begotten Son of God, Savior; those who study and worship out of books authored ultimately by God's enemy. They would not listen to a Christian anyway, in fact in many parts of the world they murder Christians simply because of their belief in Jesus Christ These are true martyrs, and God bless every one of them. In this great free country we take for granted our freedom of religion!
Now I must document my statement that all the religions that do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God, and Savior to the world, are nothing more that heathen religions. Below Jesus is speaking to exactly that type of heathen congregation. And don't think it only applies to the Jews, they have much company in the upside down world of Twentieth Century religion. Out of a sense of responsibility I must make mention of one thing about the Jews. When the Bible speaks of the "Jews" you must understand that it is only talking about a small portion of the Israelite people. The "Jews" are only a portion of the tribe of Judah, and Judah was only one of twelve tribes of Israel. Many nut cases read into the Bible that all Israelite people took part in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and that God is against all peoples of Israeli blood. This difference between the Israelite, those who are of the tribe of Judah, and the Jews; is covered in a deeper manner in the Faith and Belief In-depth Bible Study.
John 8:28-47 (Jesus speaking)
28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
30 As he spake these words, many believed on him.
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.
40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
46 Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
47 He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. (KJV)
You see, there is a plan, there is a battle, a spiritual battle between God and satan, a battle that has been playing out since the beginning of time. And satan will do anything that he can to deceive and win over God's children, including birthing and nursing new "religions".
Moslems, Jews, Buddhists... have been duped into believing that Jesus Christ is not the Messiah, Son of God; Savior. Therefore, because of their unbelief, they do not receive the sin-forgiving, washing of the blood of the Crucifixion. They become ineligible for the salvation that only Jesus Christ can give:
John 10:23-31 (Crist's words in Bold)
23 And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
30 I and my Father are one.
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. (KJV)
Now you know why the heathen unbelievers of the world seek to murder Christians, the dying always resent the living. What baffles me though; although they feel that Jesus isn't real, but they believe in God, then how can they with good conscience, murder Christians simply because they don't believe in the same things that they do? And if their reason for this , is that they feel they are doing God's will, then they must feel that their god can't kill them by himself! Who is their god anyway, that approves of murder? satan has them right where he wants them!
So I will keep my further comments to how satan will deceive the Christian. Yes, he even has a plan to take them away from God too, and it is a formidable one. But you cannot be taken away from Our Heavenly Father if you know the truth and the true way to everlasting life:
John 14:1-7 (Christ's words in BOLD)
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. (KJV)
I suppose that in this topsy-turvy world, it somehow became easier for some teachers/preachers to just go with the flow and not rock the boat. It became easier for them to just teach what they have been told to teach, whether or not it's the truth, and just spiritually stumble around babbling: "Praise God," while slowly choking out any semblance of God's truth; and in a perversion strait from hell they teach the lies that have been handed down man to man from God knows where. A prime example is that of the rapture theory. Many believe that Jesus is going to come down and take the "good" rapture believers and leave the rest of the Christians to suffer hell on earth! Where on earth did they get that? I'll tell you something they don't want you to know: The rapture theory was born in the year A.D. 1830, by a sick 15 year old girl in Scotland, named Margaret Macdonald.
She had this "vision" of this rapturing of the church and told it to two preachers, they molded it, packaged it, and sold it to the world. It has spread like wildfire ever since. It has been stated that 50% of the Christian Churches believe in some variation of a rapture theory. This is why you see in the In-depth Bible Study series that we stress being careful where you receive your Bible instruction from. There are many many false teachers out there, and you might study under one of them for two months before they start springing all their bizarre theories on you. That is also why I stress checking out in your Bible, myself or anyone else that you might study with. If they are a true teacher of God's Word they will not be offended, if anything it will keep them on their toes! A real good guide to follow is if you are learning more than just salvation from them, and they study the Bible chapter by chapter, and verse by verse and they don't conflict with God's Word, then that's a good start.
Back to the rapture theory: What they who teach any one of the multitudes of rapture theories always seem to conveniently leave out is that Margaret Macdonald admitted That at the time she received it, the vision felt cold and satanic.
And it is satanic at it's base, however it is packaged as being legitimate. The Bible declares that satan will come first claiming to be the Savior Jesus Christ; and the Biblically illiterate Christians of today that are waiting for a "rapture," or a "catching away," or a "gathering back to Christ in the sky," or a "flying to the Lord,"... will not know any better than to worship satan, believing him to be the True Christ! They will be worshiping the anti-Christ, God's archenemy. We have covered the rapture theory in many of the In-Depth Bible Studies and have documented through the Bible that the rapture theory is a lie. And we have exposed the rapture theory for what it is, a lie strait from satan's camp! Although most of those that follow the rapture theory do it in ignorance, they only study certain verse in their Bible that the rapture doctors have managed to pull obscenely out of context. You see, they have bought into the deception and are simply deceived, but the teachers themselves of the rapture doctrine ???
I'm not trying to scare anybody, but just be careful, don't stray from the written Word! There is a spiritual war going on for your soul, and satan knows that sometimes he can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. And always pray to God for the true wisdom of His Word, and for His guidance and protection in all your ways.
Now, I have most certainly digressed from our study on forgiveness, but it is absolutely necessary that we begin to build on a solid foundation, or we can never hope to understand and overcome. Beloved, it is imperative that you check out me and any other person that would presume to bring the Word of God to you! You do that by looking in your Bible to document what someone is teaching you, and if they are trying to teach you something that goes against what the Bible says, then it's time to find a new teacher. No man is perfect, we all make mistakes, but I am talking about someone who would tell you things that are contrary to the core and foundation of what God tells you in the Bible.
If you are still with me, I feel that this study will be a blessing to you from On High; that is to say, from the One who simply spoke, and nothing became everything.
Let us begin this study by asking for wisdom and understanding from our Heavenly Father, in that our understanding would be opened to his True Word. And we can have faith that God will help us to understand because as Jesus said:
Matt 7:7-8 (Christ's words in BOLD)
7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (KJV).
Beloved, there is no ambiguity there! Jesus is telling you that the way to forgiveness, salvation, and all the promises of God, is to seek them directly from him. He will not let you down, he will answer you, that's a promise from the Lord directly to you. Do you not believe him?
I would like to share a story of a young woman's recent experience. I think it offers an excellent example to each of us and if we dare to be honest we may even see a little of ourselves in her.
She wasn't what you could call a "practicing" Christian, but she learned of the Lord when she was younger, and as she grew up her family attended Church on an infrequent basis, mostly on the holidays.
She had been having a lot of personal problems lately, and had made some terrible decisions. She was doing a lot of things that she wished that she could just forget about, things that left her feeling sad, empty, and alone. She was dealing with a lot of guilt, not only for what she was doing to herself, but also for the way she was hurting those who loved her. And deep down inside she felt that with all that she had done maybe she did kind of deserve to feel so depressed, lost, and alone.
Then one morning a strange thing happened. She was walking down the street, and as she passed a small neighborhood Church, it struck her as odd that the doors were open, because she could never remember that Church being open. Intrigued, she walked in and observed that a Mass had just begun, so she sat down in a pew way in the back and meekly listened to the services
It made her feel warm inside to be so close to the Lord, a feeling of safety, if even only from herself. For deep down in her heart she had always believed in Jesus but she just never seemed to find the time to learn more about Him and our Heavenly Fathers plan.
As she was comforted by the services her mind began to race, what had brought her here? Could this be a message from God? Had He really heard her tearful cries for help that came out every night muffled by the alcohol and drugs? She wasn't sure, but one thing she was sure of was that she hadn't felt this unburdened since her life deteriorated into the empty shell that it had now become, and she felt it in the very bottom of her heart that Jesus was all around her. Such a warm feeling it was.
As the mass continued she listened intently and even joined in a song that the parishioners were singing. Oh how she felt that she belonged there, for the first time in a long time she new where she belonged. As the mass progressed, everyone rose up into the isles to receive communion, she also got into the line like she had done so often in the past with her family as a youth.
As the line slowly shuffled forward she listened to the organ music and pondered what all this could mean, was there really hope even for her? Had she finally found the comfort that she had been for so long searching?
Being a small church, one of the clergy noticed that she was a new face and he greeted her as she stood in line. They talked as the line move on and everything was going well, she felt somehow more strong inside, more complete, and she even felt kind of special to have the sole attention of one of the clergy.
He seemed like a gentle kind man and she answered his queries about her name, parish, and religious background. When asked of when she had last been to confession, she told him honestly that she could not remember because it had been so very long ago.
She really always had meant to make things right, but life just seemed to keep getting in the way. Time flies, weeks turn into months, and months into years she thought to herself while slowly growing within her was the possibility that it wasn't too late for her. She allowed herself
Just for an instant to dream of all the things that were so important to her but that she had thrown away any hope of having. Might she yet have them some day?
Then do you know what this man did?! This man, this Priest told her that she could not receive communion until after she had been to confession. She was devastated to learn that she would have to wait till next week to make her confession and then next week she could receive communion. Another week that will turn into a month, that will turn into a year....
It had all seemed so right, so beautiful, so Divinely orchestrated; and then "poof" it was gone, gone as though it had never existed. I knew it! she said within herself as the doubt and insecurity flooded back into her mind drowning any hope that had so quickly began to sprout.
She was embarrassed, all the feelings of guilt that had left her returned. She feel dirty and alone again. She left.
Oh beloved, how have only she had known the truth about salvation and forgiveness. If only that Priest had instructed her to sit down in a pew and silently pray to God to forgive her of her sins in the precious saving name of Jesus Christ, and then believe it, get back in line, and receive communion and all the promises that Christ had paid so dearly for.
But you see, it wasn't forgiveness day in that church, that was only on Saturdays, apparently God forgot to check with this man when He opened his loving arms to this lost sheep. This priest, this man took it upon himself to close a door, a door that Almighty God himself had opened, a door that Jesus Christ in his love had allowed himself to be tortured and murdered to make open to all that would seek it!
I can't help but wonder how long it will take this woman to return to the Lord for that safe harbor, when she is finally so mentally and spiritually, broken and battered that she is driven to Christianity again and all of the promises that it holds. I pray that when she is again drawn to the Most High that she does not return to this house of ill repute! I do not judge this man, we will leave that up to God, but I do not think I could ever deny the Lords supper to anyone that would seek it! What could it have hurt to allow her to receive the Body of Christ even though she was yet with sin? Did this priest forget that it was only bread and wine until Jesus said:
Matt 26:26-29 (Christ's words in BOLD)
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. (KJV)
Did I miss something? did Jesus say: "After you make a confession to some man, then; take, eat; this is my body...?" Of course not, this is just another tradition of men that as we can see from our story above, makes the word of God void. You can see the danger of false teachings and traditions of men. Don't worry, God is so very fair that he counts our good intentions as deeds done even though we may fall short. There is no doubt in my mind that this woman did receive Christ that day, and that He will find that which was lost!
God had invited this woman to the Lords supper knowing she was a sinner, that is the reason why he invited her in the first place, for as Jesus said:
Mark 2:15-22 (Christ's words in BOLD)
15 And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.
16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. (KJV)
Beloved, man does not forgive sin, he cannot. He may guide and lead an unlearned person to Christ, but only through Christ comes the forgiving. He paid an awesome price for that right, in fact it was the plan of God from the very beginning. We are going to read from the book of Hebrews in the New Testament but the quotes (in bold italic type) are from the Old Testament book of Psalms [Psalms 40:6-7], written a thousand years before Christ was to be born; prophesying Jesus Christ and the new covenant (new testament) that were to come, wherein all could come into forgiveness by the blood of the True Lamb The Messiah Jesus The Christ.
Heb 10:5-20 (The verses in Bold italics type are quoted from Psalm 40:6-7)
5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
8 Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
9 Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
15 Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; (KJV)
In verse 9 above, the "first" that he taketh away, and the "second" that he would establish, are the first covenant (Old Testament) of animal sacrifice for sin, and the second covenant (New Testament), which is the blood of Christ, for a once and all time sacrifice for sin to all those who would claim it.
Jesus tells us in the book of John that they way to forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life is through Him [Jn 6:51] & [Jn 6:35]. And through Jesus, we can be confident that God will forgive all our sins and that we can atain life eternal:
John 6:51 (Christ speaking)
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (KJV)___________________
And again:
John 6:35-40 (Christ speaking)
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (KJV)*Note: For deeper study: the "I AM" in the above two verses, at the beginning of Christ's words, is the sacred name as spoken by God in Exodus [3:14]. In using this name, Jesus is declaring that He is part of the Godhead; The Holy Trinity. "I AM" is "EHYEH" in the Hebrew language, and it is the name that Almighty God, gave of Himself when Moses asked.
We as Christians feel bad when we sin, we are ashamed, and rightly so, but we know that through faith in Jesus Christ we can be cleansed of those sins. We know that as long as we are in these flesh bodies; no matter how hard we try, we are going to commit sin:
Rom 3:23-25
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God (KJV)Remission: Greek word # 3929: par'-es-is ; a passing over, a letting pass, a neglecting, a disregarding.
Beloved, it really is quite simple to find forgiveness with the Lord, it's free to us but Jesus paid a mighty and dear price for it. When you sin, just pray to God to forgive you in the precious name of Jesus Christ and then believe it and don't dwell on it, forgive yourself of it, for God already has! Go on with your life and try not to do it again.
That's it! That's the big mystery; none of us really deserve it, none of us could ever earn it. But you see, Jesus earned it for us, he paid for our transgressions so that we do not have to.
1 Pet 2:24 (Speaking of Christ's crucifixion and our salvation)
24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (KJV)
However, do not think that you can con God by flippantly committing sin and then asking for forgiveness! You go ahead and try to abuse the blood of Christ, and I guarantee you that God will take your life and turn it upside down!
He can read your mind you know, and if you are having a problem with a repetitive sin such as an addiction . . . Ask forgiveness yes !!! But also ask God to strengthen you in that area of your life He will! You really have no idea of the awesome power you invoke, when you ask God for forgiveness in Jesus Christ's precious name, believe in it, and ask for His strength to overcome in the future. Forgiveness is there waiting for you and it's price is belief. All you have to do is believe. Christ paid the price on the cross for all those that believe upon Him!
And if you are struggling with a repetitive sin, addiction, temptation, or a worrisome problem; don't let it destroy you, God will see you through it, cheer up, stand up, and be strong because God only expects you to do as much as you can and then He will take over the rest. I know that at times that may be a lot easier to say than it is to do. But at least when things are at their worst you know there's only one way to go, and that is up and over.
Remember the other bad times in your life? You always made it out didn't you? I mean you're here right? And weren't you never so lost as you were at the moment just before you were found? With Christ in your life you can turn the corner on a problem or situation in an instant! And besides all that, you can find comfort in the fact that God will never let you go through anymore than you can handle. And believe me, He is always watching!:
1 Cor 10:13
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (KJV)
There is another component to forgiveness, you must also forgive others. You don't have to forgive them to their face unless they ask, you just have to forgive them to God in your prayers. You tell God once that you forgive them, then you can forget about them, you don't have to "pal around" with them.
Sometimes it is difficult for us to do this, God understands, and if they have really done something bad to you, God will judge them for that. If it's a crime, then you prosecute them in a court of law. Christians are not door mats, and forgiving a persons trespass against you privately in prayer to God is the extent of your obligation. If they are no good then stay away from them. Jesus teaches us best on this in the parable in [Mt 18:21-35], for the sake of time we will not read all these verses, but they contain a wealth of knowledge on the subject. I will however, supply the last four verses for the meat of the topic, I recommend reading the whole parable on your own:
Matt 18:32-35 (Christ speaking)
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (KJV)
That was your documentation that you are to also forgive others. Your documentation that God doesn't expect you to "hang around" with someone who keeps using and abusing you is in 2nd Thessalonians; lets learn as the Apostle Paul declares the command of Jesus Christ Himself on this matter:
II Th 3:6-16
6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
8 Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:
9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.
10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
15 Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
16 Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. (KJV)
So beloved, in closing, God is so all fair and all loving, he wants you to repent, he is not sitting up there in heaven just waiting to "zap" some poor soul to hell. If he had wanted that he would not have sent us Jesus!
So you go ahead now and take stock, go somewhere that you can be alone and talk to God. Tell Him how you feel, those are the kind of prayers that please God the most. He is your Father, your Heavenly Father; talk to Him like one. God is not some cold unfeeling force out there in space. He cares about you and He wants you to love Him. And you go ahead and ask Him for forgiveness, always in the name of Jesus Christ, then you believe his promises because God always comes through on His word:
Titus 1:2
2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began (KJV)
And after you've repented once, God does not want to hear about that particular incident of sin ever again, because He remembers it no more, it is blotted out as though it had never happened. The slate has been wiped clean, and by the Grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ you start over again fresh and clean as a newborn baby:
Heb 10:16-19
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus (KJV)
God's memory is perfect; and when He say's above in verse 17: "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more," that doesn't mean that God had a memory lapse, it means that in God's eyes the repented sin never happened, it is blotted out as though it had never happened! The slate has been wiped clean, and by the Grace of God and the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ you start over again fresh and clean as a newborn baby. For God foreknew that if He didn't do it that way, none of us would overcome and inherit everlasting life.
And no, we are not guilty of any sin at our birth! This false teaching comes from ignorance of God's Word. When it is written that we are "born into sin," it means that we are born in this earth age into flesh bodies that are predisposed to sin. Flesh bodies are weak and susceptible to the temptation of carnal desires. It does not mean that we are guilty of some kind of sin simply by being born! It is amazing and at the same time sad that Clergy who should know better teach people this.
And it is a fact that up till the age of accountability we are immune from any guilt in our Heavenly Fathers eyes. This is why babies who were stillborn or aborted, or children who die before they are mentally mature enough to choose God, Jesus, Faith, and salvation; go immediately back to the Father (God) who gave them. Imagine the horrible guilt and grief that it puts on a woman; when some Biblically illiterate so-called "preacher" tells her that because she aborted her baby or that because it was stillborn that it's soul goes to hell or that IMAGINARY place some call purgatory!
Naturally, those who are mentally handicapped are treated the same way as a child by our Heavenly Father. Here's a good rule of thumb: Our Father is so very fair and if someone tries to teach you something about Him that makes God out to be unfair to anyone, then tune that false teacher/preacher out, he isn't speaking for God! But he will answer to Him someday. And is it not interesting that the same false teachers/preachers that tell you that a stillborn or aborted babies soul goes to purgatory, are the same ones who offer to pray to God for you that that soul is forgiven and sent to Heaven - for a hefty church donation of course. Shame on them! This they shall answer for.
Back to our subject, when you continue to pray forgiveness for the exact same sin over and over again, basically what you are saying to God is that you did not believe it the first time he forgave it. Christ's blood is able beloved. God said that if you did it this way that you would be forgiven. And if God forgave you then why won't you forgive yourself? It's Ok to remember the sin because that will help you not to commit it again. But when you do things God's way and turn to Him for help you actually find yourself sinning a little less over time, but remember that while we are in these flesh bodies we are going to sin. Our goal is to improve because we could never perfect.
When Jesus was asked, how many times should forgiveness be given, he answered 7 times 70, that is 490 in one day, surely your not that bad. And that was how many times Jesus told us to forgive our brother, imagine how many times more the Lord in his perfect supernatural love, will forgive you!
Matt 18:21-22 (Christ's words in BOLD)
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. (KJV)
And if you still can't seem to shake the guilt out of your mind then take an example from one of the heros of God's word and examine his beginnings: Apostle Paul, what a great man! So blessed by the Lord, he wrote most of the New Testament. But do you remember his beginnings when he was still named Saul [Acts 13:9] before it was changed to Paul. How that he carried papers on him empowering him to seize all Christians and deliver them to persecution [Acts 9:1& 2 ]. Many of them were murdered, fed to the lions. Yes Paul did that terrible thing and was forgiven by God. God turned Paul's life around in an instant! God will do that for you as well. Paul would go on later to write of himself; in the 1st Epistle to Timothy:
1 Tim 1:12-15 (Apostle Paul speaking)
12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (KJV)
Below is a segment from the When a Christian Takes A life In-depth Bible Study, and I feel it bears repeating in this study. For there are many among us who have been spiritually placed in bondage , this bondage can only come from the devil. True Christianity frees, it does not enslave!:
" This Bible study would be remiss, if we did not cover an area that has caused many women distress. Many women in this generation, when they were younger perhaps, were put into a devastating position. They became pregnant and found themselves very much alone. They were afraid, they felt as though they had nowhere to turn, so they chose a option that made the problem go away. They chose to have an abortion.
And it is a shame that they were made to feel as though they were alone in trouble, that they alone bore responsibility for this awesome situation/decision. It takes two to make a child and believe me; two will answer for the outcome. Many men feel that they are not responsible because it was "not their body," they think that they waltz away "footloose and fancy free", this however is not the case.
But God is a loving God, an understanding God. He is what is known as a "Heart Knower". That means that He can see into the depths of your soul, He knows your innermost thoughts, your intentions, and the level of your knowledge and understanding at the time that you committed a certain sin. In other words, He acknowledges that some sins were done in a certain degree of ignorance. Many, through ignorance of God's Word, do things that they don't fully understand the awesome significance of. While common sense tells them that what they are doing is unnatural, they do not realize that it is of the magnitude that it truly is.
Has a women who has had an abortion, murdered, or has she killed in ignorance? Has a man who causes an accident that takes a life, murdered, or has he killed involuntarily? What if he was intoxicated at the time of that accident, then is he a murderer, or did he kill because he irresponsibly put himself into the position of not being able to react quickly enough or fall asleep at the wheel? Am I saying that abortion and vehicular manslaughter are OK? God forbid, of course not. But God does looks at intent, will God judge a frightened woman or an irresponsible man the same way that a murder for hire "hit-man" will be judged?
Beloved, man can not pass judgment, man is not to try to do God's judging for Him. So as we always should do, lets go to God's Word for our answers. Everything in the Bible happened for a reason, so that we could have wisdom and instruction to draw from in our own lives today.
The answer to the problems that cause people so very much distress, have been sitting on their shelves in their Bibles all along! I wonder how many people are found laying dead on the floor with a self inflicted gunshot wound, laying in the shadow of the source of the true relief that they really sought after, as it remains closed and unread on their bookshelf, that relief and comfort being the Bible." (End of excerpt)
It is God's will that all come to repentance, He will help you, trust in him and do not hinder him. It is not God's will that any of us perish in hell, but that we all come to repentance and thus salvation. Observe the parable of the lost sheep below, in it Christ is the Shepherd and we are the sheep, and at one time perhaps we were all that lost sheep:
Matt 18:11-14 (Christ speaking)
11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. (KJV)
As stated in the prior study, God is what is known as a "Heart Knower," this means that He can and does look into your soul and He knows what your intentions, mental condition, and level of knowledge that you have at the time of your committing a certain sin and He bases your level of accountability on that. But notwithstanding, He can and does forgive all sin to those that ask Him of it in the name of Jesus Christ!:
Acts 15:8-11
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. (KJV)
And remember that when God and Jesus speak through the written Word, The Bible, it is automatically a promise!!! God bless you always, in the name of our Savior; Jesus The Christ.
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