Yes To The Truth: Forgiveness of Sins Is Not Something You Just Claim

Forgiveness of sins is not something you just claim. You need to seek it from God. It's part of the process to be reconciled to God through repentance. You receive it by faith because you cannot ask and be in doubt. And you will know also when your sins are forgiven, with unmistakable peace coming into your heart with the weight of sin being lifted from it; and you will have the joy of knowing you are no longer on God's "wrong" side, no longer under his wrath. If you truly understand the seriousness of sin, how God looks at it and the penalty that it deserves, that forgiveness you receive will be like being a criminal coming out of death row and being given the opportunity to live a different way. It's hard to maintain an ongoing relationship with sin (alongside a relationship with Jesus) with such an understanding. "I do not condemn you. Go, and sin no more" (John 8:11) should then be a word that is well understood and heeded by you, as a sinner who has received mercy instead of the condemnation deserved (e.g. 1 Timothy 1:13-16).

John 3:36
The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who disobeys the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

disobedience = unbelief
belief = obedience

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

So, you can't just put your trust in the fact that Jesus died so the sins of sinners could be forgiven in order to be forgiven yourself. He did that and provided the means for you to receive forgiveness for your own personal sins when you personally approach Him for that forgiveness and reconciliation to God.

And note that you don't go to God seeking forgiveness for sins you are premeditating to do in the future, or thinking you may possibly be open to do. That is mocking God. He forgives your past sins (Romans 3:25; 2 Peter 1:9) when you do repent, sets you free from sin (John 8:31-36) and enables you by his grace to overcome sin (Titus 2:11-14) so you don't go on sinning (Romans 6:1-2; Galatians 2:17). So, this saying that one's "past, present and future sins" are covered under Jesus' blood is just a cover-up in the circles where that lie is preached to give people false peace in the reality that their sins have not stopped after being declared "saved" and filled with the Holy Spirit. They were not brought to faith in Jesus through repentance. That is the calamity that is being masked from every side by false teaching piling upon false teaching.

Repentance then is you turning away from being disobedient and submitting yourself to be Jesus' obedient servant (if you are disobedient to Him, you are not his servant and you can't call Him your Lord).

Sin is disobedience. Hearing God's word and doing his will is what makes you obedient. And it's out of a heart that loves Him that you will obey Him (John 14:15, 1 John 5:3). So, you cannot obtain forgiveness of sins with an unrepentant (still disobedient and rebellious) heart. Your heart must be softened towards God if you are going to walk with Him in a relationship based on love. None of that happens when you just stand and claim that you are forgiven because you believe that what Jesus did on the cross is true. It's true but God requires your personal approach to Him and your personal accountability for your own sins that his light has shined on you to see.

James 4:8-10
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded. 9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

The acknowledgement of your sins before God is necessary. Then you need to be sorry if you are seeking to be reconciled to God (as much as to anyone you have hurt with your behavior). Being sorry is not something you can learn or follow like a "step" to salvation. It's either you are sorry or you are not. Either you understand how you have personally opposed God's ways and offended Him or you don't. God can't be fooled. Godly sorrow (Psalm 51:17; 2 Corinthians 7:10-11) is what will make you understand repentance as turning away from sin (offense against God) unmistakably. If you never had godly sorrow over your sins because all that you heard was a motivational message working up your emotions about what Jesus did on the cross, and nothing to convict you of your sins (make you see yourself as God sees you as a sinner who stood against Him in your ignorance), then you will remain in sin, not forgiven, and under God's wrath until you do repent as God expects it from you.

Those who want to develop methodologies to get people "saved" (according to themselves) in some uniform or ritualistic way are sure to come up with steps to lead the people away from coming to God as the Bible teaches. The approach will have to be impersonal and the message of Jesus will be diluted because of the concern to not offend anyone with God's truth. False ministers will be wanting to please men rather than to please God, being ashamed of Jesus and of his words (Mark 8:38). The truth of God's word that could let people see themselves as God sees them (James 1:21-25) will be suppressed by the wickedness of such false ministers (Romans 1:18; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15) who strengthen the hand of sinners to go on sinning.

Ezekiel 13:22-23
22 Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: 23 Therefore you shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your hand: and you shall know that I am the LORD.

There are plenty today like these prophets of Jerusalem. They gladly accept to be called "Reverend" and people do revere them and are deceived and overcome by them (2 Peter 2:28-19, not 1 John 4:4):

(( 2 Peter 2:18-19

18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

vs.

1 John 4:4

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. ))

Jeremiah 23:14-16
14 I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none does return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. 15 Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. 16 Thus says the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

Such will want to grow the number of people that are attached to themselves (e.g. Acts 20:30), rather than to grow the number of people they would lead out of sin and into God's kingdom. They will tell you to just put your trust in some facts, and you can then claim that you are "saved" and have a relationship with God. And once that supposed relationship grows (supposedly), it becomes at some point even too costly for many who receive a rebuke for believing false teachings to come humbly before God and ask for his forgiveness and his help to tear down what He had not built, and then build with Him on the solid foundation of his truth.

2 Timothy 2:19
Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows thosd who are his. And, Let every one who names the name of Christ depart from unrighteousness.

Acts 20:20-21
20 [You know] how I kept back nothing that was profitable, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, (1) repentance toward God and (2) faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 26:19-20
19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works consistent with repentance.

1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.