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GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

852. Escaping From a Consciousness of Sins

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This week, church pastors around the world will be providing sermons about sin, sinning less, seeking more forgiveness because of new sins, and perhaps erroneously declaring how sin is separating you from God. Avoiding sinful behavior is good advice, but there is more to the story. The letter to the Hebrews reveals how the blood of Jesus put sin away once for all. Although all people would continue to fall short of the perfect and holy standard that the law of commandments required, the cross dealt with sin in such a way that Jesus and the Father would not have to deal with it ever again.

If forgiveness from God is still needed for new sins committed, more blood would also have to be spilled. Jesus would not be required to keep offering Himself repeatedly for the forgiveness of sins because the cross would finish the need for more blood being shed. He paid for an eternal redemption—redeeming the Jews from a ministry of death and condemnation—and opening the door for Gentiles to also partake of a New Covenant. The old, obsolete law of works with ongoing sacrifices brought a reminder of sins and left people trapped within a sin consciousness which Jesus came to deliver people from.


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853. The Will of God: The Sacrifice of Jesus

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Isn’t it interesting how God never desired burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin which were offered according to the law inside of the first (old) covenant? All of that work, toil, effort and slaughter … and God took no pleasure in any of it.

On the flip side, we discover the ultimate will of God was the sacrifice of Jesus, who came to earth to do this will of God—and it was by this will that He would completely wipe out the first covenant to establish a new and different covenant for the forgiveness, the salvation, and the sanctification of His creation.
 


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845. Jesus Put Away Sin Once for All

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The book of Hebrews explains how Jesus put sin away by the sacrifice of Himself. He accomplished something the blood of animals could never do in the first covenant and even before that—sins were taken away, once for all. Let’s think this through. When did this happen? And prior to the cross, how many sins had you committed? Did Jesus only remove the sins of the world up to the moment He died? If so, Hebrews 9 explains that this would mean He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world. Jesus isn’t shedding any more blood, and this is great news for us.



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844. A Covenant of Guaranteed Forgiveness

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After His resurrection, Jesus—from the tribe of Judah—became our High Priest. This resulted in a change of law (a removal)—bringing the stone tablet ministry to an end, having been replaced by something better. Where forgiveness was constantly repeated under the old way of animal sacrifices … the new way brought the surety or guarantee of sins being taken away and remembered no more … as long as Jesus lives (forever).


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820. “How Can I Know That God Has Forgiven Me?”

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Imagine realizing that God isn’t angry with you, is not disappointed with you, is not counting sins against you, and loves you perfectly and unconditionally. Finally, peace and rest, without fear of wondering if you’re okay with God or that God is okay with you. And then it happens. Religious, legalistic, and yes, even Bible-verse-quoting folks from the land of self-righteousness invade your territory, seeking to take away the seeds of grace God planted within you.

They’ll come up with all kinds of different ways to convince you (from the Bible!) that you’ll need to repeatedly keep seeking more forgiveness from God. They somehow think there are methods and formulas which are more effective than the blood of Jesus—which was shed one time. It’s time to stop and ask ourselves a question … why do you think Jesus’ blood only needed to be shed once, and not over and over again?



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808. The 800 Club: Looking Back – The Book of Hebrews – New Covenant Explained

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One of the books in the New Testament that is often misunderstood is the letter to the Hebrews. A while back, we spent many weeks doing an entire series sifting through the chapters and addressing some misinterpreted “verses” that are sometimes used to scare people, leaving them in a place of fear which God never intends for His children. The letter to the Hebrews was written to address the Jewish community as they were trying to sort out the massive change of going from a covenant of stone tablets and animal sacrifices to something completely different regarding the ministry of the Spirit and the one sacrifice of Christ that brought that old way to an end. It is easy for us to underestimate the change of mind that they were transitioning into.

Some will say the book of Hebrews was meant only for Israel, but the revelation brought forth will be profitable for Gentiles of today because it shows the bigger picture of the Bible itself, and how we got to where we are in the New Covenant today and the perfect forgiveness brought by the blood of Jesus. After reaching over 800 programs, we’re looking back at past conversations and this week, it’s the book of Hebrews. 

On the podcast we mention a previous series we did on the entire book of Hebrews. You will find the first episode of that 21-part series here, and then click on Newer Post at the end of each post to listen to the entire series.



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805. The 800 Club: Looking Back – Forgiveness by Blood – Not Repeated Confessions

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As we reflect on the benchmark of more than 800 podcasts, one of the topics we’ve spent some time on is the misunderstanding of thinking believers need to continuously ask God for a renewed forgiveness. The concept comes from a single Bible verse that often misses the context surrounding it. Thinking that one needs to keeping seeking more forgiveness for each individual sin by repeatedly asking God to extend another round again—it diminishes the power of the blood of Jesus and His finished work. And you won’t be able to confess every single wrongful thought and action, leaving you to wonder where you stand with God and whether you are truly forgiven. The gospel reveals that we already are forgiven in Him by the blood of Jesus, through one sacrifice. This brings us into a place of peace and rest, and frees us to forgive others.

We've talked about this many times in the past here on the Growing in Grace podcast.  Here are a couple of those times, if you want to explore this a little more:

A six-part series on 1 John 1:9 begins here (click on Newer Post at the bottom left of each post to get to each of the six parts), and a single episode that we did as part of a series called "Born Identity" can be found here.



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756. Sins Forgiven and Taken Away (Unless You Sin?) Hebrews 10:26 – Part 2

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There’s just something about those numbered Bible verses that seems to cause people to hone in on them and miss the surrounding context. One of these that we get asked about frequently is Hebrews 10:26-27. Christians who have been gifted with the righteousness of God suddenly become very fearful when looking at such a verse without taking into account all that was said leading up to it.

Chapters 7-10 in the book of Hebrews contain some of the most powerful information within the pages of Scripture as it relates to the finished work of Christ and the once for all forgiveness that came through His blood. He became the guarantee of a better covenant. We can add nothing to it because it’s based upon what He did … not what we do or don’t do. Faith places trust that what He did, and it was more than enough for those who don’t reject the one sacrifice for sins that God provided through His Son.



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752. Hebrews 10: Forgiven and Sanctified (Jesus Sat Down)

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When the commandments which came through Moses were still in effect during the first covenant, every priest under the law stood daily while offering the same sacrifices over and over which could never take away sins. The only time a priest would be allowed to sit is if there were no further forgiveness needed for sin … of course, that never happened.

But Jesus offered one (1) sacrifice for sins resulting in forgiveness … and not just up until that moment … but all sins for all time. Afterwards, we find His offering was more than enough as our new High Priest sat down at the right hand of God. The job was truly complete, and the work of forgiveness was finished, once for all. It also gifted us with instant sanctification and perfection—something the law could never do, no matter how hard one tried to keep it.



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750. Hebrews 9: Your Sins Are Not Covered by the Blood of Jesus

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The blood used during the Old Covenant ceremonies brought an atonement or covering which resulted in a temporary forgiveness under the law. You could walk into the church of St. Moses regularly and walk out covered in bull blood every single time and still not be free from the bondage of sin. It would always need to be repeated after the next sin occurred.

Jesus offered His own blood and went before the true and greater tabernacle of God on our behalf. It was a sacrifice that would need to be performed just once. Why? Because His perfect offering didn’t just cover our sins but it took them away forever, never to become an obstacle between us and God ever again.



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676. Receiving the Forgiveness That Has Already Been Given

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A once for all forgiveness for sins occurred through Jesus Christ when His blood was shed at the cross. The problem of sins ever bringing a separation or coming between God and us has been dealt with by God Himself through the body of Jesus Christ. God was in Him, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them. He no longer deals with us according to our sins, which have been cast as far away as the east is from the west. When the priests under the law made offerings for sin, it was a temporary covering (atonement) and a new forgiveness was needed shortly thereafter. They kept standing, offering the same sacrifices that could never take sins away. But our new High Priest (Jesus) made one offering… then He sat down, because when forgiveness is a completed and finished work, “there no longer remains an offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:18). Now in order to experience and enter the life of Christ, we simply believe in Him and what He did on our behalf. The gift of forgiveness that has already been “offered” is received by simply believing (see examples in Acts 10:43; 26:18).



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675. The Lamb of God Who Takes Away the Sins of the World

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Continuing on our journey on the subject of forgiveness of sins from God, some questions we discuss this week… when does forgiveness occur? Is it something God extends to each individual on a one by one basis, or is it a gift that has been offered and made available to everyone in the world? We know Jesus was identified as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. As it relates to the finished work of Christ and the power of His blood that was shed once for all, were sins taken away at that time over 2,000 years ago? Or is a new act of forgiveness from God still required? In other words, is it possible God has closed the book on forgiveness after the cross of Christ, and all that is left now is for people to receive it by believing the work of Christ was and is sufficient? If sin is no longer an issue of separation between God and people, is unbelief the only thing that will keep people from experiencing the life of God through salvation and righteousness? These are some of the questions we are asking in our discussion as we consider the magnitude of the cross.



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