So I've been encountering this position a lot lately, that Christ's once-for-all sacrifice at Calvary only covers the past sins of Christians. Such a position is held by a number of believers in Christ who seem to think that Christ's eternal sacrifice is in some way, shape or form, insufficient to cover the sins of a person throughout the duration of their lifetime, and fails to regenerate them for the life to come should they accidentally sin. I will now delve into why I think this argument fails to hold water and also why I believe it is borderline heresy in that it removes the focus of salvation off of Christ and places it upon the good, law abiding behavior of the person.
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Galatians 3:10-12
For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”
Let's say we have someone who doesn't think that Jesus could possibly take away all her sins and that she must maintain her status pre-glorification. Let's say she takes a walk to work, meets an individual at the bus loop, and fails to tell them about Jesus when she feels the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
She has now committed a sin of omission. Her slate is tarnished. She is immediately struck and killed by the bus. She believes in Jesus Christ as her Lord and savior, but she failed to confess and repent of the sin of omission she just committed at the bus stop. My question to those who think that Jesus only saves from past sins is this: "is she saved?" Because this position is pretty much legalism defined. I coin the phrase "revolving door salvationism"
Thank you for reading and may God bless you today. Hebrews 10:12-14
And the reason you’re hearing it is because the Bible corrects human reasoning with scripture.
Since Jesus died for all sins, the natural ASSUMPTION is that at salvation, all sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven.
However, when scripture plainly and clearly says that OLD SINS, and SINS THAT ARE PAST are forgiven, and also makes clear that believers need to repent of their sins after salvation for God to forgive them, then it’s time to drop OUR logical reasoning, and believe instead, what God said.
Jesus took the all sins of the world on the cross - yet everyone isn’t saved - because only those with faith and repentance have His atonement for sins applied to them.
We must choose to repent of our sins as part of our conversion and so that our sins are forgiven (Acts 3:19 ; Acts 20:21), but as it turns out, we can’t pre-repent of FUTURE sins - so only OLD sins and PAST sins are forgiven at salvation - not future sins, as scripture proves:
2Pe 1:9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten
that he was PURGED from his OLD SINS.
Rom 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to bea propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness
for the remission of SINS THAT ARE PAST through the forbearance of God;
So the hyper-grace doctrine which assumes all sins: past, present, and future sins, are forgiven at salvation, is wrong.
Hyper-grace preachers such as Joseph Prince, indeed teach their followers that because all future sins were forgiven at salvation, there’s no need to ever repent again as a Christian.
But Jesus never got that memo - He warned 4 out of 7 churches in Revelation, to repent.
In fact the risen Jesus not only warned the church at Sardis to repent, he warned them they WERE DEAD, and that unless they became overcomers, He would blot their name out of the book of life.
There’s obviously no reason to a Christian would ever need to repent,mif all sins, even future sins, are automatically forgiven with salvation.
So the truth is that after salvation, sins must be repented of as we commit them, to be forgiven.
That’s why the apostle John wrote:
1Jn 1:9 If WE confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us oursins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Note that the apostle included himself, indicating he’s talking to BELIEVERS .
To those who still deny 1 John is to the brethren, here’s John’s own words, proving it is:
1Jn 2:7 BRETHREN, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
That 1 John 1:9 is to believers is further shown by the fact he had just written THIS, before verse 9:
1Jn 1:6 If WE say that we have fellowship with him,
and walk in darkness, we
lie, and do not the truth:
1Jn 1:7 But IF we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
The other evidence that future sins need repented of after committing them, is the many warnings to the brethren by Paul, that specifically warns us to BE NOT DECEIVED by anyone’s words that say otherwise, because if we are a drunk, a thief, an adulterer, or murderer, etc, we won’t be going to heaven.
Paul warns some of the believers that they are defrauding their brethren, (which is stealing, being a thief) then warns them that stealing, and other sins, will keep them from heaven:
1Co 6:8 Nay, ye do wrong, and DEFRAUD and that your - BRETHREN.
1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? BE NOT DECEIVED: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor THIEVES (
such as those who DEFRAUD their brethren, verse 8) nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,
shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Another warning by Paul, to the saints of God, about living a sinful lifestyle as a child of God:
Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Eph 5:3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh SAINTS.
Eph 5:4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
Eph 5:5
For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath ANY inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Eph 5:6
Let no man DECEIVE you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the WRATH of God upon the children of disobedience.
Eph 5:7
Be not YE therefore partakers WITH them.
I could have posted many more of Paul’s warnings, about not being deceived that we as believers can live an unrepentant and sinful lifestyle and waltz into heaven.
Bottom line- a believer can’t get to heaven, while living like hell.
How many who read this, have ever noticed that Paul went so far as to say that our sanctification is to avoid sexual sins?
Maranatha