Untitled Sermon (6)

The question posed here is in regards to the application of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. At the moment of salvation did Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection forgive my past, present, and future sins?

I would say that we will not be judged at the Bema Seat for unconfessed sin. Several passages come to mind. Acts 3:19. Here is is declared that the sinner repent for the purpose of their sins being blotted out. 2 Corinthians 5:17 talks about the old (our sin) being gone and us being made new (forgiven). Ephesians 1:7 talks about the redemption that was purchased through by the blood of Christ. Hebrews 10:17 which is dealing with the effect of Jesus’ sacrifice tells us that God will not remember our sins. Colossians 1:13-14 talks about the remission of our sins. In none of these passages (and there are many more) does it tell us about needing to be forgiven again. The sense of these passages is that once we are forgiven it is done. Therefore if I am forgiven in the past, present, and future sense there would be no need of those sins being judged again.

For me this is clearest as you study the book of Hebrews and not only notice many of the details but come to the conclution of the big picture that the writer had in mind. THe big picture is that the Old Testament sacrifices were not sufficient by themselves. They needed to be performed perpetually. One of the most encouraging arguments in the book is that WHat the Old Testament sacrificial system could not do, that is forgive sin once for all, Christ did through His death burial and resurrection. Why did they sacrifice yearly? Hebrews 10:4 tells us that the blood of goats and bull could not take away sin. It was apparently able to be a temporary covering for sin, but not sufficient to remove it. This is where the writer tells us in vers 9 that Jesus came to ttake away the first (the Old Testament system) to establish the second (the permanent covering for sin). This is why Paul (I am not refering to Paul as the writer of Hebrews) argues for us not to use God’s grace as a “cloak” for sin. If we were going to be judeged for unconfessed sin then how would that be a misuse of grace. It would only be logical that it would be an abuse of grace if I chose to sin knowing that that sin was already accounted for.

I wish there was a higher word count for this answer but suffice to say that I would come to the conclusion based on many Bible passages that at salvation our sins are forgiven past, present, and future and that we will not be judged for unconfessed sin at the Bema Seat.