Chapter 7
The Finality of Forgiveness
Do you believe you are forgiven by God for your sin? I mean FOREVER and FINALLY forgiven? Do you believe your redemption is truly finished?
Ask yourself this question: Did Jesus die for ALL sin? Yes. Did Jesus’ death win forgiveness? Yes. Then, is ALL sin forgiven? Yep. Has to be. And that means that NO sin is unforgiven. ALL sin has been forgiven by God because of His Son, Jesus Christ.
What we see here is basic to Christianity. We are fully and forever forgiven for ALL sin because, and only because of, Jesus Christ.
It is Finished
When Jesus said, "It is finished," He meant that FORGIVENESS was finished. To put it another way, God has done all the forgiving He is going to do! Why? Because Jesus has done all the dying He is going to do! Jesus died ONCE FOR ALL SIN. It really IS finished.
The Bible repeats this Truth again and again:
We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Heb. 10:10)
For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he lives, he lives unto God. (Rom. 6:10)
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Heb. 9:24-28)
We need to get several things firmly established in our hearts: First, forgiveness is finished. It is as finished and as complete as is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is eternally and forever in place as a finished reality.
Second, we need to understand that forgiveness is for ALL sin. ALL sin was placed in Jesus Christ on the Cross. NO sin ever committed by any human being was omitted.
Third, we also need to understand that the forgiveness of God in Jesus Christ was an act of His grace – a work accomplished completely independent of anything about us. Jesus did not ask our permission to die for us. Neither did He tell us He would die if we would believe it later. No. Jesus died for the sin of the world and won our forgiveness completely independent of those for whom salvation was won.
Now, included in this point is the fact that forgiveness is not based on anything we do. No. It is based on what Jesus has done. Again – God did not consult us before Jesus died. He did not look to see if we were worthy of being forgiven. No. In fact, the reason Jesus died is because we are unworthy. The forgiveness of God is an act of God’s grace.
Fourth, there is nothing we can do to earn God’s forgiveness. Neither is there nothing we can do to disqualify ourselves. That is because God’s forgiveness never depended on anything about us to begin with. And it never will depend on anything about us. Again, it is of God’s grace. It depends solely upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Fifth, all of this means that forgiveness is IN PLACE. It is a finished reality. GOD HAS FORGIVEN ALL SIN – ALL SIN. He has forgiven it because Jesus died for ALL sin.
Sixth, this means that if not one person ever believed that Jesus died for sin, and if not one person ever believed and received God’s forgiveness, it would not change the fact that IT IS FINISHED. Again – this reality is not dependent upon anyone’s works or anyone’s faith. It is dependent upon Jesus Christ only.
Seventh, this leaves us with only one responsibility: Believe and receive. Put our reliance for God’s forgiveness where it belongs: On Jesus Christ. In the finished works which is forever complete. And then receive it. KNOW you are forgiven forever.
How About Unbelievers?
Most us have no trouble believing Christians are forgiven. But what about those who do not believe? Are they forgiven?
Well, ask: Did Jesus bear the sin of unbelievers? Yes, He did. Jesus bore ALL sin. So clearly, the price was paid for the sin of unbelievers. Consequently, unbelievers are offered the same forgiveness as believers have embraced.
But wait. Are we saying unbelievers are saved? NO! They are NOT saved. Why? Because they are UNBELIEVERS!
God has forgiven ALL people because of the death of Jesus Christ. But only those who believe and embrace Christ are saved. In other words, forgiveness is in place – IN CHRIST -- but it does an unbeliever no good whatsoever if they stay OUTSIDE of Christ. You have to come to Christ!
Salvation is not accomplished solely by the death of Christ. Forgiveness IS accomplished by that and offered to all. But we come to Christ – not just to get forgiven. We come for new life. New life is ours, not through the death of Christ, but through the resurrection. That is why unless we come to Christ, we have no new life – we have no salvation.
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Romans 5:6-10)
Read that passage and see exactly what it is saying. First, it says that "while we were YET sinners Christ died for us." It even goes on to say, "While we were ENEMIES." That is BEFORE we repented, and BEFORE we believed. It is when we were yet UNBELIEVERS. But while we were in that very condition of unbelief, Paul says, "Christ died for us." His death, and the forgiveness won, was finished FOR US – despite our disobedience and unbelief.
Paul says that "while we were yet enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son." That is forgiveness. But then he adds, "Then if we are reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
What we see here is that everything necessary for the Redemption of every person is finished. But in order to receive salvation, I have to believe and embrace, by faith, what Christ has done. Then I receive new life – which is what salvation is. I am raised with Him in His resurrection.
We had better hope that God offers a finished forgiveness to unbelievers because that is exactly what we were. The point is, God doesn’t forgive us because we believe. He forgives us because of Jesus Christ. By faith we embrace Christ and enter into the salvation He has had for us from the foundation of the world.
A human example will suffice. Suppose someone sins against you greatly -- but you truly forgive them. Your forgiveness is total and complete. It is impossible for you to do any more forgiving of them than you have done. And you have taken the initiative to reveal this fact to the person who sinned against you. But – they won't accept it. Does their "unbelief" change you? Does it undo your forgiveness? No. But as complete as your forgiveness is, it has done nothing for THEM. They won’t receive it and they won’t receive YOU.
Faith Necessary For Salvation
Faith is necessary for salvation. All men are forgiven for sin because Jesus paid the price for all sin. But only those who believe and embrace Jesus Christ are saved. We have to come to Jesus because salvation is IN Jesus Christ.
How do we come to Him? The Bible says, "Repent and believe." Repent of what? Repent of NOT BELIEVING! Then we will do what? We will BELIEVE!
We must repent of refusing Jesus Christ. Then, if we repent of that, we will embrace Him. Makes sense, doesn’t it. It is at that point that we will see that He has won our forgiveness, and we will see that new life is in Him. Salvation is possible in no other way.
God has done everything He can do to solve the sin problem. He has taken all of my sins and forgiven them in Jesus Christ. Nothing can change this -- not my faith, and not my unbelief. Yet it is by faith that I EMBRACE what Christ has done, and am thereby saved. Or it is by unbelief that I reject it. The reality of what Christ has done nevertheless stands eternally in place -- regardless of what I choose.
The Unpardonable Sin
In discussing God's forgiveness we must speak about the "unpardonable sin" -- for it is the one sin which God CANNOT forgive. Why? Because it is the refusal of God's forgiveness. God cannot forgive the refusal of His forgiveness because He would be sanctioning sin.
Herein we see the judgment of God. It is precisely because God has forgiven all of us in Christ -- even before we believed -- that such a terrible sin is possible. It is precisely because His forgiveness is solely dependent upon Christ that we are without excuse for refusing it. The fact is, the greatest gift in the world is God's gift of grace. But this same gift will judge us if we refuse it. For what can God do for us if we reject Christ?
God tells us this in John’s gospel. He says:
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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hates the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. (John 3:16-21)
The Finality of Forgiveness
This finality of God’s forgiveness should cause us to forever leave behind the lie that any part of God's forgiveness depends upon us. For how can it depend on us if it is already finished? How can we earn or maintain God's forgiveness for us -- for sins past, present, or future -- if it is already an accomplished reality, eternally set in place through Jesus Christ? And that, before the foundation of this world?
This is not merely a doctrine to believe in. It is not merely a teaching to memorize. It is a reality which we must embrace by faith.
The forgiveness of God is perfect and final. God has done all the forgiving He is going to do. He beckons us to now to believe. He wants us to walk in the forgiveness of our sins, for in His Son, "It is finished."