The Discourse on Unleash Mag is a quest for Biblical truth on matters Christian faith and living, through intellectual discussions solely inspired by Scripture.
Our effort is aimed at building the believer’s faith through a thorough understanding of the Scripture. We do not seek to aimlessly disparage any doctrines or beliefs, but to merely test them against the full measure of Scripture.
On this premiere episode, we discuss the question of forgiveness of sins. The panel for this episode consists of:
- J Karis
- Lael Mukeni
- Caleb Mutiso
Prologue
By J Karis
Question: Has God forgiven all our sins?
The above question is a hot issue in the body of Christ. Most Christians will shout a big YES as their response to the question. But once you start digging deep, you start questioning if they believe all their sins are forgiven. Some will say all our sins up to the day we gave our lives to Christ have been forgiven, and then the sins we commit after salvation are forgiven only when we confess.
But is this belief supported by the Scriptures? Is the forgiveness of our sins contingent on the confession of our sins? What happens if I forget to confess a sin I committed? Does it mean I lose my salvation?
Some will say blanket confession of all our sins is the solution, since it covers all the sins of omission and commission. If you believe this is enough to get your sins forgiven, why not use it all the time instead of confessing all your sins? Your conscience would not sit right with that. If I die with an unconfessed sin, do I go to heaven?
Arguments
J Karis: We were forgiven
Two camps
I start by saying the church is divided into two major camps on this issue. On one side are those who believe once you are born again, all your sins are forgiven up to that day, and God gives you a new clean slate. After salvation, once you sin, you lose fellowship with God and you have to get your sins ‘under the blood’ by confessing them. If you don’t confess, then you lose some of your rights as a child of God, and God will not be on your side. He won’t use His power to move on your behalf. He won’t help you if you are in trouble because He is ‘angry’ with you. Most Pentecostals are in this camp.
On the other camp, they believe once you sin, you lose your salvation, and if you don’t confess your sin to God, you will not go to heaven. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been walking with God for 70 years, but if you commit a sin just before you die and you forget to confess, you are going to hell. Presbyterians are an example of a church that is in this camp.
Common Biblical reference
The degree of error is the dividing line between the two camps, but all are in major error. Both sides majorly focus on 1 John 1:9 to build their doctrine.
1 John 1:9 ESV
[9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
They conclude from the verse that if we don’t confess our sins, then we will not be forgiven. They wrongly conclude that the forgiveness of our sins is based on us confessing our sins. Any Bible scholar worth his salt will tell you that you cannot formulate a doctrine based on one verse. It is very reckless and dangerous to come up with such a major doctrine as the forgiveness of our sins from a single verse.
John himself later in the epistle, in 1 John 2:12, tells us our sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake.
I John 2:12 NKJV
I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.
John does not say that our sins are forgiven based on anything we do, but simply for Christ’s sake. Let me use a few scriptures on forgiveness of our sins so that you can see what the Bible says.
1 Corinthians 15:3 NASB2020
For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures
Paul is telling the Church at Corinth that the issue that was of greatest importance to them by his estimation was for them to know that Christ died for their sins. This is the most important doctrine in the body of Christ by Paul’s estimation. We dare not joke around with this topic, we must get it right.
Christ came to die for our sins, this is not some religious phrase for us to use in Church to make us feel happy, but it is the sole reason why Christ left heaven’s glory and came to earth. The reason we are forgiven is because all our sins were laid on Him, and He took the full punishment for our sins.
Isaiah 53:6 NKJV
[6] All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Romans 4:25 ESV
[25] who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
The issue of our sins is a done deal in the sight of God, God finished that chapter. When? At the cross of Jesus. God put all our sins—past, present, and future—on His Son, and He unleashed all His wrath for our sins on His Son.
The big question today is will you choose to humble yourself and put your trust in what Christ has done for you? Or will you pay for your sins yourself? If you choose the latter, then you choose an eternity away from Christ, since now you have to pay for your sins yourself, and it will take you eternity to pay for your sins. Jesus paid for the sins of everyone in the world, even Hitler and the worst sinners you can think of:
I John 2:2 NKJV
And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
There are two verses that are key in understanding this issue of forgiveness of sins that I want you to see for yourself.
Ephesians 1:7 NKJV
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Colossians 1:14 ESV
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Note from the two verses: redemption is described as the forgiveness of sins. Neither of them tells us, “We can have,” they tell us, “We have” (present tense). For us believers, this is not something we are waiting for or something that will happen when we do something; it is something that is a present reality. Paul, in Ephesians 1:7, tells us why we get to enjoy and stay in this everyday reality that our sins are forgiven.
WE ARE FORGIVEN BECAUSE OF THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS AT CALVARY. We are not forgiven because we confess our sins, NO! Our confession does not add in any way to the forgiveness of our sins. We were forgiven when Christ paid for all our sins at Calvary.
Colossians 2:13 NKJV
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
Please observe from the above verse in Colossians the little word “ALL” and the tense of the phrase “having forgiven.” The tense is aorist in Greek. (Aorist tense describes a single complete action in the past.) Our forgiveness is something that happened in the past. Where? At the cross of Jesus. Not just forgiveness of some of our sins, but of ALL our sins—past, present, and future.
We are not forgiven when we confess our sins, NO! We have already been forgiven. This idea that only the sins we committed before salvation are the ones that are encompassed in the “ALL” cannot be supported by any single scripture. This is a doctrine that man has come up with from his own thinking. If you are one of those who believe that God cannot forgive future sins based on Christ’s atoning work on the cross, then we are in trouble, because when Jesus died, all our sins were future.
Am I advocating for people not to confess their sins when they fail? NO! There is a huge difference (very huge) between confessing our sins to be forgiven and confessing our sins because we know we are already forgiven. I am advocating for the latter.
Today rest easy, Christ dealt with your sins once for all at Calvary, and before God’s eyes that case is closed, Child of God.
Lael Mukeni: Not unto confession, but God’s sustenance
Walking in the light, walking in the darkness
From the Scriptures, we see that importance is given to the state of a person, whether regenerate or fallen, more than to an action done by the person. Also, emphasis is made on the kind of life a person lives more than on a single act. Let us look at a passage of Scripture:
1 John 1:5-10 NKJV
[5] This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
[6] If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
[7] But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
[8] If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
[9] If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
[10] If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Now, when interpreting Scripture, it is very important to interpret a verse from its context. It is even said that the context of a verse interprets it, and I strongly agree with that since all of Scripture is harmonious. Therefore, looking at the above passage, we see that there are two kinds (or states) of people: those who walk in the light (verse 7) and those who walk in darkness (verse 6).
We see that those who walk in the light have fellowship with fellow believers, and that all their sins are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. It is important to note that it isn’t stated that these righteous confess their sins first so that they are cleansed, but they receive it by virtue of walking in God’s ways, i.e., in the light.
We then see in the next verses, 8 and 9, that those who walk in the light are actually imperfect, making actions of sin, and they are forgiven upon confessing. However, when they sin, they still remain as those walking in the light, not in darkness. Those who walk in darkness (verse 6) are those whose lives are marked and dominated by sin. As a summary of this passage, we see that those walking in the light will definitely sin, but they remain among the people of God who walk in the light, as God is in the light.
The assurance
We also see about the two kinds of people from the short passage below:
Colossians 1:12-14 NKJV
[12] and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the kingdom of light.
[13] For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves,
[14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Here, the two kinds of people described are those in the dominion of darkness and those in the kingdom of the Son who is loved by the Father. Those in the latter are called the holy people who have been redeemed and whose sins are (not were) forgiven. This shows that this is a state or kind of people, and that we, believers, do not shift kingdoms every instant we commit an act of sin after we are redeemed and forgiven of sins.
We are also assured that Jesus’ death on the cross, 2000 years ago, pays for the sins of those who believe in Him even after His death. We see that in this verse:
Acts 3:19 NIV
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”
This is a clarion call to everyone who desires to receive forgiveness of sins and a new and eternal life (John 3:16). It is important to note that this call remains extended to all who are willing until the day of judgement comes. They are invited to freely receive eternal life:
Revelation 22:17 NKJV
And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”
Finally, believers are greatly encouraged:
Jude 1:24 NKJV
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy
This assures them that God will indeed sustain their salvation and forgiveness of their sins until the last day when they will be presented before God’s glorious presence with great joy. And this is not because they confessed their actions of sin every hour, minute, or second, but because God sustains them till the end of the age.
Caleb Mutiso: ‘I will remember no more’
Disobedience and death
In creation, God speaks to Adam and tells him that the punishment for disobedience is death. Here’s a good question: if sinful man is still “alive” in some sense, either God lies—an impossibility—or some form of mercy abounds. In fact, to put it clearly, no one should be breathing.
Creation was created to abide by God, to live, move, and have its being in God. Nature obeys God perfectly. To put it in simple terms, a mango tree only does what God commanded it to do, perfectly. Soil, germs, bacteria, rain, sun, stars, water—they all obey God perfectly.
Here’s one man who thought otherwise. The story of Uzzah and the Ark of the Covenant is found in 2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1 Chronicles 13:9-12. There were a lot of laws broken as the ark was being transported, but we’ll dwell on one.
As the ark was being transported, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, and a man named Uzzah took hold of the ark. God’s anger burned against Uzzah and He struck him down and he died. Uzzah’s punishment does appear to be extreme for what we might consider to be a good deed. But consider that he thought his hands were better (holier) than the ground on which the ark would fall, forgetting that the ground would be better than his hands. An act of disobedience that was dealt with swiftly—death.
So, only the ones made a little lower than the angels are the only creatures with the audacity to look at the King of Kings and sneer, their will corrupted by original sin. We look at God and all His majesty and choose sin. We gaze upon the revealed, obvious glory of God and rebel, bringing us to the doctrine of Total Depravity.
Rebellion
Since man has original sin, everything we do, even the “good,” is evil. Good, according to scripture, is anything done in faith (Romans 14:23).
Romans 14:23 NKJV
But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
An example commonly given is that of a son who wants to hang out with friends, using his dad’s car. But the father tells the son that he must wash the car if he wants to use it. The son will wash the car, not to make the father happy, not as an act of obedience to the dad, but as a way to go for the hangout—a means to an end. Similarly, an unsaved person may love and treat their wife well according to our standards. But since the act is done with the intention of maybe keeping the wife happy, it’s concluded as a sin.
We’re so corrupt that all we do, before faith, is totally rebellious against God. It’s not only the bad we do that deserves punishment, but also the good, since it doesn’t proceed from faith. It begs the question again: why doesn’t God strike everyone dead?
Even Christians, once we get saved, live a paradoxical life, as Paul, who wrote most books of the New Testament, says in Romans 7:18-20:
Romans 7:18-20 NKJV
[18] For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
[19] For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.
[20] Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
We still sin. So, by principle, no one should have a single breath. God, justified by His holiness and righteous justice, should, and MUST destroy us.
The new covenant
This brings us to a new covenant in which God does all the work, and the human, whom God has sought since eternity, only has to believe that God really does all the work. I say God does all the work based on:
- No one believes unless they hear God’s word. It’s God’s work that is heard. So, HIM.
- Conviction is the work of God the Holy Spirit.
- Repentance is a gift of God.
- No one comes to the Son unless the Father draws them.
- Believing is a work of God.
- Sanctification is a work of God conforming us to Christ’s image. He who started this good work in you is faithful enough to complete it.
- Final glorification is a work of God.
So the only thing the Christian does is believe, hence the term sola fide in the famous five solas of the Reformation, meaning “faith alone.” So man can only be saved by believing all God says about Himself in scripture. This believing is shown by a fruit called works. Works, though not required for salvation, are a fruit that MUST—and just because most people skip over this fast enough, I will repeat—WORKS must follow faith. Otherwise, the faith is dead, non-existent. A Christian MUST bear fruit to confirm their election and salvation. This fruit may be 1% or 98%, dependent on grace and how much one leads a surrendered life.
‘I will remember no more’
God describes a new covenant to man. It’s so clear that it needs no explanation:
Jeremiah 31:31 NKJV
[31] “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—
[32] not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.
[33] But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
[34] No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Let’s concentrate on the last bit to bring a conclusion to this. “I will remember no more.” Stop with me and wonder how an infinite God, eternal, omniscient, claims that He will “forget” our sins. Of course, as much as it means that God no longer holds our sins against us, it’s still a great wonder our minds cannot reconcile. Because God knows eternity to eternity. So again, unless God “forgets” our sins, we’re always going to be in hot soup. God has not only forgiven us our past but also our future sins and our present ones.
Here’s one sin that everyone, no matter the level of sanctification or maturity as a Christian, commits.
Matthew 22:37
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
No one since man’s existence has been able to obey this fully at any second of their lives. This means that until perfection, we’re in a continual state of sin by not loving God perfectly. Every second of your life, this is a sin that you’re committing. And when we humble ourselves and repent, God is faithful to forgive us.
All this is because of Christ. Christ’s work of atonement—”payment for our sins”—was complete. He didn’t do some half work and leave the rest for us to finish. We will only get to heaven because of Christ’s work and whether we believe in it. No sin shall enter heaven. So God will not only forgive but also forget all wrong we have done. And that’s how you and I continue to enjoy God’s common and specific grace.
Here’s a question for you today: do you believe God has forgiven you and forgotten all the sins you’ve done since you were born? If so, give thanks to Him. Stop living in regret and pain for wrongs you did in the past. REPENT. The door is standing open wide. Run to Christ and have all your sins cleansed, completely wiped off the face of the universe. Only He is our refuge; to Him we run to hide from the ugliness of our sins.
Do you have any comments to the above arguments? Learnt something? Be sure to let us know on the comments section below.
Wow! What a great read! Love the fact that every argument is clearly supported by scripture! Definitely not a read once!