Many believers have questions concerning the forgiveness of sins of past, and then their sins of the present, and yet future sins. Now consider these examples of questions concerning forgiveness of our sins and forgiveness of the sins of others toward us.

• A man received Jesus Christ as His Savior and was rejoicing in the knowledge that his sins forgiven. Lately, however, he has become conscious of certain sins creeping back into his life. With this he has the haunting fears of an angry God, these are torturing his tender conscience as he wonders if God still accepts him.
• A Christian wife has a husband who is an alcoholic. Early this morning, he came home drunk with a major dent in the family car. He is sorry but she knows, if she forgives him, he will just do it again. What to do or how to react?
• An old woman sits alone in a large, empty house. Years ago, her family hurt her very deeply. At one time she wanted to forgive but they have never acknowledged that the offense ever took place. “How could they have done such a thing,” she asks. Now she awaits death in the bitterness and cynicism that overshadows her.

The above examples are more all too common among Christians. There’s countless similar cases being lived out every day in their homes and church groups. Let’s attempt to answer these questions in this series.

Does Christianity have the satisfactory answer? Well, this depends on which “Christian” you ask because one of the most misunderstood doctrines in the Word of God is the forgiveness of sins during this age of “the gospel of the grace of God” in which we live. Here are two of the most difficult things for a Christian to receive.

1.) That his sins have been FREELY, completely, and eternally Forgiven once and for all time.

2.) This same sort of Forgiveness should now be proclaimed and extended by us toward others, FREELY!

Forgiveness given “Freely” means “forgiveness received absolutely without cost to the recipient,’ without acts of repentance or any works… received simply by faith. Acts 16:31 “(Paul said) Believe on (trust in) the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” Unlike Israel, who was called to John’s “baptism of repentance” due to its rebellion against the Lord, the Gentiles had no such history of rejecting God’s promises – the hope and promises had belonged to Israel alone. Ephesians 2:11-13 … ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision … 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Some Christians ignorantly say, “Thank God that He has forgiven me all my sins but….,” but then they go on to list ‘conditions’ which they believe they must meet if God is to accept them and keep them in His favor. With such an uncertain trumpet, there’s not much security in that kind of ‘forgiveness.’ We must press on to really understand the forgiveness as is offered today under “the dispensation of the grace of God.” Forgiveness freely extended by God today is not based upon any required performance before or after being forgiven. Colossians 2:6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord (i.e., by grace through faith), So Walk Ye In Him:

Paul, “the Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom 11:13) clearly tells us we’ve been forgiven on the basis of grace, the ‘free gift’ that was acquired simply by placing our gifted “measure of faith” in Christ... to receive it! “In whom We Have Redemption Through His Blood, the Forgiveness of Sins, according to the riches of His Grace;” (Eph. 1:7)

Having such a clear word from Paul, our Apostle, why the difference of opinion on a subject so foundational to the Christian life? As with so many themes in the Bible, it’s symptomatic of the failure to “rightly divide the Word of truth” that has led sincere believers in Christ to inconsistent positions on forgiveness. It is Paul alone who instructs grace believers of this age as God’s Moses today. He tells us we must study, know and trust “the word of God”... “Rightly Divided.” If we study the word of God disciminantly, we will soon see that… that which Jesus spoke as Applying To Israel… DOES NOT apply to “the church, which is His body” today.

The fact is that we’ve been forgiven... solely on the basis of faith in Jesus’ shed blood and death for us; “saved by grace, through faith ‘alone’... not saved due to our religious works or a confession of sins.

Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration (our rebirth), and renewing of the Holy Ghost (in our soul’s mindset);