This is quite an extensive topic, and truthfully I'm not sure I even scratch the surface of it, nor do I think that I got all this down pat. But I hope that this will make sense.
One last thing, this is more than likely going to be at least two posts... maybe even three long.
Now, first I feel like I have to explain some other things first before I answer that specific question up there.
(just a quick side note, most of the material I give here I have either gained from reading the Bible, or from Alstair Beggs sermon series on Forgiveness which I highly recommend
here -> http://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/forgiven-forgiving-pt-1/ and quite honestly I'm going to borrow quite a bit from his sermon, lol)
So, the question was thus posed. "If we have been forgiven once and for all through the redeeming power of Christ, why then is there a need for forgiveness afterwords?
Ah! A good question yes? Why do we need it if we've already been cleansed once and for all?
~
A man that had just woken up decided he wanted to clean himself... he had had a long week of nothing but hard labor and had not the opportunity to shower yet. He was so tired when he got home that he just went straight to sleep. When he would get up in the morning he wouldn't shower cause he figured he would just get dirty again... well after a time all the hard labor was finally done, and he woke up ready for a wash. He showered, and washed himself thoroughly. Then went about his day, when he got back he noticed that his body was clean in general.
But from the normal labor and the work through the day he had collected some dust on his clothes and his hands and feet were dirty. He went into the bathroom and washed his hands and scrubbed his feet, and again the man was clean.
~
This then is the same thing that Christ does for us. We have already had the big wash, but the normal day to day living and being in the world gets our hands and feet spiritually dirty. So we don't need to have a big wash all over again, no! Rather what we need is to cleanse ourselves from the the day to day things. How do we do this? Through Forgiveness.
Call it unusual, but I think this is the picture that Jesus is giving us in John 13:1-9 the passage in which Jesus is washing Peter's feet. We must come to God and allow him to cleanse us from our daily living out in the world.
When we become a Christian, sin is not eradicated from our lives. It no longer rules or reigns in us, but it still exists. It is simply the final punishment for sin that is taken away.
This is why every day we have to renew our minds in Christ and are warned many times throughout the Bible that we are to do that very thing just like in Romans 12:2! "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
Something we need to understand, forgiveness from God is not ours, UNTIL we come to him in repentance! How can you receive it from him unless you first come to get it?
This then is illustrated in the Parable of the prodigal son. (I won't type it all up here, I expect you all to go read it in Luke 15:11-24)
The son was not necessarily driven by a guilty conscious, although I'm sure that would have had some to do with it, but rather it is the hope of receiving mercy and forgiveness that draws him back and acknowledges his wrongs.
Well, I think this is plenty long for one post.. I shall continue this topic next week, and I'll deal with how it effects your relationship with God and others.
God Bless,
Ryan
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