Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Matthew 6:15 "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 6:15 "But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses. |
Bible Question (short): Are we forgiven? Does anyone know? |
Question (full): Dear Sandman, Thanks for your comment but I still do not think that it applies after the cross. While we were yet sinners, Christ reconciled us to God, not holding our sins against us - 2 Cor 5:19. Is God still holding your sins against you, Sandman? He says that He is not. Why? Because He held them against Jesus Christ. My Lord became sin for me so that I could become His righteousness. I am not denying my common ground that I was a sinner and needed God's forgiveness. But now, because I am born again from above, I am no longer a sinner, I am a saint who still sins. I know it sounds sacriligeous, but it's not. Most of Paul's letters were written to churches that had severe problems and had "sin in the assembly". But you never see Paul saying, "To the sinners saved by grace at Corinth," "To the sinners saved by grace at Ephesus." I am a new creation in Christ. The old Bill Mc without God's spirit was crucified and I am now a saint, not because of my actions, but because of my new birth. I am a forgiven person in Christ, just as I am a redeemed person in Christ. Forgiveness is not something that we can have apart from Christ. If we have Him, we have forgiveness of sins. Look again at Eph 1:7 and Col 1:14. How is redemption defined there? Forgiveness of sins. It says that we HAVE (present tense) redemption, the forgiveness of sins, does it not? Would I have faith in God if, everytime I sinned, I asked God to redeem me? Would I have faith in God if, every time I sinned, I asked God to save me? No. Faith is taking God at His Word. All I can do is receive it and spend the rest of eternity thanking Him for it. Neither is it faith to ask God to keep forgiving me when He says that, in Christ, He has already done it. That's not faith, that's negating the cross. That's relegating Christ's blood to that of a bull or goat, that can only 'cover' sin until the next time. That's living under the old covenant where you have to keep coming to God and asking for more and more forgiveness and never realizing what He has done. So, could you do me a big favor and respond to my questions? (See my prior post and the associated verses) I would appreciate it. You can't say that 1. God only forgives us IF we forgive others AND 2. All of our sins are forgiven. Both of these statements cannot be true at the same time. They are mutually exclusive. Do you believe Heb 10:17 - that our sins are remembered no more? Let me offer a note of clarification here. I am not saying that because my sins are forgiven, that I can just go on willfully 'sinning' with no consequences. Paul addresses this in Romans 6. If I continue 'practicing sin' I will become a slave to it. Sin will affect my soul (behavior), my body, and most of all, others who I love. It will also misrepresent the wonderful grace in which I stand and exhibit a poor witness to others. So, sin DOES have consequences. I will suffer them if I walk after the flesh and fulfill its lust. BUT, sin does not affect my spiritual relationship to God. My Lord and Savior shed every precious drop of His blood to take away the sin issue between me and God so that I could be reconciled to Him. I DO NOT take that lightly. I've been accused of being 'light on sin.' Hardly, I know exactly what it cost my Lord to purchase my salvation and my ONLY righteousness is that which He gives me. So my goal now is to let Christ live through me and present myself to Him as a living sacrifice. I'm not 'light on sin.' But I can tell you that where sin abounds, grace MUCH MORE abounds. I'm big on God's grace. If that is perceived as a fault or heresy, so be it. In closing, please answer my questions. Me and my convictions are always up to questioning. But God's Word is pretty plain on this issue. In Christ, Bill Mc |