The Burden of Confession

Christians often cope by trying to keep every sin confessed. Let me put this bluntly: That’s impossible! The Bible says that whatever is not of faith is sin (Rom. 14:23). Do we always walk in faith? James 4:17 reveals that sin isn’t just doing wrong things, it’s also failing to do what we know is right. Would anyone claim they are loving God and others as they know they should?

By these definitions, we all sin through the weakness of our flesh. It’s impossible to keep every sin confessed. Even if it were possible, it would put the burden of salvation on our backs. There wouldn’t be any peace or rest in our relationship with the Lord if that’s the way it worked (Rom. 5:1).

Many people, including Christians, see the forgiveness of sins as something that God can do and continues to do, but not as something He has already done. This idea leads to the false belief that we must constantly confess our sins, which makes and keeps us in conscious sin.

The Completed Work of Redemption

The New Testament presents the forgiveness of sins as something that is already accomplished. The effect of this redemption is that we are not even to be conscious of sin (Heb. 10:1–2).

Ask yourself, What produced the forgiveness of sins, and when did that happen? Jesus was the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world (John 1:29). It was through the shedding of Jesus’ blood that you received redemption, which is the forgiveness of your sins (Eph. 1:7 and Col. 1:14).

The Source of Forgiveness

When did Jesus die and shed His blood for our sins? About two thousand years ago. He will never die again (Rom. 6:9–10). He dealt with the sins of the whole human race once, for all time (Heb. 9:25–28 and 10:10–14). Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins is an accomplished work.

We don’t have to ask Jesus to forgive our sins; He’s already done it. Paul didn’t tell the Philippian jailor to ask Jesus for forgiveness; instead, he told him to believe on what Jesus had already done, and he would be saved (Acts 16:31). We confess the Lord Jesus, not our sins, to receive this gift of salvation (Rom. 10:9).

Embracing Forgiveness by Faith

Does this mean everyone in the whole world is saved? Certainly not. We have to receive forgiveness by faith (Acts 26:18). The Lord has already forgiven everyone’s sins (1 John 2:2). That’s grace. But we have to put faith in what God has already accomplished by grace to be saved (Eph. 2:8).

Therefore, it’s not a person’s many sins that send them to hell; sin has already been paid for and forgiven. Instead, it’s the singular sin of not believing on Jesus that sends a person to hell. It’s their failure to accept what Jesus did for them that puts them into the place of eternal torment.

John 16:8–9 says, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me.”

The Singular Sin

The singular sin the Holy Spirit reproves us of is the sin of not believing on Jesus. That’s it. This isn’t to say that the Holy Spirit won’t show us that certain things we do are wrong. He uses these to illustrate that we don’t believe on Jesus. The Holy Spirit isn’t condemning us every time we sin; instead, He loves us back into faith and trust in Jesus. That’s the whole issue with God.

What difference does it make if we accept forgiveness as something that has already been accomplished? It makes a huge difference! It gives us security and peace, knowing that God isn’t mad at us and won’t be mad at us. Our sins are already forgiven—not just the past sins we committed before we were born again, but all our sins—past, present, and even future ones.

Someone might ask, “How can God forgive our sins before we commit them?” Well, you better pray that He can do that, because Jesus only died for our sins once—two thousand years ago, before you committed any sins. If He can’t forgive sins before you commit them, then you can’t be saved.

It says in Hebrews 10:10–12 and 14, “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; . . . For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”

Security in Redemption

We have received eternal, not momentary, redemption (Heb. 9:12). One sacrifice was made for all sin forever, and we have been perfected forever. How can we read these scriptures and come to any other conclusion than that every sin—past, present, and future—was forgiven and our redemption is eternal?

If you have accepted Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins by faith, then your spirit is perfect (Heb. 12:23)! Your spirit has been born again. A million years from now, your spirit will be identical to what it is right now, and it is identical to Jesus (1 Cor. 6:17 and 1 John 4:17). One-third of your redemption is complete.

So, am I making light of sin or saying sin doesn’t matter? No! Sin is a terrible thing, and it’s an inroad for Satan into your life (Rom. 6:16). I hate sin! I probably live a holier life than most of you reading this. I just value the blood and the atonement of Jesus more than above sin. His sacrifice is infinitely greater than all the past, present, and future transgressions of the entire human race. Jesus overpaid our debt.

You might say, “What about 1 John 1:9?”

I’m glad you brought that up.

First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (brackets added).

We don’t have to confess sin in order to be saved, to retain, or to maintain our salvation. If I believed that were so, I would kill every person who came forward for salvation. I might go to hell, but that’s the only way they would ever get to heaven. We need to confess sin, not to be born again, but because our flesh gets defiled. That gives Satan a legal right to function in our flesh (Rom. 6:16).

Confessing we have sinned means we are coming back into agreement with God and out of agreement with the devil. That stops Satan from dominating us through that sin and draws the forgiveness and purity, which are already in our born-again spirits, out into our flesh.

Our born-again spirits are already eternally redeemed (Heb. 9:12). The other two-thirds, your soul and body, have also been purchased by His blood, but their redemption has not yet taken place. However, God has made provision for this as well.

Romans 8:23 reads, “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.”

Ephesians 1:14 says, “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

Renewed Mind, Renewed Life

When redemption is complete in spirit, soul, and body, we will know Him as we are known (1 Cor. 13:12). But until then, we can experience a renewed mind through His Word. And although we are waiting for the redemption of our bodies, we can receive healing while we live in our mortal bodies. God has made provision for both the soul and the body, even though their redemption has not yet been made manifest.

Unfortunately, most Christians are not taking advantage of these provisions. They have not renewed their minds and often don’t understand that we are also redeemed from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13). The average New Testament believer is still trying to get God to respond to them based on their performance. Why? Because they don’t realize that the performance covenant of the Old Testament Law is over. We are now under the New Testament ministry of grace and faith (2 Cor. 3:7–8).

Freedom from the Law

The Law was given to convict people of their self-righteousness so they could see their need for a Savior. Praise God, we are no longer under the Law. First Timothy 1:9 says that the Law is not made for a righteous man. And who is righteous? Any person who is born again (2 Cor. 5:21).

Hebrews 7:12 and 18 say, “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. . . . For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.”

The Radical Shift

What a radical statement! A disannulling! The word disannulling literally means cancellation, to make null and void. The Old Testament Law has been nullified, canceled, and done away with. The Law was weak and unprofitable. It was only a stop-gap measure until Jesus came (Gal. 3:23–25).

Ephesians 1:3–5 says, “[He] hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings. . . . He hath chosen us. . . . Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children” (brackets added).

In the Greek, the word hath is in the aorist tense, which means it is a done deal—an accomplished fact. So, how blessed is “all spiritual blessings”? Ephesians 1:6 says that we have been accepted in the Beloved. That is a super understatement. The Greek word for “accepted” is only used twice in the New Testament. The other place is in Luke 1, where the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.

Gabriel said, “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee” (Luke 1:28, emphasis added).

The Greek word for “highly favoured” is the same one translated “accepted” in Ephesians 1:6. When it says that we are accepted in the Beloved, it is saying He has made us highly favored. Mary has nothing over a born-again believer. Every one of us is accepted, chosen, and highly favored. It’s all part of redemption.

Embracing Our Identity in Redemption

Understanding redemption—the complete forgiveness of your sins—is foundational to understanding the New Covenant and how God deals with you today. If you’re born again and still asking questions like, “Can I lose my salvation?” “If I die with unconfessed sin, will I go to heaven?” or “Does God answer the prayers of someone who still sins?” then you do not understand redemption.

Redemption is very practical. Your understanding of it will determine what you are able to receive from God, not just in eternity, but here and now.