The 28 Day Forgiveness Challenge — Day 22
“Are you saying that since I am totally forgiven, I can just go out and do whatever I want to do?”
I have heard that question more times than I can count from listeners of our daily radio broadcast, Basic Gospel.
This question isn’t new. The Apostle Paul was hit with it almost everywhere he traveled. Many today are asking the same questions. Some of the questions stem from Paul’s bold claim in 1 Corinthians 6:12: “Everything is permissible to me.”
As believers in Christ, we are free. We are free to submit to the desires of the flesh. But, just like Paul, we are also free to submit to the desires of the Spirit. Both are permissible. Only one is profitable.
Knowing that we are forgiven helps us choose the profitable path.
When we give in to the desires of the flesh, we put ourselves under the control of sin. For the child of God, this doesn’t make sense. Paul understood that. He had had enough of being mastered by sin. He willingly submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit in order to experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.
No, the truth of total forgiveness of sins does not lead to reckless living. God’s love as expressed in forgiveness always leads to a life of trust and dependence upon Him.
There is nothing more profitable in life than knowing and experiencing the love of Jesus Christ. That’s how you live in grace.
Forgiveness Challenge #22 – Understand that we have the freedom to choose what we will depend on at any given moment. Remind yourself that the right choice is to plant yourself firmly in the middle of the forgiveness you’ve been given.
“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? (Romans 6:1-2 NLT)
Well then being dead to sin, we are, yet we are not, being in an unredeemed body, so we are to reckon self dead to sin by Christ at the cross. Are we to be so to speak co-crucified, Christ’s death our death?
Romans 6 [Full Chapter]
[ Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ ] What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? …
Romans 6:11
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
That is very hard to wrap ones mind around isn’t it? I mean with all the growing up teachings of do good to get good? It was at least I that grew up if I am not good then I will not get good, ex: Christmas presents? So I learned to act good, even if I wasn’t. Became a good fake. And if I did get caught I would ask for forgiveness and get away with it, kind of like took it for granted, used it to my advantage
So one day I came to a crossroad, and repented, went into a spin-tail, like a dog chasing its tail, or a rat on the wheel, until God showed me I can’t ever accomplish what he has accomplished for me, and to rest in that. To trust in God no matter what takes place in life good or bad, and that by this trust if I remain in trust, God will let me see through that mirror, and the darkness I see in me as well as others. Today seeing through it deeper and deeper and deeper with these verses below
1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.
Ephesians 3:16-18New International Version (NIV)
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
1 John 2 [Full Chapter]
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. [ Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers ] We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. …
Than you Bob for this ministry that spring loaded me to learn to just trust and not masquerade as good to get good, when God gave me all I need for life and Godliness, life everlasting, I can’t think of any better gift. And Gift, very hard to Fathom, yet it is what it is?
Hey Bob,3 verses earlier Paul says that through the disobedience of one man many were made sinners.Is Adam and Eve’s one sin adultery or maybe idolatry or maybe breaking the Sabbath? Or,put another way,was the real issue that Adam was never meant to TAKE the fruit.It was meant for Jesus to take the fruit 4000 years later and precipitate his own death…that provided all forgiveness resulting in “the all will be made righteous”?