In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us (Ephesians 1:7, 8a).
Barbara was not happy with what she was hearing on the Basic Gospel broadcast. As a matter of fact, she was downright mad!
The subject for the day was the New Covenant, and specifically, the fourth promise of the New Covenant: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary" (Hebrews 10:17, 18).
Jesus' accomplishment, or as one writer put it, his achievement, means your sins are no longer an issue to God. They've been forgiven. Nothing more needs to be done.
From a human perspective, this doesn't sound right. It seems that there must be something we need to do when we sin. This was Barbara's issue. "When we sin," she argued, "we are supposed to say we are sorry and ask God to forgive us." That's how we think. The problem is that grace doesn't conform to our way of thinking.
There is nothing wrong in saying to God you are sorry for your sin. You can ask God to forgive each and every sin as well. However, the sorry in your heart and the confession on your lips does not bring about God's forgiveness. If they did, forgiveness would cease to be an act of grace on God's part.
Forgiveness of sins has already been given to every believer. Jesus already dealt with your sin. He took the punishment and forgave it once and for all. In Christ, you are a forgiven person.
Instead of focusing on your sin, begin to train yourself to focus on Christ's finished work on the cross, the forgiveness of sins. When you sin, thank God for his gift of mercy on your behalf.
In Him,
Bob Christopher