03 Sep The Timeless Cross of Christ
There is a sense in Christianity, or at least within most believers that forgiveness works because of the cross, but that it works only as far as today. What I mean is, if you sin, you go to Christ and confess your failure, and are forgiven up to this very minute, but if you were to sin again tomorrow, you’d need to confess again to get that sin forgiven.
So there is a sense in that we have to continually “apply the cross” to our lives to keep ourselves up to date with Christ. Scriptures like 1 John 1:8-9 confirm to us that this is how it is. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
But the reality is that when Christ died for our sins, we had not been born yet, and none of our sins had yet been committed, but he had paid for all of them. All of our sins were in the future, and all of them were paid for.
In addition, the Lord is fully aware of our sinful state, and the sin that we are yet to commit. When he extends his grace and forgiveness to us in any given moment, he knows of our future failings at that point, but gives grace anyway. The love of God is thus eternal and timeless, and the cross as the physical sign of His love in this world is the same.
If you and I are wronged by another human, someone who perhaps steals from us, and they seek our forgiveness, as believers we forgive. But we would be less likely to forgive if we knew that this individual would intentionally sin against us in the future, and perhaps even do the same thing again. Our love would no longer be unconditional. But Christ extends grace knowing full well that often, this is what we do to Him.
The reality is that when you become a believer, and are born again, you join the family of God. You are now in relationship with your heavenly Father through Christ, and the Holy Spirit dwells in you. At that moment ALL your sins are washed away, and you are accepted.
So when you fail, you are not suddenly outside the family, and not suddenly unacceptable. Rather your wrongdoing is a relational matter to work through. Just as a marriage is formed and should not be dissolved, but each issue must be worked through as it arises. So your walk with Christ requires confession, and forgiveness to maintain the relationship with Him. But all the while, His love for you is assured, and your place in His family secure.
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