Forgiveness of Sins
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death.
Hebrews 9:14
History is God’s story of redemption. God began to unfold His plan of redemption by establishing a covenant with Abraham. Abraham had been living in Harran when God forever changed his story by telling him to go to a land that He would reveal (see Genesis 12:1-3). God promised Abraham that his descendants would multiply and that from his seed would come the Messiah, who would be a blessing to all the peoples of the earth (see Matthew 1:1).
God continued His plan by forming a covenant with the nation of Israel through Moses (see Exodus 19–24). He gave them the Ten Commandments and set up a sacrificial system by which they could make atonement for their sins. However, as the writer of Hebrews would later state, this manmade sanctuary “was only a copy of the true one” that would come with the advent of Christ (Hebrews 9:24).
The sacrificial system set the stage for the coming of Jesus, who was the only perfect sacrifice who could atone for the sins of all people. “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12). Christ did not enter a “sanctuary made with human hands” but into “heaven itself . . . to appear for us in God’s presence” (verse 24).
Under the old covenant, God’s people had to present a sacrifice without spot or blemish as atonement for their sins (see Leviticus 4). This provided only a temporary covering of sin, for no animal could qualify as the perfect sacrifice needed to remove the stain of sin. Nor could any person qualify on the basis of his or her own righteousness, for all of humanity’s “righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Only Jesus could serve as the perfect sacrifice. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Christ died “once for all” for our sins (Hebrews 9:12,26), and no further sacrifice is needed. He forgave our past, present and future sins—for when He died for all for our transgressions, all of our sins were in the future! This does not give us a license to keep on sinning but is just a gracious means by which we can approach God (see Romans 6:1-2). We confess our sins so we can walk in the light of Christ (see 1 John 1:5-9), but it is Jesus’ death alone—not our confession—that makes forgiveness possible.
Jesus’ perfect sacrifice provided the way for God to restore the relationship with humanity that had been lost during the Fall. Because of Jesus’ willingness to bear all of our sins on the cross, that sin no longer separates us from God. The author of Hebrews concludes, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus . . . let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us” (Hebrews 10:19,22).
a few questions to ponder:
Are your sins forgiven because you confessed them or because Christ died for them? Explain your answer.
What was the purpose of the sacrificial system in the Old Testament? Why wasn’t it enough to meet our needs today?
There are no instructions in 1 John 1:5-9 admonishing Christians to ask God to forgive them, but we are instructed to confess our sins. What is the difference?
How has knowing that you are forgiven for your past, present, and future sins affected the way you live?
In Romans 6:1, Paul asks, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” How would you answer this question?”
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.