FUTURE SINS AUTOMATICALLY FORGIVEN?

Are the future sins of Christians automatically forgiven (FSAF)?

It is true to say that Christ’s death on the cross paid for all the sins of man, even those who were born centuries after that event – and even for us today.

Unlike the high priest in Old Testament days who has to sacrifice the blood of animals to atone for the sins of the people year after year, Christ’s sacrifice was distinctively superior: “Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood he went into the Most Holy Place once for all and secured our eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12).

“Eternal redemption: A redemption price which should stand good for ever, when once offered; and an endless redemption from sin, in reference to the pardon of which, and reconciliation to God, there needs no other sacrifice: it is eternal in its merit and efficacy.” (Clarke's Commentary on the Bible).

From the above, we gather that through a single act at a point in time 2000 years ago  – through shedding His blood at the cross  – Christ has made an ‘all time’ provision for man’s sin to be forgiven.

When we do sin and then confess our sin, we will be forgiven because, ever since Calvary, Christ’s blood avails for us. We are justified on the basis of faith in His cleansing blood.

Some teach that God has already forgiven all the future sins of believers and, as such, we should put the ‘sin issue’ behind us and banish ‘sin consciousness’ from our lives. Some even say we no longer need to confess our sins. When God looks at us, all He is going to see is Christ’s blood, not our sins whether it is past, present or future. We merely rest in the "imputed righteousness of Christ".

Is it rational to say Christ’s blood covers all our future sins even before it came into being? Can you be given a reprieve for a traffic offence when you have not committed the wrongdoing? It is ridiculous to go to someone and say, “I forgive you”, when that person has not offended you. 

And does not such a teaching encourage a lax attitude towards holy living since everything has already been “sealed” if we agree with the premise that God has forgiven all the future sins of believers.

The purpose of this article is to show that all the foregoing (in blue) is dangerous extra-biblical teaching.

First, if we think God has already automatically forgiven all our future sins (even before we have ever committed it), then we will face problems in explaining the existence of the following references:

                                                                        
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16).

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). (Notice these injunctions were written to * believers. Why do believers still have to confess their sins if all their future sins have been forgiven?)

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:15). (Why did Jesus bring up this matter of conditional forgiveness if the believer’s sin is no longer an issue?)

                                                                       

“If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them (2 Peter 2:20-21). (Here Peter states that believers who deny the faith stand condemned. This does not gel with the premise that all the future sins of believers have been forgiven).

Paul had to pass judgment on those who committed incest (1 Corinthians 5:1-5). (If sin is no longer an issue for believers, why is there a need to deal with it seriously?).

Second, let us deal with the issue of ‘sin-consciousness’. We should not ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit when He convicts us of sin. By banishing ‘sin consciousness’, as the errant FSAF doctrine teaches, we are hardening our hearts and suppressing the voice of conscience. The Bible also refers to instances when we should not grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). 

To ignore the voice of conscience is to go down the slippery slope of damnation and judgment: ^"Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith (1 Timothy 1:18-19).

“This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (1 John 3:19-21).

Despite the fact that conscience is not perfect, it is a tool which God uses to alert us to any sin. When “our hearts condemn us”, it’s our conscience sounding the alarm, leading us to confess our sin and repent. Conversely, we are confident before God when our conscience is not pricked.  http://bit.ly/18MKpM9

In a sense, it is true that we should not be overly ‘sin conscious’ since Christ through the cross has enabled us to overcome sin. But we must not fail to recognise the fact that the propensity to sin is a reality in our lives as is evident in Romans chapter 7: 14-20 and Galatians chapter 5:16-21.  http://bit.ly/1awc42C

Third, our final destination (whether we land up in heaven or hell) isn’t solely decided at the “point of entry” – when we accept Christ. We certainly cannot lean on the “assurance” that all our future sins have been forgiven at the point of conversion just because this or that illustrious teacher of FSAF says so.

On the contrary, our final destination (whether we land up in heaven or hell) is based on our spiritual state just before we expire or when Christ comes again (whichever comes first).

A man of God who performs great signs and wonders but commits adultery and apostasy at the last lap of life’s journey stands condemned whereas a dying thief who has faith and commits himself to Christ during life’s final moments passes into heaven with rejoicing. Our eternal fate is NOT decided merely at the point of entry (conversion) as these teachers of FSAF would have us believe.

If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die. But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life (Ezekiel 18:26-27).  http://bit.ly/1mIQKvq

The parable of the ten virgins emphasises the fact that we have to be watchful and prepared so that we are not caught off guard when Christ returns. Only the five wise virgins with oil in their lamps made it to the marriage feast (Matthew 25:1-13).

If we manage to pull up our socks, spiritually speaking, just before we pass away or just before Christ returns, then we will positively alter our final destination. O boy, what a difference that would make to our final resting place – heaven or hell!

Who says all our future sins will be forgiven the moment we become believers? 

Isn’t that a ploy by Satan to encourage complacency, careless and irresponsible living?

                                                                    

Satan rejoices when believers rest in a false sense of security that all is well, that all their sins have been dealt with once and for all at the point of conversion. This condition reminds me of the frog which finds great delight sitting in a basin of warm water. Finally, when water temperature reaches boiling point, it is too late to jump out of the water.

“Simply stated, there is not a single verse anywhere in the Bible that pronounces us already forgiven for our future sins (meaning, sins we have not yet committed). Not one verse. Nowhere. Not even a hint of such a concept.”

"The fundamental deception in hyper-grace is that all of your future sins are forgiven in advance."

― Dr Michael  Brown, Hyper-Grace: Exposing the Dangers of the Modern Grace Message

 

Footnotes:

* 

That John is writing to believers is plain from the following verses: “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.” (1 John 3:13). “My LITTLE CHILDREN, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1John 2:1). The audience has experienced the new birth and clearly has a close relationship with a fatherly John, who spells out the remedy for setting themselves right before God in the event they fall into sin.

To recap on Future Sins Forgiven:

Christ has made an ‘all time’ provision for the sins of mankind to be forgiven. That means a person “A” who accepts Christ in 2020 will enjoy the benefits of forgiveness; similarly a person “B” who accepts Christ in 2030 will also enjoy these benefits.

However “A” only enjoys forgiveness of his or her past or present sins, not future sins. Similarly, “B” only enjoys forgiveness of his or her past or present sins, not future sins.

For an extensive coverage of future sins:

A Christian's Future Sins
Are NOT Automatically Forgiven

http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/futuresins.htm

http://faith2ndhalf.blogspot.com/2013/02/confronting-error-of-hyper-grace.html