Torch, Summer 1995

happened. Many believers can-y an unnecessary burden of guilt while living a life of spiritual paralysis. Our lives too often demonstrate that we believe the atonement of God 's Son somehow is not sufficient to care for our sin. We have accepted God 's everlasting forgiveness through regeneration. We readily give testimony to the fact that the finished work of Christ on Calvary has purchased our redemption . We believe and defend the fact that we are going to heaven when we die. But what about the meantime? What about our ongoing lives lived on planet earth? Christ 's blood not only cleanses us so that we can eventually go to heaven, but it continually cleanses (purifies) the believer from all sin- past, present, and future. 1 John 1:7 says, "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." That cleansing is an ongoing, continuous act of purification accomplished by God. Forgiveness is an objective fact because of the finished work of Christ at Calvary. Feelings of forgiveness are subjective . We may not always feel forgiven at the outset, but if God declares us forgiven , we are genuinely and totally forgiven. When God announces that we are forgiven , it is blatant arrogance on our part not to accept His forgiveness. It is also the height of sinful pride on our part to accept God 's forgiveness and then not forgive anyone whom God forgives. The servant forgiven by his Lord of a huge debt suffered at the hands of the tormentors because he subsequently refused to forgive a fellow servant who owed him a much smaller debt (Matthew 18:26-35). What hope then is there for the Christian who has sinned and become impure? What hope is there for the single young person who has lost his or her virginity? What hope is there for the man who struggles with lustful thoughts? What hope is there for the guilty thief or murderer? What hope is there for the woman who has allowed bitterness and anger to ruin a relationship? For the genuine believer, our hope is in the most powerful force available to us today: real forgiveness! All believers live by grace and walk in forgiveness . The basis of our forgiveness is the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross. " If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The word "confess" means "to agree with." When we confess our sins to God the Father, we are agreeing with His attitude about sin. All sin is against God, it is destructive to God's purpose for our lives , and it carries with it painful consequences . Confession also assumes that we are taking responsibility for our sins. We are not taking the popular route of blaming someone or something else. Our confession demonstrates that we see ourselves as God sees us in relationship to our sin . Our confession does not talk God into forgiving us. He did that at the cross through the shed blood of His Son. Instead, our necessary confession restores us immediately to our previous level of fellowship and intimacy from our perspective. We are the ones who change, not God. He already knows everything about the sins we are yet to commit and His response is forever the same- we are forgiven! What hope is there for each and every believer? Our hope is in genuine forgiveness. No matter what sins we have committed, purity can be freely restored through the marvelous grace of God- particularly through the grace of forgiveness . God does not want any Christian to be paralyzed by guilt, fear, or a sense of inadequacy. If you have blown it, there is freedom– freedom from guilt, freedom to please God, and freedom to serve Him! So, if you've fallen, agree with God about your sin. Your sin is against God. Accept responsibility for your sin. Secondly, acknowledge God's forgiveness. You are forgiven based upon the cross of Calvary. Christ paid the price for your sin and removed your guilt. And lastly, don't let Satan deceive you. Satan cannot get the believer's soul, but he can make you feel condemned and unforgiven. Remember the great truth of Romans 8: 1, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. " Robert Rohm is vice president for Christian ministries at Cedarville College. A development officer at the College for the past nine years , Rohm previously was an associate pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Fruitport, Michigan with a special ministry to college-age young people. He and his wife , Lynn , are graduates of Cedarville College . Bob also earned the M.R.E. degree from Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary. Torch 15