We've received some heartbreaking letters over the years from people living in fear and torment. Much of this is because of misinformation being communicated from those claiming to be educated Bible teachers. Some are leading a local church, while others are quite popular nationally, with books, big churches, and TV or radio ministries. Some even prefer to be called "doctor."
There are far too many people today who have been told that their salvation and justification is not guaranteed ... that it is up to them to do things to try and maintain an acceptable position with God. Let's take a closer look at the truly good news found within a better covenant that cannot fail because God swore by Himself with a promise—because He could swear by no one greater. It ushered in a permanent, eternal High Priest.
This assurance allows us to draw near to God through a better hope which is an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast.
Over the years, we've heard from believers who attended church regularly and would often walk out of the building wondering if they were still saved. They heard a works-based message which planted fear and doubt because they would begin questioning whether they were "doing enough" to guarantee their salvation. Certain people from the legalistic department who self-identify as judgmental "fruit inspectors" will suggest that some who have confessed Jesus Christ and called on the name of the Lord "didn't really mean it" and therefore, did not have a genuine conversion. They will point to works as the manifested proof in the pudding. But they fail to provide the specifics—or it will vary greatly among the denominations.
The blessed assurance or guarantee we have is found within the person of Jesus Christ and belief in Him. Although we are created in Christ for good works—God working in and through us—salvation is a gift by grace through faith (apart from works) and is not the result of any effort on our part. As Paul said in Romans 4:5: "But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness."
When religionists insist on a balance between law and grace—or works and faith—it often leaves people in a state of uncertainty. When not very familiar with the accomplishments of the cross of Jesus, they may try putting forth some type of effort to ensure they are in right standing with God… even to make sure they “maintain” their salvation. It becomes more about doing instead of being.
The question we need to ask is … exactly what work or works can people do to ensure they are in an acceptable position with God? What act can we possibly perform to ensure we’re saved, forgiven, accepted, blessed and perfectly loved? Our honest answer should be that we can add nothing to the finished work and shed blood of Jesus. He “did” for us what we can never “do” for ourselves.
Imagine realizing that God isn’t angry with you, is not disappointed with you, is not counting sins against you, and loves you perfectly and unconditionally. Finally, peace and rest, without fear of wondering if you’re okay with God or that God is okay with you. And then it happens. Religious, legalistic, and yes, even Bible-verse-quoting folks from the land of self-righteousness invade your territory, seeking to take away the seeds of grace God planted within you.
They’ll come up with all kinds of different ways to convince you (from the Bible!) that you’ll need to repeatedly keep seeking more forgiveness from God. They somehow think there are methods and formulas which are more effective than the blood of Jesus—which was shed one time. It’s time to stop and ask ourselves a question … why do you think Jesus’ blood only needed to be shed once, and not over and over again?
Forgiveness from God has nothing to do with whether you confess all of your sins or because a pastor or priest declared it to be so; it is because of the blood of Jesus that has already been shed, once for all. Christian religionists have hammered a single verse from the Bible to imply you must confess every wrongdoing in order to be forgiven and cleansed. This week, we’ll quickly run through a list of passages showing the assurance we have already acquired when it comes to God’s forgiveness.
As we talked about a couple of podcasts ago, the writer of Hebrews was telling his readers that the animal sacrifices through the law came to an end, so they were not to go down that path anymore for forgiveness of sins, but rather they were to believe in the one sacrifice of Jesus that was sufficient for all sins for all time. If they reject the one perfect sacrifice of Jesus, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. That’s really what Hebrews 10:26 is saying.
During a discussion on social media, a statement was made by someone that the sacrifice of Jesus "does NOT cover willful sinning." That is quite a breathtaking statement - and quite sad - and it misses the entire point of the book of Hebrews. So this week we dig a little more into this controversial passage in Hebrews. We also take a look at other scriptures about sin being taken away, that have no such added conditions regarding "willful" sin. Many scriptures plainly say that we are saved by grace, through faith (by believing), and they do not add any such caveat that this isn’t true if we sin willfully. In fact, many scriptures highlight the fact that we have the forgiveness, remission and removal of ALL sin through the blood of Jesus. The book of Hebrews was not written to scare believers, but rather to assure them of the sufficiency of the blood of Jesus. The warning about "willful sin" was not directed at people who sin, but rather at people who reject the sacrifice of Jesus as the only sacrifice that takes away all their sin.
A verse that is often misunderstood and used ruthlessly by religious legalists within Christianity, is found in Hebrews 10:26: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.” Individual verses without context will lead us into a place of misunderstanding. Various teachings from this passage have led people into a place of fear and uncertainty. Our program this week will bring a reminder of that “blessed assurance” so many have been missing.
