In spite of whatever ups and downs you've had on this planet ... whatever inconsistencies and broken promises you've lived or experienced from others ... no matter what the struggles ... we have a guarantee. It's Jesus. While the religions of the world (often including Christianity) will tend to focus on 'our' doing, our methods, our efforts and our good deeds to be seen by others—God made an oath with Himself that you and I can't invalidate. Therefore, neither can He—because He is the one true Promise Keeper.
Behavior improvements are beneficial for us and those around us. But you are not identified by performance and what you're "doing for God." Our eternal redemption is not established on improvements but is based on 'being' perfect through an act that a Savior did for us. God will not relate to you on the basis of good or bad performance. On the other side of that coin, true peace and freedom will be more fully experienced when we stop relating to Him on the basis of our performance and begin to embrace our righteous identity that has been gifted to us by grace.
When we discover a revelation of God's grace, Christians who have been inundated with doctrines of doing in order to maintain right standing with God will be confronted with something that may challenge their past mindset.
Under a legalistic, self-righteous, mixed-covenant church culture, it was more about 'doing things' in order to please God; to receive blessings, to keep from being punished, or to be noticed by others (all in the name of having a good testimony). We were programmed to think it was up to us and our obedience to remain tethered into fellowship with God. Many came from a mindset where failing to do 'enough of the stuff' might risk how God will react to them. The motivation was based more upon avoiding God becoming angry with them or withholding blessings.
While living in the unchangeable grace and perfect love of God at all times, what is our motivation compared to the above? Now that we know blessings and forgiveness are secure and complete in Christ by the gift of His grace, what is the motivation for loving and helping others and doing good things? In short, we'll find it in knowing and believing in God's perfect love and who we already are in Him.
When we talk about the once-for-all forgiveness found in the one sacrifice through the blood of Jesus, we'll often notice a variety of spiritual muscle spasms from those who had a (1) particular Bible verse taken out of context and pounded into them for many years, found in 1 John 1:9.
Considering what we have covered in recent programs about forgiveness, how does this mesh with what we find in other passages? Was John really talking to believers to encourage them to remember to confess each individual sin ... sins that God declared He would no longer remember inside of a new and better covenant? And if that were true, where would it leave a person if they didn't confess every wrongdoing? Can we walk in and out of fellowship with God while consistently going back and forth between abiding in the light or darkness? Is it confession or blood that causes us to receive forgiveness?
One more question that absolutely needs to be answered within our hearts: Is the forgiveness of sins from God dependent upon you or something you do ... or is it the result of a Savior who bled, died and rose one time? Let's get some answers with a consistent context that will help make people truly free indeed.
Blood was a big deal in the Old Covenant which came by way of Moses. The entire law and everything that came with it was dedicated with blood. It turns out it was just symbolic for something far superior that would come later—the blood of Jesus. The writer of Hebrews points out the contrasts in how the first covenant was incapable of bringing what the people needed. The New Covenant established with the blood of Jesus would remedy everything necessary that the first covenant could not. And it would be available for the entire world.
