No matter what your past looks like, know that you are never too far gone from the Lord.
In talking with a fellow believer recently, I was posed with a question. She had been struggling with a certain sin for many years, and she thought that since she struggled with this specific sin, she was not saved or could somehow lose her salvation. After reassuring her that she was saved because she placed faith in Jesus and reminding her that we will all continue to sin even after the moment of salvation, she asked another question as to whether all of our sins are actually forgiven. With this in mind, it gave me the desire to speak more about it.
Total Forgiveness
If you are worried about whether or not all of your sins were forgiven at the moment of salvation, you can be assured today that they were. Sins from your past, present, and future were forgiven at the foot of the cross. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He died for the sins of the entire world (1 John 2:2). In other words, He did not suffer and die for only a select number of sins. Rather, He died for the sins of the entire world, including every sin you have ever committed or will commit in the future.
In this way, we can see that all our sins are forgiven because of Jesus. It is because of Jesus that we can stand without fear of the future. If Jesus did not come to die for our sins, we would still be lost. None of our sins would be forgiven because God Himself had not yet come to die for the world. As it is, God has, indeed, descended from Heaven and died the death we deserved to repair our broken relationship with Him. Not only this, but the Lord also conquered death through His resurrection.
This makes Jesus both the Lord of the dead and the living (Romans 14:9). Jesus is God in the flesh, which means God Himself died for us. In no other religion or faith system do you see their “god” doing this. Rather, only in Christianity do we see God coming down from heaven to die the death we deserved. Through this, we also see that through Jesus’ death, we have now been given the opportunity to accept His free gift of salvation by placing faith in Him. This is a beautiful truth that can help us remember we have been totally forgiven by God.
While we will all continue to sin throughout our earthly lives, we can ask for forgiveness, and the Lord will forgive us. The Bible tells us, “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). As the Apostle John tells us in this passage, we can confess our sins to God, and He will forgive us. Never think that any of your sins are “too bad” for God to forgive. He can and will forgive any sins you confess to Him.
Moving Forward and Letting Go of Past Sins
After you have confessed your sins, it is important to know that you do not have to live the rest of your life held in bondage to guilt because of this sin. It is time to move forward and let go of these past sins. The devil wants to make us ineffective for Christ and to hinder our walk with the Lord. Since this is one of the devil’s main goals, he will try to make us continue to feel bad about past sins that have already been forgiven by God. Do not let the devil make you feel this way.
Rather than allowing the devil to continue in his schemes, remind yourself that God has already forgiven you for these past sins. In God’s sight, the sin is completely forgiven and covered by the blood of Jesus. No matter what your past looks like, know that you are never too far gone from the Lord. He runs to you with open arms, and He wants to give you peace. The Lord does not want you to live a life feeling guilty over past sins. He has already forgiven them, and you can move on with your life.
When you move forward and let go of your past sins, you will be able to have a closer relationship with God and a mature Christian life. All of your sins have been forgiven, and they will never be held against you. Since you confessed your sins and repented, you are doing what God commands. God knows we are all going to mess up and sin; however, what is important is what we do afterward and what we will do to prevent ourselves from repeating the sin.
The Future Eradication of Sin
We will all continue to sin throughout our lives; however, there will be a day when sin will be eradicated. For believers, this will come at one of two times. If we die before the time of the rapture, our sinful nature will be eradicated at the time of our death when we leave our earthly bodies and go to heaven. However, if we are alive at the time of the rapture, we will be transformed into our glorified bodies, in which our sinful nature will be eradicated (1 Corinthians 15:49). This is a beautiful promise to look forward to one day.
Not only will we not have a sinful nature anymore, but we will also never have to face death, pain, or tears anymore (Revelation 21:4). This will be realized at the moment when God establishes the New Heaven and New Earth. In those days, there will no longer be any sin—ever again. This will be when sin will officially be eradicated. All unbelievers, Satan, his demons, the antichrist, and the false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire, and along with them, all sin (Revelation 20:10). There will no longer be any sin in existence after this time.
In the Eternal Kingdom, we will never have problems ever again. Due to Jesus forgiving our sins and giving us salvation, we are blessed to spend eternity with the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We will live with our fellow believers and walk with the Lord. We can all look forward to this day with a joyful heart. During this life, we will still struggle with sin, yet, one day, we will no longer struggle with sin. Sin causes us many problems, like rifts in relationships, friendships, and life; however, one day, we will not have to worry about it anymore.
For the time being, we need to do our best to live for the Lord and to ask for forgiveness when we commit a sin. It is also important to repent of the sin and to turn away from it (Acts 3:19). This will be a struggle, but the Lord can help you. He will forgive all of your sins and cover you with His love, grace, and mercy.
So, the answer is yes. As a born-again Christian, all of your sins are really forgiven, and they will never be held against you. God doesn’t work like fallen humans do. Rather, when He says you are forgiven, you are eternally forgiven. Bless His holy name!
Photo Credit: ©Thinkstock/chaunpis
