Forgiveness and redemption
The most renowned blessing of God the Father is that He has forgiven us of our debts. But did you know that God has forgiven us and delivered us from the power of sin? In chapter 4, we read that we have been transferred from the devil's Kingdom to God's Kingdom. We have become citizens of heaven and citizens of the Kingdom. The general will of God is that everyone should resemble the Lord Jesus; therefore, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God has redeemed us from sin and made us sacred. We may be exemplary citizens in God's Kingdom, not by our strength, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.
For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)
Forgiveness of Sins
God is willing to forgive us of our sins. Often, sins aren't depicted as particularly bad; it can be something exciting, something naughty, or sneaky that is, in fact, forbidden. When the Bible talks about sins, sin isn't considered mischief or doing something naughty. Sin is terrible and is rebelling against God. Because of sin, man fails to fulfill his purpose and destiny. God had placed Adam and Eve in the garden to rule it, maintain it, and walk with God. Through the Fall, Adam and Eve missed this purpose and calling, and they missed the blessing and presence of God. In addition, sin destroys yourself, your fellow man, and the world. God's intention is for us to live in peace with one another. Sin causes peace to disappear. For example, this happens the moment we steal, cheat, kill, be unfaithful, or act unkindly. God equates sin against another human being with sin against Him. We can also sin directly against God by replacing Him with idols or not acknowledging Him as God. Sin destroys us. God thinks sin is so bad that He wants and must punish sin. The penalty for sin is very high, and God cannot simply condone it. It is an eternal punishment.
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)
Furthermore, sinning is dangerous. It is a spiritual power that wants to take over your life and cause you to sin more frequently. We see this with addictions. It often starts very "innocently" with one time doing something: one time bullying someone, one-time doing drugs, one-time seeing porn, or a single lie. But when sin has you in its grip; it doesn't let go easily. Starting it is easy; quitting is, on your own, complicated. This is because sin wants to take over your life and gain dominion over your soul. Sin wants to be the lord of your life, so you are a slave to it.
Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin." (John 8:34)
For when you were slaves of sin (…). (Romans 6:20)
While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. (2 Peter 2:19)
Sin is an enslaver, a very nasty and unpleasant enslaver. The power of sin destroys lives. Think of the wars, addictions, broken families, debts from gambling, or the deterioration of the body through drugs and alcohol. In the end, God punishes every sin.
The first blessing we deal with is the forgiveness of sins. God has to punish sins and forgive everyone who trusts the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus paid the price through which our debts and sins could be ransomed. We deserve punishment, but God gives us the blessing.
Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins (…). (Acts 13:38)
When we say that God forgives our sins, it means that God no longer thinks about things we have done wrong in the past. God overlooks our past mistakes and shortcomings. They are forgiven and forgotten, and God has taken away the charges and punishment we once deserved.
And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Colossians 2:13-14)
When we come to faith, all our wrongdoings are forgiven. Without any merit or any performance on our part, God decided to forgive us and erase the handwriting (in Paul's time, handwriting was a document in which a debtor wrote down his debts) against us. All our sins and disobedience are written in this handwriting. God has erased this handwriting. It has become a blank sheet, and we are no longer in debt to God. God does this because He loves us.
For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You. (Psalm 86:5)
Let us read a few more verses that let us know that God wants to forgive us through the work of the Lord Jesus.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace (…). (Ephesians 1:7)
To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43)
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47)
Walking in Forgiveness
God is keen to forgive us of our sins. This is free, but at the same time, God urges us to do certain things to live well in this blessing.
1. God has said that He forgives all our sins. Yet repentance for sins is supposed to be a healthy attitude of a Christian. Repentance means that we regret something we did wrong. A healthy attitude of a Christian is that he wishes, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to be like the Lord Jesus. Nevertheless, we may commit wrong acts. At such times, we regret our choices and realize we are wrong. Sometimes, this feeling can be so intense that we can no longer talk or walk with God. This is a lie. God always wants to forgive us if we come to Him with repentance, no matter what we have done wrong.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:9-10)
When we confess, we may trust that Jesus is loyal and righteous and wants to forgive us. John says that Jesus does this when we confess our sins. To confess sins means that in repentance, we say what we have done wrong and lay the sin before God. In response, God forgives us for our sins.
For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
We show repentance at the beginning of our walk with God. We live in the world and do some wrong things. Then we confessed and repented of our evil walk. That sorrow is according to the will of God. That sorrow causes repentance, and we do not regret this repentance. A sinful attitude of being forgiven is that we have a desire not to want to do the sin we have done again. We change our thoughts and walk. This doesn't only apply to the beginning when we came to faith; this applies to every day of our lives. God wants to forgive those who repentantly ask Him for forgiveness.
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord (…). (Acts 3:19)
Repent of your sins and change your walk with God. If we do, our sins will be erased.
2. The Bible calls at different times to forgive others. This isn't an option; it is a condition from God to be forgiven. If you fail to forgive others, God cannot forgive you, and your debts will not be discharged. Forgiving others can sometimes be difficult. Know that you don't have to do this alone. God wants to give you strength and grace to forgive others.
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)
And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. (Mark 11:25-26)
We see this principle in Jesus's answer to Peter, who asked how often he should forgive someone.
Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him. (Luke 17:3-4)
Forgiving doesn't mean avoiding hurtful or sensitive topics. For example, imagine someone steals fifty dollars from me, and I know it. Then, I may address that person. I may correct him in love and teach him that this is wrong. If this person repents and confesses, it is my job to forgive this person. As God forgives us, may we forgive others around us.
Redemption from Sins
God wishes to forgive us for our sinful acts. That is a great miracle. But God even wants to do more for us. God not only desires to forgive us of our sinful acts but also wants to redeem us from the power of sin. To redeem means to deliver someone from an unpleasant and threatening position or to rescue them from danger. Thus, we are delivered from the devil, sin, and spiritual death. The moment we are born again, we are delivered from sin. This means that God empowers and authorizes us to serve sin no longer but to live in the freedom of the Holy Spirit. Sin, our early enslaver, has no control over our lives. When the angel visited Joseph to tell Joseph that Mary would give birth to the Messiah, the angel said:
(…) and she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
The Lord Jesus has saved the people from their sins. The power and consequences of sin no longer influence believers. Jesus has saved us from this power. Sin no longer requires an influence on our lives. We don't have to serve sin as an enslaved person.
Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. (Romans 6:6-7)
Our old man, namely the life we lived before our being born again, has been crucified along with Jesus. Our old man is full of sin and disobedience. As a result of being crucified together with Jesus, this life has been canceled out. This life has lost its power over us. Consequently, we no longer have to serve sin as an enslaved person. This means that sin must no longer have a grip over our lives and shouldn't have power over our lives. This is because our old man died on the cross. In Israel, there was a Jewish law that a person who had died was no longer liable for the sins he had committed. Thus, the death of our old man ensures that we can no longer be punished for the things we used to do and that we no longer live under the dominion of sin. Suppose you have an employer and an employee. If the employee is alive, he has to work for the employer. If the employee suddenly dies, the employer cannot require him to work. That is out of the question. The first sin was our enslaver. Now, our old man has died, so sin can no longer demand us to sin. We see this in John's first letter.
Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. (1 John 3:6)
Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. (1 John 3:9)
These texts are often perceived as offensive, or readers understand them incorrectly. I believe that wasn't John's intention. John says that believers can no longer sin. This doesn’t mean we can accomplish this through our works; it is God's work in the believer. We can no longer sin when we are born of God (born again). We receive the Holy Spirit, who gives us the power to break free from the chains of sin. We may sin and do wrong things, but according to John, we may confess our sins, and God forgives us. Jesus went to the cross to forgive us and deliver us from sin.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:2-4)
This is a rather complex text. Let's put the NIV next to it, which explains what it says well. It is important to read this text several times because it is powerful.
Because of what Christ Jesus has done, you are free. You are now controlled by the law of the Holy Spirit who gives you life. The law of the Spirit frees you from the law of sin that brings dead. Jesus does for us everything the holy law requires. The power of sin should no longer control the way we live. The Holy Spirit should control the way we live. (Romans 8:2-4 NIV)
When we are born again, we receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit intends to guide our lives, and as a result, we live as God wants us to. This Bible text also states that we first lived under the power of sin and were, therefore, slaves to sin. After being born again, this is no longer the case. We are saved from sin. Jesus has set us free from sin.
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)
But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God (…). (Romans 6:22)
Please remember that the Romans letter says God has already set us free from sin. This doesn't happen at our death; God did it already. God sets us free from sin, which isn't death's work.
Walking in redemption from sins
Two things are essential to walk in this blessing. The first is that Jesus dwells in us, and we are in Jesus. We are unable to stop sinning without the Lord Jesus. Deliverance from sin is a blessing from God, and we must trust that He has delivered us from the power of sin; as John 8:36 says, Jesus set us free, and therefore, we are indeed free. Because we are in Christ, we can overcome sin. This is because our old man died in Christ on the Cross of Calvary, and we live a new life with and in Christ. In a later chapter, we will return to being in Christ.
The Lord Jesus paid the price that allows us to live in redemption from sins. It is the Holy Spirit who performs this in believers. The Holy Spirit overcomes sin in our lives. We read this in Romans 8.
Because of what Christ Jesus has done, you are free. You are now controlled by the law of the Holy Spirit who gives you life. The law of the Spirit frees you from the law of sin that brings dead. (Romans 8:2, NIV)
The Holy Spirit has already done this. This is not something of the future; this is the current situation. At the same time, the Holy Spirit has no desire to take over our lives like a dictator. The Holy Spirit wants to establish a relationship with us. This means that we may listen to the Holy Spirit and obey Him.
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
To conclude, a few practical tips. First, this fundamental principle must be established for you, even if it is not yet reality. Build your faith and know that you are dead to sin.
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:11)
Second, it is essential to say no to sin. Now that we know that sin is no longer the enslaver of our lives, we may say this to the temptations.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. (Romans 6:12)
Jesus released us from sin. It has already happened, and as a result, we no longer allow sin in our lives. We say no to sin and say yes to the things of God. We commit ourselves not to the service of sin but to the service of God.
And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. (Romans 6:13)
Third, it is important to confess our faults to God, and after we have sinned, make the decision to obey God again and walk according to the ways of the Holy Spirit again.
Justified and Sanctified
God has forgiven and redeemed us from sin. And God's grace doesn't stop there. God has decided that everyone who is born again is justified. When God looks at you, He doesn't see sin, but He sees the righteousness of Christ in you. Jesus has made you righteous and declared you righteous. Righteous means everything is fair, and we do what Jesus did. It is often said, "But we all remain sinners anyway." This is not Biblical. Nowhere in the Bible is a letter begun with the initial greeting, "Dear sinners at ..." In our old life, we were sinners. In our new life, after being born again, we are righteous and saints. In many letters, Paul addresses the opening salutation to "the saints at ..."
To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints (…). (Romans 1:7)
(…) to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints (…). (1 Corinthians 1:2)
(…) to the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia (…). (2 Corinthians 1:1)
(…) To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus (…). (Ephesians 1:1)
(…) to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi (…). (Philippians 1:1)
(…) To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse (…). (Colossians 1:2)
Our identity is no longer that of a sinner but that of a justified one and a saint. Let us first look at the concept of justification.
(…) and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39)
Justification is the identity of the believer. Justification has nothing to do with following the law correctly; it is the position God has put us in. We cannot become justified by our works, and we can only be justified by faith in Jesus. This happens in the future when we meet Jesus; at the same time, it is something we can walk and live in today. If you have accepted Jesus, you are not a sinner but a righteous one. When God looks at you, He sees the righteousness of Jesus in your life. It is a gift of grace from God.
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:21-24)
This text says again that God's justice applies to everyone who believes—not for a select few, but for all. Paul says the same thing in Galatians 2:16. We receive this righteousness because we have become one with the Lord Jesus. Because of this, we have received the righteousness of God. God's righteousness is in you through the power of the Holy Spirit and the work of Jesus on earth.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
We are also saints of God. We read that Paul addressed many church members as "saints." Saints aren't just exceptional Catholics who are said to have done miracles and must be worshiped to receive a miracle. Every believer is a saint of God.
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight (…). (Colossians 1:21-22)
In God's eyes, we are sacred, immaculate, and flawless. This isn't because of our good deeds but because of the atonement Jesus brought—as displayed on the cross of Calvary. When we stand before God's throne in the future, God will see us as believers without sin. All our sins have been forgiven, and we have been delivered from the power of sin. Because of this, God can accept us. This applies not only to individual believers but also to the church of Jesus—globally.
(…) that He might sanctify and cleanse her (the church) with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:26-27)
Through water baptism, the congregation is purified. As a result, it is without spots or wrinkles, making it holy and spotless. Without spot or wrinkle means that the congregation has no defects, and holy means that the congregation has been set apart by God and has become the property of Jesus.
God plans to place believers spotless and sacred before Him. Before the earth was made, this was already God's plan.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. (Ephesians 1:3-4)
We are chosen to be holy and immaculate. By "chosen," we shouldn't think that God has chosen some to be saved and others to be unsaved. God wants everyone to be saved and no one to be lost (2 Peter 3:9). "Chosen" involves not who is chosen and who is not. It is about the One whom God has chosen to bring about salvation for believers and how He is to do so. It is about Jesus Christ, who can reconcile people to God through His death on the cross.
Let us return to the opening verse of this chapter.
For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17)
The Kingdom of God consists of righteousness. It is a significant part of the Kingdom, and only through the Holy Spirit can we receive and apply righteousness in our lives.
Walking in Righteousness
We receive God's righteousness when we are born again; it is a work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. If we want to apply righteousness in our lives and our relationships with others, it is imperative to be guided by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit searches God's depths and knows what is righteous and what isn't.
But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)
I and the people around us sometimes think we know what is correct, but we remain limited. The Holy Spirit knows what is righteous and how we should treat others in every situation. The first step is listening to the Holy Spirit and doing what the Spirit tells us to do.
The second step is realizing that you are a saint of God. Even though circumstances say different things and you sin daily, God sanctifies and justifies you. You don't have to look at yourself and say, "I am a sinner; I remain a sinner, and it will always go wrong." You should say about yourself, "I am holy and righteous." Come to the realization of who you are in Christ and speak about yourself according to what the Bible says about you. Be aware of the position and identity God has given to you. At the same time, God wants to redeem us from the power of sin and forgive us from sin, which we have already covered in this chapter.
Step 3 is implementation. God says we are holy, immaculate, and justified; let us put that into practice. We can only do this by the power of the Holy Spirit. We may become as Jesus was on earth and walk as Jesus walked.
But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. (1 John 2:5-6)
Those who claim to be in Jesus must walk as Jesus walked. On the one hand, our righteousness is a gift from God and the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, God asks us to be holy, keep His commandments, and walk as Jesus walked. We must be holy because God is holy.
As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written: Be holy, for I am holy. (1 Peter 1:14-16)
In our walk with God, we are His children. As children, we may obey our heavenly Father and imitate Him on earth. God is holy, and we are holy. Therefore, let us refrain from doing evil and chasing after our lustful desires and live sacredly in all our walks of life. Be holy because God is holy. Our whole life should be devoted to God and submitted under His rule. In addition, it says, "in all your conduct." This means we are to be holy on Sunday mornings between 10 a.m. and noon and throughout the week. Even on Monday mornings with that annoying co-worker or student.
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:1-5)
So, living holy entails the following steps:
Step 1: Get rid of all the wrong things.
Step 2: Desire the things of God's Kingdom and God's Word.
Step 3: Focus on Jesus and taste that He is good and holy.
Step 4: Be guided by the Holy Spirit and be holy.
Summary
The first three blessings of God's Kingdom that we covered are forgiveness, redemption from sins, and justification by God. Sin is a terrible enslaver that wants to take over our lives. The consequence of sin is that we live—forever separated from God. All our misdeeds are recorded, and eventually, we are punished for them. God has decided to forgive us, which means He forgives, forgets, and erases all our wrong deeds forever. To walk well in this blessing, we must repentantly ask God to forgive us and others when they have done nasty things. God has not only forgiven us but also redeemed us from sin. This means that the power of sin has been broken, and we no longer have to sin. We may live free from sin because we are placed in Christ, and the Holy Spirit helps us overcome sin. Finally, we are justified by God. This means that God sees us as righteous and holy. This is a position God put us in at regeneration. It is essential to realize this and show it in our walk of life. On the one hand, this is a gift from God, and on the other hand, God asks us to live sanctified lives because He is holy. We do this by obeying the Holy Spirit, putting away all our wickedness, and focusing on the things of God's Kingdom, His Word, and the Lord Jesus.