Saved to the Uttermost

“Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”  Romans 4:8

One time I heard a Bible teacher on television or radio make the following statement:  “When we (believers) stand before Christ, we will be judged for our unconfessed sins.”  I thought, “Whoa, hold on a minute.”  The Bible teaches that Jesus died for all our sins, past, present, and future.  Matter of fact, all of our sins were future when Jesus died on the cross.  When we repent, (and repentance doesn’t just mean being sorry for our sins, but turning 180 degrees from living prideful, self-centered lives and turning toward God giving Him complete control over our thoughts and actions), and place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who gives us the power to live for Him, then we receive complete pardon for all our sins, even the ones we haven’t yet committed.  I know that sounds too good to be true, but it is true because of God’s grace and mercy.

There is a belief among some that when a believer in Christ passes away, he or she goes to a place where he or she must finish paying for his or her sins.  However, there is no such thing as a partial forgiveness.  When Christ died on the cross, His sacrifice paid the penalty for all sin.  To think that one must pay for some of his or her own sins after death is to believe that Christ’s atonement for our sin was not sufficient.  That is completely contrary to what scripture teaches.  In effect, that is adding “works” to salvation, and there are no works that can earn anyone a place in God’s kingdom (Ephesians 2:8-9).  That would almost be like telling the Lord that you appreciate His sacrifice, but you feel that you need to spend some time suffering after you die just in case His sacrifice didn’t quite cover all of your sin.  I know that sounds rather harsh, but does that demonstrate “saving faith”?

I think it is true that we can reap the results for sin which we commit while still living on earth.  Even if we confess our sins and receive forgiveness (I John 1:9), we may still suffer the consequences.  For example, if a believer slipped back into an old habit of excessive drinking of alcohol, got behind the wheel, had an accident, and received a broken leg, he could be forgiven through repentance, but he would still have a broken leg, unless, of course, God healed him, but that would probably be unlikely.  Hopefully, living with the consequences of our sin will teach us to avoid sin.  It is a known fact that folks learn a lot more from suffering than they do when things are going smoothly for them.  We really have no excuse for the temptation to sin because God always makes a way of escape (I Corinthians 10:13).

One other important point is that because we are fully forgiven, that doesn’t give us a license to sin.  The Apostle Paul said, “God forbid.  How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2).  The way I look at it is that when I consider what all Christ went through to buy my pardon, how could I live in a continual pattern of sin?  How could I do that to the One who loved me more than anyone, the One who suffered and died to give me an abundant life and an eternal home in heaven?  Because we are in the flesh, we will sin, but we have the power though the Holy Spirit to not let it get the upper hand.  When we fall, we are to acknowledge our sin and move on.  God doesn’t hold it against us.  His grace is greater than our sin.