Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Christ's Blood Covers Our Sin

While God clearly teaches against divorce and remarriage, He also has stated that His blood covers our sin.

10. Hebrews 13:12 “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify
the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”

I am not in the camp that believes every divorced and remarried couple is automatically going to hell. I believe they are in disobedience just as every other believer is in disobedience about something. We all have blind spots, especially about the traditions we have been taught all our lives.

Since we are not saved or condemned by our works, but by belief in Christ, all of us will have to have the dross burned off before we enter heaven. No person will be sinless ever!!!! Christ had to cover our sin in the flesh, but He made our Spirit brand new.

Romans 7:15-20
"15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.
17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me."

The difference between a born again believer and a pretender or unsaved person is that the born again believer hates the sin they do, they love to obey God, but they struggle with the sin.

A non-believer or pretender does not struggle with their sin, they defend it, justify it and fight anyone who suggests they have sin at all.

We should always teach against sin, that does not mean that everyone who is born again will do everything they should.

1 Corinthians 3:15 "…14 If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one being snatched from the fire. 16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?…"

Every single believer will have dross that needs to be burned off when they approach Christ at the end of their life. Every believer will have a different reward based on their works, but those who have been sealed with the Holy Spirit will not lose their salvation, that was not earned, it was a gift.

1. Christ died that His blood would "cover" our sinful flesh.

Psalm 51:2
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin.

There is a difference from having a sin in our life, that we are unaware is sin or that we battle and living a sinful lifestyle that we defend.

2. When we trusted Christ we became born again by His work in us, changing our Spirit into a new creation. Our body remained sinful flesh.

Hebrews 12:4 "3 Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, or lose heart when He rebukes you.…"

There would be no need for God to discipline His children if they never sinned.

Hebrews 12:6-7 "6 For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises everyone He receives as a son.”
7 Endure suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?…"

3. Our Spirit has been trapped in this body of sin and death. Our bodies will not be completely without sin until it is changed, when it rises to meet our spirit.

Romans 7:23-25 "…23 But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.…"

Those who claim our sin will cause us to lose our salvation are preaching a false gospel of works. Yes, we should be growing and we will hate the sin we do, but we are not completely sinless as long as we are trapped in this body. Often our traditions keep us trapped in practices that are not godly, but that does not mean we are not saved.

1 John 1:7-9 "…7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.…"

These verses were written to believers, unbelievers do not have an advocate with the Father only beleiver do.

When God the Father looks at us, Christ is there saying "that one is mine Father." The Father does not look at our sin, but at our Advocate, the One that died for Us, the One Who lives in us, that is Jesus Christ.

1 John 2:1 "1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

Those who worry that the truth will cause people to keep on sinning because we say our sin does not lose us our salvation, are counting on their pressure, intimidation and lies to manipulate people into obedience.

We do not need manipulation to influence people, we can have faith that the truth is enough while Christ works in each one.

To say we better not preach that believers sin, is to say that the Word of God is not enough, we must pressure, frighten through human arguments to intimidate people into obedience.

We can do that, we can intimidate others into obedience, it will not make a change in their heart, only a temporary change in their behavior. When Christ works in someone, the behavior that is changed is permanent, it will not regress.

People must obey from their heart based on truth, not on the tactics of human beings that do not match God's word.

Yes, sin is bad, we should all turn from it and trust Christ to cleanse us, no doubt. But lying against the truth to accomplish this in someone is, in itself sin.

We can do things God's way and leave all the results to Him.

Ephesians 2:10 "…9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are GOD'S WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life."