Some people controlled by the devil want to accuse believers of things in their past that God has healed and forgiven. I call them "past forgiven sins." We all have them, there is no one person who is without past forgiven sins.
A few years ago an angry jealous person said to me; "remember how you used to be." Believe it or not this person was a "Christian."
My response was simply; "yes I have committed many sins in my life." That's all and that's it, no more explanation is necessary.
When we admit to our life before we were born again we completely disarm the narcissist controlled by the devil who wants to destroy our peace and joy by heaping false guilt from the past forgiven sins.
The devil wants us to never forget our sinfulness. He wants us to believe we have never been forgiven and that we can never change.
What devilish people don't understand is that every single person on the face of the earth is headed for hell until they confess their sinfulness and become cleansed by Jesus Christ to be saved.
What devilish people don't understand is that no one cleanses themselves, we all must be cleansed by Christ in response to our desire to be changed into a new creation by Him. We cannot change ourselves into a new creation, it must be His work in us after we have repented (changed our minds) and trusted in Him.
I have to wonder if someone has been born again when they do not understand that everyone has sinned including themselves and everyone must repent and be changed by Christ.
When someone operates as though they have never sinned, they are better than others because of how good they think they are, and continue to work to appear good to others, it is unlikely they have ever been born again.
God said we must have a "contrite" heart to be born again, the meaning is a "crushed" heart. When we come to the end of ourselves, and have no confidence in our own goodness and deeds, we see our filthiness and ask God to change us into a new creation.
Those who think they are special and have always been good will not be able to be changed by Christ because they are trusting in themselves and not Christ. Christ will not change someone who is not broken in an experience of a crushed spirit to submit to Him. He only saves those who know they are without the ability to be good enough and know they need Him to change them, to lead them and grow them until the day they die.
Matthew 5:48
"You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
We are not perfect therefore, it is Christ in us Who is perfect, He is our righteousness.
2 Corinthians 7:1
"Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God."
The way we cleanse ourselves is to ask the Lord for His cleansing as He shows us through consequences of our need for confession. We are only cleansed through Christ if we want to be cleansed.
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
God will cleanse us from any unrighteousness when we confess, then He acts to give us our desire to be cleansed.
If we justify our sin, refuse to confess it, by claiming we had a good reason, then we will not be cleansed. It is only through brokenness and confession that God will work. We must empty ourselves of ourselves to be changed by God.
Philippians 2:12-13
"12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to [a]desire and to work for His good pleasure."
We do not work for salvation, we work because we are saved. Those who are not saved do not admit their need for cleansing, they decide their own goodness and convince themselves they are good.
Only those who can say; "there is no good in me" can be cleansed by Christ.
Romans 7:18 "18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."
It is only Christ in us Who can be good and Who can work in us to become like Him. Anything we do in the flesh to make ourselves feel good is dung to God.
Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."
When we have obeyed God He gets all the praise and credit. When we have worked in the flesh we are attempting to have the credit and we get the glory, it is filthiness to God that we glorify ourselves.
James 4:7-17
"7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."
Hallelujah, what a wonderful life for those who are not affected by the world but led by Christ. The more humble we become the more we can serve Christ, because we know only He is good and only His Works matter in us.
