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Does Jesus’ sacrifice keep us from sinning? Or, does His sacrifice provide a substitute for the payment due us because of our sins?

There are some religious beliefs that teach that His sacrifice blots out all our sins after we believe in Him - past, present and future, regardless of how we live in the future.

Therefore, we can live a life that totally ignores sin, even if we sin deliberately, and without conscious remorse. Therefore, there is no need for ongoing repentance when sin is knowingly realized. Many would say “it was all settled long ago on the cross…” This would seem to say that we are not responsible for sin in our life after we believe in Christ, even if it is deliberate. The “long ago” settles it all, past and future.

This belief has been compacted into an easy-to-believe-in belief of only four words: “once saved, always saved” - regardless of sin, deliberate or not deliberate; past, present, and future.

This provokes another question. If I “sin” since I first believed, does this mean that I never was really converted? Do I need to repent of the sins I committed (and/are still committing?) long ago? If we believe we are truly once saved and always saved, then why do we need to repent…it is already done. Long ago. When we were “saved”.

The easiest solution to part of this enigma is if we continue to DELIVERATELY live a sinful life, we never were repentant to begin with. Our life proves that we never repented of our past sins to begin with. We prove we are void of the begetting as children of God by receiving of the Holy Spirit. We never received forgiveness; our “repentance” was insincere, I.e. we were not begotten by the Holy Spirit. We are still in our sins.

I remember hearing this phrase many years ago from some in my elderly extended family. It was never elaborated on. I suppose because it seemed logical and very easy to believe and remember. I remember hearing arguments pro and con, some lasting a long time without anyone’s argument and persuasion fully convincing the other.

But what is the truth…not only of this statement, but of the principle summed up by the statement? It seems that the statement says too much in four words. And at the same time, it can provoke an enormous amount of question and doubts and confusion.

And more important, should it be asked at all, by anyone except those who have doubts about their relationship with Jesus Christ? If they have doubts about Jesus, their conversion is either in jeopardy, or they never believed in Him. We are still “in our sins” if we WILLFULY sin after believing in Him, we willfully cut ourselves off from Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, and we apparently cut ourselves off from salvation.

We have made a conscious decision to go back into a sinful way of living, or become lukewarm and fail to take our original conviction seriously as time goes by.

According to scripture, there seems to be two spiritual conditions possible for those who initially repented of their sins and then either fall away, or, become lukewarm concerning their salvation. One illustrated by the Apostle Paul, and one illustrated by Jesus. The lukewarm disciple Jesus describes as being isolated in darkness, rather than tossed into the lake of fire (as described in Revelation 20:11-15).

“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding [feast] is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. So go to the main highways that lead out of the city, and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ Those servants went out into the streets and gathered together all the people they could find, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests [sitting at the banquet table]. But when the king came in to see the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed [appropriately] in wedding clothes, and he said, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wearing the wedding clothes [that were provided for you]?’ And the man was speechless and without excuse. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the darkness outside; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].’ For many are called (invited, summoned), but few are chosen.” - Matthew 22:8-14 (Jesus)

“For if we go on willfully and deliberately sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice [to atone] for our sins [that is, no further offering to anticipate], but a kind of awful and terrifying expectation of [divine] judgment and the fury of a fire and burning wrath which will consume the adversaries [those who put themselves in opposition to God]”. Hebrews 10:26-27 (Paul)

Once saved, always saved?

It all depends on the spiritual status of the individual as finally determined by Jesus Christ. The safe way is to become, and stay, close to Jesus with a mind led by the Holy Spirit who convicts you if you sin, so you can confess the sin.

He will forgive you and keep you from sin. He will cloth you with His righteousness.

"If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose]." - 1 John 1:9

.....then it all becomes a non-issue.

"Bible verse and quote" from Jan Couns

Bible and Quote - February 25 - March 1