Who sins have been forgiven?

It is important I ask the question because there are many in the Church if not most that are convinced that everyone sins have been forgiven by Christ. Is that indeed true? Has Jesus forgiven every last person's sins?

If I could see the faces of everyone that will read this article, I could imagine you looking back at me perplexed saying, "Del are you kidding me? Of course, everyone's sins have been forgiven by Christ!" 

Okay then, we need to test that reasoning against scripture. To me, it is quite simple. If one dies in sin and perishes in hell were their sins forgiven? If one says yes then you believe in a sort of double jeopardy. Meaning that you have Christ paying for sins of the hell-bound, and the lost paying for their own sins. Does that seem logical and fair?

Of course, it is not.

It does not make sense nor is it fair for Christ to die for the sins of those who will eternally perish in hell and pay the penalty for their own sins. Some of you may be gasping in horror by my statement right now and branding me a heretic. It is important that you hear me out so that you understand my reasoning behind my argument. 

To believe that Christ forgave everyone's sins means that he paid the price for them on his cross. This also means he washed their sins away. Now listen and read very carefully: If Christ paid your sin debt in full, that means you cannot go to hell. Why? Because you have no debt to pay so, therefore, you cannot be responsible for your sins anymore - Jesus took care of them. Remember what the Prophet Isaiah declared, "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was placed upon him. By his stripes, we are healed (Isa 53:5). 

The prophet clearly describes the punishment he suffered on our behalf - all those that have put their trust in Christ. So, if everyone in the world sins has been forgiven, then all will go to heaven - there would be no hell. We know that is not true. Most of the world will not believe and will perish in hell.

There is an absolute and necessary condition for one to have their sins forgiven and receive salvation, one must believe! The most well known and celebrated passage in all the Bible tells us that, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Begotten Son. That whosoever should believe (necessary condition) on him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). 

It is quite elementary, one's sins are only forgiven if they repent and place their faith in the Lord Jesus for the remission of their sins (Heb 9:22). Often times when people are sharing the gospel they will tell someone that Jesus loves them and has forgiven their sins without sharing with them why they need to be forgiven of sin in the first place. How do you know if the person even knows what sin means? 

The person will not appreciate or want the cure unless they realize they are dead in their trespasses and sins and totally cut off from the life of God their creator (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13).  Do not offer the cure until you explain why the person needs the cure - they are spiritually dead and need to be made alive by the power of God's Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus told Nicodemus, "You must be born again" (i.e. new birth, born from above) - (John 3:3,5-8).

Concluding, those who have the joy of their sins forgiven are those that have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness and the washing away of their sins forever. It is tragic to tell someone Jesus has forgiven their sins when the person has not believed. The burden of their sins still remains with them. The provision is there and the price for all sin has been paid, but only for those who truly believe!!

I said this in the past, and I will repeat myself, Jesus has paid for all of your sins if you are in him, or he has paid for none of them if you are still in sin. The enemies of God do not get the same benefits as the children of God. Remember, all sins ever committed will be paid for, either by Jesus on the cross for the redeemed, or the sinner will pay for their own sins in hell.

In light of the Fall

My foundation passage for writing this article: Isaiah 46:10, "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I do all my pleasure” (italics added for emphasis).

I often wonder why God created the universe in the light of the fall. What do I mean by this?  In other words, God created the earth knowing at the same time he would allow the fall of man into sin to happen and ruin his perfect creation. If you have ever pondered this reality like I do, then admittedly it brings tension to the mind.

However, this does not make me question God in an accusative way, but rather it makes me desire to get to know the mind of God more so I can love and appreciate his uniqueness and explain to those in my sphere of influence the wonders of our God who also ponder this difficult matter.

Let me say first off that I do not fully understand why God ordained the fall, but I do know that ordaining the fall of man I believe is good in the ultimate salvific sense. Why? Because God allowed it through the sin of Adam to occur. Certainly, God had the power to stop Adam and Eve from committing sin, but he did not. Why? That was not part of his plan. The results of the fall were and are tragic humanly because it has caused unbearable misery, pain, and death but in the mind of our infinite God, there is a silver lining. What is that silver lining I am sure the reader is asking right now?

 Before I attempt to answer that question, the reader MUST understand that the results of the fall of man although ordained and allowed by God are not his fault. God commanded Adam directly not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16-17). So, how do we reconcile this conundrum - God allowing the fall, and dealing with Adam's disobedience that brought about the fall that God ordained?  This definitely seems like a contradiction doesn't it?

It is not a contradiction but rather a paradox. When I say that God ordained the fall it does not mean he is the cause of it. Mankind is. God did not bait Adam to Eve to sin and then punish them for it. That would make God unjust. Satan (with God's permission) was the one that tempted Eve (not Adam) to eat the forbidden fruit. She and Adam had a free will to choose to obey or disobey God. We know they chose to disobey because that is what they wanted to do. Their desire at that moment to disobey and eat was greater than their desire to obey and not eat. That is the nature of all mankind. 

So we have two parallel dynamics going on here. It was God's preceptive will that they not eat - meaning they knew the will of God and willfully broke it. They disobeyed with their eyes wide open. At the same time, through their disobedience, God's plan was not stifled in any way. Adam and Eve's disobedience was interwoven in God's providential plan. It had to be otherwise it would have never happened. Once again, God allowed the sin because we have free will to choose what we do. He does not approve of it. That is why he cursed them both, forgave their sin by killing an innocent animal, shedding its blood as their sin substitute to make them coats of skin to cover their nakedness and kicked them out of the garden (Gen 3:16-17,21, 23-24). This was the first act of atoning forgiveness in history. It also foreshadowed the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ for sins on the cross.

Remember sin always results in death (Romans 6:23).

So that is how the writer believes we reconcile God ordaining and allowing the fall versus Adam's disobedience which he clearly forbade.

You see even the evil that men do serves God. It's abhorrent to him. That is why he must punish it. But he uses the evil and turns it around for good (Romans 8:28). God knew what Adam and Eve would do before he created the universe. How? Because the Lord has foresight - meaning he knows and sees everything before it actually happens. It is what scholars call omniscience. It means God has all knowledge. That is why God could plan man's salvation in advance in conjunction of the fall. It is also how God revealed things to the prophets before they happened in time. Mankind is not that way. We only have hindsight - meaning we can only know things when and after they happen. And without divine revelation from God through his word, we will never understand why things happen in the manner that they do - good or bad.

Now, back to the question of "what is the silver lining in all of this?" The silver lining was the plan of God before the foundation of the world to send his perfect and only Begotten Son to come and die for the sins of his people (Matt 1:21). That way God could show the wonders of his grace toward underserving wretched sinners like you and I (Eph 1:6). 

Although the fall of man was tragic, God's grace is greater (Rom 5:20).  In other words, the tragedy of the fall of man pales in comparison to the love, power, and grace of God. 

The fall of man did not in any way defeat or delay God's plan of redemption. Everything God has ever done is right on his schedule despite Adam's sin which clearly God did NOT want him to do. The part that admittedly perplexes me is that God providentially uses sinful man to fulfill his will. What amazes me, even more, is the transcendent wisdom of God - how he can even allow the evil choices that are clearly against his revealed will and use them for good while at the same time punish us for those sinful choices. That is pure brilliance! Now you tell me, who should not fear and reverently worship a God like that? 

God's commands are frustrated by man every day and yet he will still fulfill his plans perfectly. God is victorious every time, while man is piling up sin against the day of God's wrath.

In conclusion, God does allow for sin to occur while at the same not being responsible for it.  Remember what James said, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither does he tempt any man. But every man is tempted he when he is drawn away of his own lust (italics mine) and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death (James 1:13-15).

This was the tragic scenario of Adam of Eve in the garden.