Part 14 of 16 -
Sins
Under Law Vs Sins Under Grace
Until the cross and Christ’s blood was shed, men’s sins could only be covered – their sins were not taken away totally. God “covering” the nakedness of Adam and Eve after their sinning prefigured this.
Sins
under “the Law,” were only “covered”
so long as the prescribed works of sacrifices were made and repeated annually.
Sins were not to be held against the righteous that lived by faith,
such as Abraham (Rom 4:3), whose works were a demonstration of their faith. This
resulted in their sins being covered.
Psalm
85:2 NKJ - You have forgiven the iniquity of Your people; You have covered
all their sin.
Prophetically, Isaiah records God’s promise of a day to come for Israel, when Israel will receive the Messiah, a day in which Israel’s sins will be not merely be covered, but actually forgiven to the point of God no longer remembering their sins. Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember (Hebrew, zakar, take note of) thy sins. Paul quotes Isaiah’s words in his epistle, reminding the Hebrew believers. Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember (Gk., nmaomai, bear in mind) no more.
Now
today, after the cross, and under “the dispensation of the grace of
God,” our sins are not “covered,” but
rather…they are “cancelled,” no longer counted against us by
God.
2
Cor 5:19 NKJ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to
Himself, not imputing (logizomai,
no longer counting) their trespasses (sins)
to them…
The good news of the Pauline grace gospel for “the body of Christ” is that Jesus Christ already paid for and “canceled” the price for all sin,” past, present, and future sins. Not only is God no longer holding any sin against us, but all our sins have been dropped entirely from the record of our debt. We’ve been forgiven of ALL sins. Our debt is not “covered,” but “cancelled” – as being "Paid in full!"
Hebrews 9:26 (KJV) For then must he (under the Law of sacrifices, Christ would) often have suffered since the foundation of the world:
but
now once in the end of the world (aion,
age) hath he (Christ)
appeared to put away
(athetesis, cancel) sin (all sin) by the sacrifice of
himself.
Romans 3:25 (Jesus) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation (a expiatory sacrifice that atones or pays for sins) through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission (Gk., paresis, passing over) of sins that are past, through the forbearance (self-restraint that is) of God;
Now, under grace, we must simply believe in order to receive the benefit of Jesus' sacrifice.
Romans
3:25 (KJV) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through
faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that
are past, through the forbearance of God;
Ephes
2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works,
lest any man should boast.
We
now have redemption and justification
through His shed blood.
We
are Redeemed - Our Debt is now paid in
Full.
Ephes
1:7 NKJ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins, according to the riches of His grace
Col
1:13-14 NKJ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us
into the kingdom (realm) of
the Son of His love, 14in whom we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of sins.
We
are Justified - In Christ, we
stand “justified before God” - “just-as –if-I’d” never sinned. We
stand just and righteous, in Christ. Romans 5:9 … being now justified
by his blood…
Ephes 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…He chose us in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him…
