Have
you been saved? I have been asked this question many times. It is a sincere
question, asked by sincere people who are genuinely concerned for my spiritual
well being. What is the answer? In the sense that the question is meant, are you
saved?
The people asking the question are asking from this point of view; When
you accept the blood of Yahshua as the atonement for your sins and claim Him as
your personal savoir, you are saved. At that time your eternal salvation is
assured. They are asking from the perspective of "once saved always
saved". This idea comes from a statement made by the apostle Paul. ROMAN
8:1 “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Messiah
Yahshua". From this perspective, all that is necessary is belief in the
Messiah. This idea also comes from a statement of Paul. ACTS 16:31 A jailor
asked him," What must I do to be saved"? Paul answered him,
"Believe in the Master Yahshua and you will be saved, you and your
household".
The two scriptures quoted above are crucial for salvation, but must be
taken out of context to arrive at the "once saved always saved"
belief. This belief removes any responsibility on our part, in salvation. Belief
is all that is required of us. Everything else rests on Yahshua’s shoulders.
This is a very comfortable doctrine and makes the religions of this world very
easy to follow.
Another
statement of Paul adds fuel to this concept, when taken out of context. This is
the most often quoted scripture in Christendom. EPHESIANS 2:8 "For by grace
you have been saved through faith; and this is not of your own doing, it is a
gift of Elohim".
All of the above statements of Paul are true and hold a wealth of
information when taken in context. But is Paul really saying we have no part to
play in our ultimate salvation?
To begin to understand, let us look at another statement of Paul.
PHILIPPIANS 2:12 "Therefore my beloved, as you have always OBEYED, so now,
not only in my presence, but also in my absence WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION WITH
FEAR AND TREMBLING ". Paul says obedience and work are required to achieve
salvation. The Greek word translated "work" is "Katergazomai".
It means to work fully, fashion or finish.
Paul believed that there was something the brethren at Philippi had to do
to ensure their salvation. He did not even imply that their salvation was a done
deal. Paul understood that they were in the salvation process. He knew that we
all have a part to play in our ultimate salvation. Paul knew that while we are
alive, in these corruptible bodies, salvation is not a done deal.
Paul reinforces this concept of eternal salvation not happening
immediately on conversion. ROMANS 13:11 "And that, knowing the time, that
it is now high time to awake out of sleep: for now our Salvation is nearer than
when we first believed." Paul says salvation is nearer, not yet here. The
salvation process is begun in us but not yet complete.
SALVATION CAN BE LOST
Paul often likens the "WAY” to everyday things as Yahshua did. In
his first letter to the Corinthians, he compares the "WAY" to a race,
something they would be very familiar with.
1 CORINTHIANS 9:24-27 He
said all participants compete for the prize at the finish. Isn't that what we
all hope for, the prize of eternal life and serving with Yahshua? Paul made a
statement that will be disturbing to the "once saved always saved"
proponents.
He says in verse 27 " But I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after
preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified". Paul knew that there
was a chance he could lose his reward, salvation, if he failed to perform in the
standards of the "WAY". If Paul could possibly fail to win the prize,
couldn't we?
Before we
investigate the scriptures that lead to the "Once saved always saved"
doctrine, we must come to understand that salvation is a process in which we
have a part to play.
THE PROCESS BEGINS
The process of salvation began with the coming of Messiah Yahshua as a
suffering servant. It will not be complete until He returns as an almighty,
glorious King of kings.
The whole world and we were alienated from our Heavenly Father by our
sins. ROMANS 5:10 Paul says we were
actually Yahweh’s enemies. He was not our enemy, we were His enemy. ISAIAH
59:2 Because of our sins we
were hidden from the Father, by our choice, not His. A reconciliation was
necessary to bring us to the Father. Nothing we could do on our own could bring
about this reconciliation. It could only be brought about by the payment of the
death penalty that our sins required. ROMANS 6:23
Yahweh is Holy. He cannot be where evil is. In our evil state we could
not approach Him. This situation had to be rectified. Yahshua could rectify it
by paying the penalty in our stead. He did this with the pure sacrifice of His
Holy Blood. His sacrifice will be applied to each one of us. All that we need do
is to have the faith in His word that He actually did this on our behalf and ask
for this application.
What Yahshua did on our behalf laid the groundwork for the salvation
process to begin. We did not initiate the step but we must take part. Yahshua
said, "No one can come to me except the Father who sent me draws him and I
will raise him up at the last day". JOHN 6:44 Before the salvation process
can begin in us, we must be called by our Heavenly Father. Our part in the
process now begins. There is a decision to be made. We must answer the call to
follow Yahshua. If the answer is yes, Yahshua will begin to work with us. He
will not work for us, He will work with us.
During this beginning stage He will lead us to repent of what we were.
What we were separated us from Yahweh in the first place. We must recognize this
and make the decision to change. We must realize that even the best of us were
filthy rags compared to Yahweh. ISAIAH 64:6 The sacrifice of Yahshua cannot be
applied to us personally until we come to this realization. Once we do this we
have taken the first step in the salvation process. ACTS 2:38
Step number two involves the application of the sacrifice of Yahshua
directly to us. We have a part in this step as well. ACTS 2:38 We must be
immersed into the saving name of Yahshua. We are submitting to the death and
burial of our old sinful self with Yahshua. ROMANS 6:1-11 It is the outward show
of the faith we have that Yahshua truly did die in our place. When we are raised
from the water, we are in a clean spotless condition. We are now reconciled to
the Father. In this pure state, He can now give us the most valuable gift we
will ever receive. His HOLY SPIRIT. His very mind. This will enable us to begin
to think as He and His Son do. 1 CORINTHIANS 2:16
TAKE SPECIAL NOTE OF THIS; At this point we are not eternally saved. We
are reconciled to the Father by the death of Yahshua. Our slates are clean and
we, because of Yahshua, are righteous before Yahweh. Yahshua did it, we did not,
but we did play a part in this beginning of the salvation process. We answered
the call, we repented and were immersed into the name of Yahshua..
Paul said in ROMANS 5:10 "For if while we were enemies we were
reconciled to Elohim by the death of His son, much more, now that we are
reconciled, we SHALL BE SAVED by His life". Did you notice that. WE SHALL
BE SAVED not ARE SAVED. So you can
see that the salvation process is not complete after the call, repentance,
baptism, and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. The process has begun. We now
stand under YAHWEHS grace. EPHESIANS 2:8. Grace is unearned, undeserved
forgiveness or pardon. We are saved from the eternal death penalty, required by
our past sins, through the Holy Blood of Yahshua and stand under the Grace of
our Heavenly Father.
In a previous article (Yahweh’s People and the Law) we saw that through
the sacrifice of Yahshua, the Cheirographon that was against us, (a legal bond
of indebtedness held by Yahweh) was marked paid and nailed to the stake with
Yahshua. COLOSSIANS 2:14
We also saw that the law that convicted us in the first place is still
intact and has the power to convict for its transgression. While we are under
the Grace of Yahweh, it has no power over us. Keep this in mind. It has no power
over us while we stand under Yahweh’s Grace. Could this condition change?
Could one possibly fall from this Grace in which we stand?
With these questions in mind, lets go back and qualify the scriptures
quoted at the beginning of this study and fully understand them.
ROMANS 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are
in Yahshua Messiah who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit." To
get the full meaning of this scripture, read also verses 2 to 4. Notice that
Yahweh did what we could not do by our own efforts, make us righteous. He sent
His Son to satisfy the requirement of the law. The law demanded a death penalty
be paid. With that penalty unpaid, our righteousness was not possible. Now that
the penalty has been paid on our behalf, the righteous precepts of the law can
live in us. Notice also, that it is those who live in the spirit and not in the
flesh who no longer stand condemned.
What does it mean to live in the spirit and not in the flesh? It means
simply that once we have been admitted to the Grace of our Heavenly Father
following repentance and baptism we respond to the urges of the Holy Spirit that
He has given us instead of the urges of our human, fleshly self. Our fleshly
urges lead to condemnation and death but the urges of the Spirit lead to
righteousness and eternal life. Also note that it is those who are in Messiah
Yahshua for whom there is no longer condemnation. What does it mean to be in
Yahshua Messiah? Lets turn to the book of Amos to begin to understand.
AMOS 3:3 He asks,"Can two walk together unless they be in
agreement?" The answer of course is NO they can't. If they try there will
be discord. This is not talking about taking a stroll together. It is talking
about a life walk such as a husband and wife enter into.
When we accept the sacrifice of Yahshua, repent and are baptized, we
enter into a life walk with Yahshua and our Heavenly Father. For this walk to be
successful there has to be agreement and a close harmonic fellowship. Yahweh and
Yahshua will never introduce discord, but we can by responding to our carnal
fleshly urges, which are not compatible with the urges of the Holy Spirit. As
long as we are in this close harmonic fellowship there will be no condemnation.
Does this mean that there can never be condemnation for a converted
baptized person who sins? I don't mean unintentional sin committed in human
weakness through temptation.1 JOHN 1:9 and 1 JOHN 2:1-2 Tell us if we do sin in
this way Yahweh is faithful and just and will forgive us. What about
intentional, unrepented of sin? Could a truly converted person actually commit
such sin? (I have been told that if one did, they were not truly converted in
the first place. Scripture disagrees with this) Yahweh’s word says they can
commit such a sin.
HEBREWS 10:26 tells us; "If we sin deliberately after receiving the
knowledge of the truth there no longer remains a sacrifice for sin”. HEBREWS
6:4-6 Tells us that once one has partaken of the Holy Spirit and tasted the
Heavenly gifts and deliberately turns away, that one crucifies the Messiah all
over again and holds Him up to contempt. Such a one will never repent and stands
condemned once again. How can we be sure to avoid such a spiritual condition as
this?
Lets investigate some words of Yahshua to help us understand how we can
depend on Yahweh and Yahshua to lead us in this salvation process and the life
walk with them. Yahshua said in MATT.22: 14
"Many are called but few are chosen”. Lets understand this
statement fully and how it relates to the salvation process.
The lifelong walk with Yahweh and Yahshua is similar to being employed by
a corporation. A call goes out for applicants to fill certain positions. This is
like Yahweh’s call to us to train for positions in His Kingdom. When we answer
the call to apply for the positions offered and are accepted by the corporation
we must serve a probationary period. This serves two purposes. This time allows
us to assess the corporation and decide if it is the company we wish to work for
long-term. It is also a time for the company to assess our performance and
decide if we will be an asset.
This probationary period is like the time we spend between being called
by Yahweh and to the time of our immersion into Yahshua and the receiving of the
Holy Spirit. Our baptism is our acceptance of Yahweh and Yahshua as our bosses
and the giving to us of the Spirit is their acceptance of us to fill one of the
positions offered.
During our probationary period we will assess the position offered. We
will count the costs compared to the benefits. Yahshua told us to do this very
thing. LUKE 14:25-33 He is telling us to assess the situation first. Are we
willing to pay the cost of receiving the benefits of this position? He even
lists some of the costs. These are personal costs. Are we willing to pay them?
If the answer is "YES” then we must stop counting the cost and
concentrate on the job at hand.
No one will ever know the job to its fullest. There will be new
discoveries. There will be technological advances that require additional
training and upgrading of our skills. That is what gives a job its interest.
That is what makes it enjoyable.
It is the same with the fellowship walk with Yahweh and Yahshua. During
our walk with them we are continually growing in knowledge and maturing as they
train us for the promotion we are to receive at the return of Yahshua. They are
good bosses. They will give us the help we need to accomplish the goal. HEB. 13:
6 "Yahweh is my helper, I will not be afraid; what can man do to me?"
HEB.13: 5 " I will never leave you or forsake you." MATT.28: 20
---"I am with you always even to the close of the age."
Let’s turn now to a parable of Yahshua to delve deeper into this
subject. How could one possibly turn to a sinful life after being accepted into
this fellowship walk with the two most awesome powers of the universe and
beyond? MATT.13: 1-23 This is the parable of the sower. Read it very carefully
and absorb what Yahshua is saying. Starting verse 18 He explains what the
parable means. Can you see why the various people went astray? What is the
difference between them and the one who bore fruit and grew spiritually?
Number one is someone who hears and does not understand the word of
truth. Perhaps he did not know that Yahweh gives wisdom and understanding to
those who fervently ask Him. JAS.1: 5 Number two hears and does understand and
jumps in with both feet. He was very enthusiastic in the beginning. But he has
no depth of commitment because he failed to count the full cost and when faced
with some of these costs, was not able or willing to pay them. He had seen only
the benefits and none of the personal costs.
Number three is one who hears the word, understands and accepts the cost.
However instead of forging ahead with the job at hand in the life walk with
Yahweh and Yahshua he continues to count the cost and is distracted from the
goal and his fleshly desires choke the word and it cannot grow into good fruit.
GAL.5: 22-23
Number four has heard, understood, counted the cost and forged ahead and
did bear the fruit of the Spirit. How could this one do this and be successful
and the others not? What was the difference in these people? Notice that the
first three were focussed inward on the self and how things were affecting them.
Tribulation, persecution, and the desire for things to make the self feel good.
They lost sight of the goal. The cost became too high. They turned their back on
Yahweh and Yahshua and did not respond to the urges of the Spirit and instead
responded to the urges of the flesh. They no longer lived in the Spirit with
Yahweh and Yahshua.
Number four was focussed outward and upward. The cost had been counted
and found to be small compared to the assets. This one did what the others
failed to do. When tribulation, persecution, and temptation arose, number four
took Yahweh’s escape route.
1 COR.10:13 Yahweh is faithful and will never allow us to be tested or
tempted beyond our ability to cope. With the test He will provide the means of
escape. When temptation comes turn to Yahweh who cannot be tempted and His
strength will be the means of escape. One who is focussed inward will fail to
see Yahweh’s escape route. They will see only the immediate effect on the
self. They will fail to see Yahweh’s hand and see only the test or the
temptation. The one bearing fruit and walking in close harmonic fellowship with
Yahweh and Yahshua will see the test from Their point of view. ROM.5:1-5 The escape route is always through
Yahshua and with Yahshua.
The first three may have thought ,"all I have to do is believe in
Messiah Yahshua and I will be saved.” ACTS 16:31 When persecution tribulation
and temptation comes, belief is not enough to see you through. Paul knew this.
You might ask, "Why did he say what he did in ACTS 16:31 if it isn't
enough?" The truth is that Paul did not say what most people think he did
in this scripture.
To begin to understand lets turn to a letter from Yahshua’s brother
JAMES 2:19 James tells us that even the demons believe. They certainly believe
that Elohim is one and that Yahshua is the messiah. Satan surely believes that
Yahshua is returning to start Yahweh’s Kingdom and give eternal life to His
followers. That is why he is so full of hatred and anger. Is he or his demons
saved by this belief? Absolutely not!!
In the Greek language there are many words that we would translate as
believe. The one used in ACTS 16:31 is PISTEUO. It goes far beyond
our English word BELIEVE.
It means, to be totally reliant on, give total credence to, have absolute faith
in. Is not Paul actually telling the jailor and us to be totally dependent on
and give complete credence to Yahshua’s word as true and unchanging? Is this
not where those in the parable of the sower fell short?
Their belief did not go deep enough. They did not rely on Yahshua for the
strength necessary to go on to the finish. This happened because they did not
give total credence to His word. Paul’s advice to the jailor is invaluable
when properly understood. The word PISTEUO incorporates, belief,
reliance, trust and undoubting faith. This is what Paul told the jailor, he
needed to be saved. We must PISTEUO
Yahshua continually throughout our lives or we could fall from this Grace in
which we stand.
Let’s turn now to another scripture mentioned at the beginning of this
study. EPH.2: 8 " By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is
not your own doing, it is a gift of
Elohim.” This is one of the most often quoted scriptures of this age. It is
quoted so quickly that the true intent of the words are lost. What one is saved
from is never mentioned. However, saved for all eternity is the inference
intended. Still unanswered is, saved from what? We are saved by grace as a gift
from Yahweh. What is grace?
The word Grace is translated from the Greek
Charis.
It has a wide range of uses. The meaning intended here is "benefit" or
"Favour". This coincides with the real meaning of grace in English.
Undeserved favour or benefit. We stand in Yahweh’s favour, His grace. How did
we get there? Once we understand what we are saved from we will also understand
how we came to be under Yahweh’s grace or favour.
In ACTS 16:31 Paul told the jailor he would be saved. From what? In
ROMANS 8:1 Paul said that there is now no condemnation for those in messiah
Yahshua. Condemnation for what? These scriptures all interconnect in their
statements. All are talking about the same thing. OUR PAST TRANSGRESSIONS OR
SINS. The condition we were in BEFORE the sacrifice of Yahshua was applied to us
at baptism. We were dead in our sins, COLL.2 :13 We were all in a downward
spiral to eternal death. We were sick to death spiritually. We were in need of
healing.
Lets now understand the full meaning of the Greek word translated saved.
It is, SOZO. It has a wide variety
of meanings that all apply to the situation. I am sure that is why Yahweh
inspired it. It means; " deliver, heal,
preserve, make whole, and make safe”. Look at our pre-baptismal
condition prior to Yahshua’s intervention. Did we not need someone to do all
of these things for us? We could not do them on our own. We could not heal
ourselves of the spiritual sickness that gripped us. We could not deliver
ourselves from the death sentence that the law demanded. We had no power to
preserve our lives.
Yahweh sent His son to do all of these things for us. It was His gift to
us. We did not earn it or deserve it. He did it because of His great love for us
as His children. JOHN.3: 16 Isn't that why He created us? Weren't we created so
Yahweh and Yahshua could love us? There is no other reason. Through His son
Yahshua, Yahweh showed this great love by reconciling us to Himself. 2 COR.5: 19
not counting our sins against us. He saved us from eternal death by His loving
fa- vour and placed us under His Holy
grace so we could undertake the life long fellowship walk with Him and His son in this age and eternal life with them
in the age to come.
HE began the salvation process in us at that time. That process will
continue as long as we are willing to obey Him.
ACTS 5:32 HEB.5: 7-10 The decision is ours. Do we walk in harmony with
our loving Elohim, living by every word that proceeds from Him MATT. 4:4 or do
we, in discord, seek salvation our own way ? Do we say, "I am saved "
or do we say, "I am being saved ". If we say I am saved then there is
nothing for us to do. If we say, I am being saved, then we can see that we have
a part to play and are in a partnership with Yahweh and Yahshua in this lifelong
fellowship walk.
We will close this study with one final scripture of Paul from his letter
to the brethren in Philippi. He wrote this letter from prison many years after
he had been converted. He knew even after all these years his salvation had
still not reached completion and that he was still in the process. PHIL.3: 8-14
He knew that he was in the process, not because of his own righteousness but
because of the righteousness that comes from Yahweh through Yahshua. In VERSE 12
He states that the salvation process was not yet completed in him and he had not
yet reached perfection through the resurrection. But he says in VERSE 13 that he
presses on with that as his goal. VERSE 14 He says he pressed on toward the
prize of the upward call of Elohim that will reach completion in Yahshua
Messiah.
Paul completes the subject perfectly in VERSE 15-16 I will quote from the
Jerusalem Bible as it is worded so clearly.
"We who are mature must all think in this way. If there is some
point on which you see things differently, Elohim will make it clear to you;
meanwhile let us go forward on the road that has brought us to where we
are".
May Yahweh bless you as you walk in fellowship with Him and His son
Yahshua. HalleluYah. Elder Dave Ganton
By Johnny R. McCarty
[N.T.
forgiveness] (noun) (Strong's 859) - a release, as from bondage, imprisonment,
etc.; forgiveness, pardon, of sins; the letting them go, as if they had not been
committed. (Thayer's
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament).
aphiemi
[N.T. forgiven] (verb) (Strong's 863) - to let go, let alone, let be, to disregard; to let go or
give up a debt by not demanding it. (Thayer's).
[N.T. mercy]
(noun) (Strong's 1656) -
active mercy, kindness or good will towards the miserable and afflicted, joined
with a desire to relieve them,
compassion. (Thayer's). "Is
the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who
receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who
shows it.
charis
[N.T. grace] (Strong's 5485) -
goodwill, loving-kindness, favor; kindness which bestows upon one what he has
not deserved;
English-
Forgive
To
grant free pardon for or remission of an offense, debt, etc.; mercy.
Forgiveness
Act of
forgiving; state of being forgiven.
Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary, Gramercy Books, 1994.
Kindness,
mercy, forgiveness, leniency; usually relating to criminal acts. Black's Law Dictionary, 6th Edition, West, St. Paul, MN, 1990.
Notice that
forgiveness is the “free pardon” of an offense, as if it “had never been
committed.” In other words, the
person seeking forgiveness doesn't (indeed, can't) do anything to
"earn" forgiveness. If one
must earn remission of sins, then it is no longer forgiveness and grace but a
salary or debt owed to the offender.
Let's examine
forgiveness in the light of Yahweh's Word. We
will find out what is involved in true righteous forgiveness.
It's not difficult to understand. However,
there is more to forgiveness than at first appears.
Without the help of Yahweh, a human being can only give lip service to
forgiveness. Yahweh requires much
more than that.
We Must Emulate Yahweh
Contrary to
popular belief, Yahweh does not allow us to determine how we exercise
forgiveness. He requires us to emulate Him in the way we forgive someone.
“Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil
speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as Yahweh in Messiah forgave you”(Ephesians 4:31-32).
At this point,
we must determine exactly what righteous forgiveness is. The Greek word, used in
the New Testament, for forgiveness is aphˆsis, which includes eleos or active
mercy. The concept involves much more than sympathy in the popular sense
or feeling pity for someone. It is
possible to feel pity for someone without forgiving them. To more easily
forgive someone, we must understand them.
Yahshua Has Empathy For Us
The English
word that more readily encompasses the Scriptural concept is empathy. This is the
intellectual and emotional identification with the feelings, thoughts, or
attitudes of another person. In other words, getting into that person's mind to
understand why he acts or feels the way he does; to experience what he is
experiencing or has experienced. This requires a very deliberate act on our
part.
This we rarely
do. Most of us are concerned only with our own feelings and not those of others.
When we feel sorry for someone, we do it from the outside, from our own limited
perspective. To achieve true forgiveness, we must make the effort to truly and
completely empathize with the person asking our forgiveness. Doing this would
make forgiving a person much easier and more meaningful. This is also exactly
what Yahshua did when He still had the flesh and blood form of man.
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize
with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy
and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews
4:15-16).
Everyone has
different experiences as they go through life. If we make the effort to
empathize with others, we can realize why someone acts as they do. Once we
understand that, we can more easily extend mercy toward them, then true
forgiveness is just one small step away. True, our understanding of another
person's motives is not a requirement of our forgiving him; it just makes it
easier to do so. When I speak of forgiveness, this is the type of empathy,
active mercy and pardon to which I refer.
This does not
require that we sit down for hours and learn all we can about the background,
life, outlook and attitude of the people we intend to forgive. Yahweh, through
Yahshua the Messiah, has already done that for us. We simply need to pray
earnestly for His guidance and help through the Holy Spirit for the ability to
forgive. We then apply this ability to those situations in which we must offer
forgiveness.
Forgiveness of
our sins is the cornerstone of the Good News of Yahshua. “Therefore let it be known to you brethren, that through this
Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins”
(Acts 13:38). Forgiveness of our
sins is required before we may have a part in the Kingdom of Yahweh. “I will deliver you from the
Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open
their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan to Yahweh, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance
among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts
26:17-18). The forgiveness of our
sins by Yahweh is through His unlimited mercy.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). (See
also Colossians 1:14.)
Yahweh
promises that if we confess our sins to Him, repent of (turn away from) our sins
and ask His forgiveness, He will give it. “If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. If we say that we
have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:9-10). Yahweh
requires us to acknowledge our sins then ask Him to forgive our sins before He will do it.
If we don't ask, He will not forgive.
The simple act of asking is an act, or work, of faith.
We are exercising the faith that after we
forgive others, then Yahweh will also forgive us.
There is one
very important caveat in asking for our sins to be forgiven.
We must realize that forgiveness of our sins is conditional.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7). “For if you forgive men their
trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father
forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). This
is one verse that should be memorized by and kept in the hearts of all who
profess to be followers of Yahweh and Yahshua the Messiah.
Further, “But go and learn what this
means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’
For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance”(Matthew 9:13). “And whenever you stand
praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in
heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in Heaven forgive
your trespasses” (Mark 11:25-26). (See
also Luke 6:37; 11:4.)
Do you see it?
Yahweh requires us to forgive the sins of those who sin against us before He will
forgive our sins. Too many people
don't heed this critical admonition. This
makes the act of forgiveness a three step process on our part.
1) Forgive those who sin against us.
2) Acknowledge our own sins to Yahweh.
3) Ask Yahweh to forgive our sins. ALL of these are acts, or works, of faith. Notice, too, that the
person sinning against us doesn't even have to ask for our forgiveness.
We are to grant it whether they ask it or not.
And we must give it unconditionally,
just as Yahweh extends His mercy and grace towards us and forgives our sins.
This isn't
just a suggestion. Yahweh commands it! “Take heed to yourselves.
If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive
him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and returns to you, saying
‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke
17:3-4). “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown
no mercy. Mercy triumphs over
judgment” (James 2:13). Yahweh
will not extend mercy to any who refuse to show mercy to those who sin against
them.
“Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Master, how often
shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?
Up to seven times?’
“Yahshua said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy
times seven. Therefore the kingdom
of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his
servants. And when he had begun to
settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.
But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with
his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.
“The servant therefore fell down before him saying, ‘Master, have
patience with me, and I will pay you all.’
Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him,
and forgave him the debt.
“But that servant went out and found one of his fellow
servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him
by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’
“So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged
him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’
“And he would not, but went and threw him into prison
till he should pay the debt. So when
his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and
told their master all that had been done.
“Then his master, after he had called him, said to him,
‘You wicked servant! I forgave you
all that debt because you begged me. Should
you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on
you?’ And his master was angry,
and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
“So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of
you from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses” (Matthew
18:21-35).
“Therefore, as the elect of Yahweh, holy and beloved, put
on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one
another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another;
even as Messiah forgave you, so you also must do.
But above all these things; put on love, which is the bond of
perfection” (Colossians
3:12-14).
The foregoing
examples are plain, powerful statements of Yahweh.
There is no way to rationalize or justify our way around them.
Also, Yahweh doesn't allow us to put a limit on how many times we are
required to forgive someone who sins against us. (Matthew 18:21-22)
It is undeniable, brethren, to be forgiven,
we must first forgive. The many
examples and exhortations of Messiah, the Apostles, and the early congregation
bear true witness to this. They also show the extent to which we must forgive.
Merely saying the words is NOT enough.
We must forgive in
our hearts
and then extend the love of Messiah to those we've forgiven. Anything less is
totally unacceptable.
To be continued……………….
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