Originally posted by stellspalfie
so christ died for the sins of future christians, who should because of their beliefs have no sins!
so we are saying that a death row criminal that beliefs in god is okay because jesus has absorbed his sins. where an atheist who lives a good life is fckd. it sounds like you are saying belief is more important than being a good person?
my point re ...[text shortened]... been punished for our sins and noah has been the only sur vior of our sins, why do we still sin,
so christ died for the sins of future christians, who should because of their beliefs have no sins!
The question makes little sense. And I guess tonight I am not in the mood for "Gotcha!" misunderstandings.
Before you or I were born, God made provision for our salvation. He has made provision in His redemptive act for the sins of the world. I don't know what kind of "Gotcha!" moment you think this furnishes the skeptic.
so we are saying that a death row criminal that beliefs in god is okay because jesus has absorbed his sins. where an atheist who lives a good life ... it sounds like you are saying belief is more important than being a good person?
Before you were born God saw your need for redemption and reconciliation to Himself. You had done nothing either good or bad and Christ made provision for your eternal salvation.
It is the same with every person who has or will live.
If this seems skewed to you it is probably because you don't yet understand that forgiveness is not an end in itself. God has an eternal purpose to conform His people into the image of Christ that He may have
sons of God with His life and nature - brothers of Jesus the Firstborn Son of God.
So when people think they have some perculiar fault to charge God with because of forgiveness of all sins, it is usually because they do not realize that forgivness is not the only end in itself.
They are appalled that any and all sins might be forgiven to the sinner. That is true. But a proper understanding of God's full new testament salvation is more like this:
1.) The sinner who believes gets to be forgiven of any and
all sins which he may have committed.
2.) There is something that the sinner, however, does NOT get. He does not get to remain the same kind of person forever that he was as when he committed those sins.
The death row murderer who believes into Christ is seen then by God as if he had never sinned at all. God has not overlooked his sins. They have been JUDGED in the person of Jesus on the cross.
Grasp this. When I believe in Christ I accept that Christ was judged in my place. That is tremendous. And that is beyond any man made imagination's invention. Because I have believed into Christ, even on death row, eternal redemption has been given to me because
justice against my sins was accomplished at the cross of Jesus on Calvary.
What I do get is to remain the same kind of person. I must be sanctified. I must be transformed. I must be conformed to the image of Christ. I get to be forgiven. I do not get to remain the same.
God is patient and has the time to transform me. And He also has His wise ways to give me the incentive to cooperate with transformation.
I think it is futile for you to waste time trying to locate weaknesses in the Divine plan of salvation.
my point regarding confession is that if jesus had died to absolve people of their sins then their would be no need to go to confession as your sins have already been forgiven, this also raises the question if adam has been punished for our sins and noah has been the only sur vior of our sins, why do we still sin,
When I believed in Christ I received eternal redemption. I will never perish in the damnation of eternal separation from God.
As to my daily fellowship with God I am not even aware of the extent of my problems. As I grow His light shines more and more upon my errors. One by one I agree with Him. I confess and forsake. Confession is agreeing with God.
This confession is for fellowship and not for eternal redemption. This confession is acknowledging more and more in specific ways that Christ needs to move into the various chambers of my personality.
Receiving eternal redemption forever, once and for all does not absolve me from growing in awareness and consciosness of specifics. This confession of specific sins is for the deepening of communion and fellowship with God and for sanctification of transformation.
And though much more could be written, for length's sake I stop here.