“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)
What truth? That Jesus loves you? That God is Sovereign? That you are a child of God and will remain so forever? No, but that your sins, all of them, past, present, and future are forgiven, never to be brought to the mind of God again.
When we died with Christ it was our Adamic nature that died, the old man was replaced with a new nature. When the Lord looks on people He only sees two sorts, those that are still in Adam, and those that are in Christ, there is no third option. “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:18)
Will we sin? Of course, but consider here 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Who is it that can confess their sins? Only those who know they have sinned.
So why would we confess that which we have already been forgiven of? The foundational reason is so that we can maintain a right relationship with the Lord, so that our prayers are not hindered, but also so that we do not do as David did, attempt to hide or rationalize those sins as not really sin against the Most High. “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Heb. 12:6)
Do not think that chastening only comes upon us when we sin, that if we do not confess those sins that only a loss of fellowship will be the burden of them. There will be some form of punishment if we will not come before His throne in all humility to ask for forgiveness, much different than the prodigal son returning home, but chastisement can come upon us when we refuse to be obedient. If you know the will of God and do not perform that will, He will not give you over to a reprobate mind, that is for the lost only, but the Almighty will in some way remind you that He does not tolerate lazy, unproductive children.
Every sin you have or ever will do has been forgiven, we are in Christ, we will never know the wrath of God. “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” (Gal. 5:13) If you have any desires that are not for the glory of God, they are sinful desires. Can you imagine Gabriel standing in the presence of the Lord contemplating anything for himself?
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” (Eccl. 12:13) Once we are in the Beloved, the Beloved is to be our only focus, not an easy thing to do, because although that old man, our nature from Adam is dead, it is not completely removed. Self does not die on the cross. We cannot not sin, even if it is only in a momentary thought, Jesus did not say, “Whoever lingers long on evil thoughts while looking at a woman,” He said, “That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matt. 5:28)
We cannot control the thoughts of the flesh, that which is against the will of God, but we cannot also spend every waking moment confessing our sins. Although it is our desire, we cannot keep every thought captive for Christ, we cannot do everything for the glory of God. Indeed, we cry with Paul when he says, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24)
The truth that has set us free is that every sin of ours has been forgiven, that knowledge allows us to walk in the light of His love, something that I believe very few Christians understand. There is a freedom waiting for you that will bring into your life an assurance, a joy that is incomprehensible, a truth that will indeed set you free.
