FORGIVENESS OF FUTURE SINS A PRESENT REALITY Santo Calarco

When Paul says in Colossians 2:13 that Jesus forgave us all our sins, does this include my future sins as well? How can God forgive sins that I haven’t yet committed?
The answer is, God can forgive sins before I commit them in the same way he died for my sins long before I committed them! Let me explain: If sins can’t be forgiven in advance, then based on that same logic, neither could Jesus die for them in advance? If it is not possible for God to forgive sins in advance then neither can he die for sins in advance.
One idea is as illogical as the other. The fact is that the New Testament says that Jesus ‘forgave us all our sins’ (Col. 2:13). That verse doesn’t limit his sacrifice to the sins we have committed in the past—it says he forgave us for all our sins. In fact the Bible says that Jesus took away the sin of the world—not just the sin of the believer or potential believer (John 1:29; 1 John 2:2). He did away with, and put away, all sin at the time he was sacrificed (Heb. 9:26).

The Atonement for Sin in the Book of Hebrews
Hebrews 9:12 reveals that the blood of Jesus, shed two thousand years ago, ‘obtained eternal redemption’ for us. Did you get that? This means that at the time Jesus shed his blood, sin—all sin, past, present and future—was forgiven. Jesus did not need to be sacrificed again and again, as animals were, to atone for sins. His ‘once for all’ sacrifice was sufficient for all people, for all time (Heb. 9:25-28).
This means that all my sins—past, present and future—were atoned for by Christ’s ‘once for all’ sacrifice on the cross. He does not need to be crucified again for my future sins. Once was enough to atone for every sin that I, and everyone else, will commit.
We must conclude, therefore, that either ‘all’ our sins were forgiven at the cross, just as Colossians 2:13 so clearly says, or else none of our sins were forgiven at the cross, and that would make God a liar, because the Scripture says ‘he forgave us all our sins.’
The conclusion is simple: When the blood of Jesus was shed, forgiveness was made for every sin. When Jesus proclaimed, from the cross, ‘It is finished’ the atonement for all sin was finished. When Jesus declared, ‘It is finished’, the curtain of the Temple which separated the worshipper from the presence of God, was torn in two from top to bottom by the hand of God, thus indicating that the Lamb of God had taken away the sin of the world that separated us from God (John 19:30; Matt. 27:50-51; John 1:29). By his death Jesus opened a door that not even future sin could shut (Rev. 3:7-8).
It is interesting to note the tenses of the verbs in John 1:29 and compare them with what is said in Hebrews 9:26. Prior to the cross, the Lamb of God ‘takes away the sin of the world’. The word ‘takes’ is in the present tense, indicating continuous action in progress. After the sacrifice, however, the book of Hebrews changes the tense from continuous to past. The Amplified Bible of Hebrews 9:26 highlights the tenses when it says, ‘He has once for all at the consummation and close of the ages appeared to put away and abolish sin by his sacrifice [of himself].’
Dear reader, can you see the fullness of the truth of the gospel? When the blood of Jesus was shed, all sin was totally put away and abolished. Past tense! In God’s eyes, if you are in Christ, you have no sin, nor ever will.
In the verses that follow, the writer of Hebrews tells us what this means for the worshipper on a practical level. Hebrews 10:1 states that the blood of animal sacrifices was not able to make the worshipers perfect. But the writer goes on to say that ‘We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all’ (Heb. 10:10). Do you understand the significance of what he has said here? He is saying that the blood of Jesus makes you holy once for all time. Even though you may sin again, your sin is covered by the blood, and as long as you are covered by the blood you are holy, ‘because by one sacrifice he has made perfect for ever those who are being made holy’ (Heb. 10:14).
We are told in Hebrews 9:9-10 that ‘the gifts and sacrifices’ in the old Sanctuary service ‘were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper,’ because they were mere ‘external regulations’ that applied until Jesus came. However, when Jesus came and shed his blood for us, he cleansed us of sins once for all—past, present and future. The result is that worshippers can come before God without feeling guilty for their sins because they know that Jesus abolished sin in God’s sight two thousand years ago, and as a result, the worshipper’s conscience was legally cleared.
The writer to the Hebrews then brings us to his climactic statement: No-one can enter God’s presence with a guilty conscience, but Jesus’ blood was shed ‘to cleanse us from a guilty conscience’ thus opening the way for us to boldly enter the presence of God (Heb. 10:19-22). What a marvelous truth. We have total cleansing. This means that we can enter into the very presence of God because of that shed blood, which has already cleansed us from a guilty conscience! It is a done deal. Oh what joy unspeakable that causes the heart to sing and the feet to dance!
What a blessing to live under the New Covenant. Will you be able to come into the presence of God boldly the next time you really blow it? If you can’t and if you sense a barrier, and if you feel guilty then you need to internalise this truth.
The secret to experiencing this truth at a heart level is found in the phrase ‘in full assurance of faith.’ The full assurance of this blessed experience can only be entered into on the basis of faith. Our assurance and confidence is not based on our emotions or human logic; our assurance is based on faith in Jesus. This is critical to understand. Too many people allow their relationship with God to be dictated by how they think and feel. No! This truth is to be lived out on the basis of the assurance of faith—not feelings or logic. Faith is trusting in Jesus, rather than my feelings or logic.
Most of us battle with guilt feelings and guilty consciences. Do not let your conscience be your guide on this matter; God’s Word is your guide. When you approach the throne and your neural pathways, mind-sets, thought patterns and Satan make you feel guilty without any specific cause, then respond with the following: ‘I have already been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. All my sins—past, present and future have been taken away. Be my feelings what they will Jesus is my Saviour still!’ Then ignore your guilt feelings. Yes ignore them. We are told in 1 John 3:20 that even if our hearts condemn us God is greater than our hearts! So enter into his presence thanking him for his goodness in blotting out all your sins on the cross two thousand years ago.