Hebrews 10:18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

Hebrews is an extremely logical book/letter. This chapter clearly explains why the temple sacrificial system is no longer needed, but there are still people who try to atone for their own sins before God, when those sins are actually already dealt with by Christ on the cross. This is why salvation is by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8-9 and several other passages) We have to believe that Jesus died for our own sins for His sacrifice to be effective for us, but if we do believe that in repentance, then those sins are wiped away as if they never happened. Where it gets tricky is that we sin again, so we need to keep our repentance up to date. That said, we aren’t to be neurotically picking at ourselves for things of which to repent. We need to learn from Paul: “My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.” (1 Corinthians 4:4-5) We are to be open to the Holy Spirit for whatever He tells us we need to get rid of, and be quickly obedient when He does, but that doesn’t mean always being introspective. It’s no accident that “satan” means “accuser.” He will accuse us of stuff whether or not it is sin, and particularly whether or not we’ve already repented of it. That’s one of the ways we must resist him. (James 4:7) As Peter pointed out, forgetting that we have been forgiven is a horrible trap. (2 Peter 1:9) We’ve got to remember that Christ’s atonement for sin is total, eternal, and final, and walk in obedient gratitude.

Of course, this applies to me as much as it does to anyone. The Lord used 2 Peter 1:9 to liberate me from a besetting sin, because the more I dwelt on what I had done, the more likely I was to do it again. Realizing I was cleansed helped me realize I was under absolutely no obligation to do that sin again. That’s not to say that my weakness in that area was eliminated with a stroke, but it broke the bondage, and in the years since I have been greatly strengthened in that very area. In ministering to Japanese I have a double-edged problem. In the first place, because linguistically they conflate “sin” with “crime,” it is hard for them to realize they are sinners. In the second place, they have a very weak understanding of forgiveness, because again linguistically they conflate forgiveness with permission. God doesn’t give us permission to commit sins, but He does forgive them! I have to show people first of all that they are sinners, and then that Jesus died to remove their sins. I can’t do that on my own! However, the Holy Spirit is more than able to do it, so I am to stay open and obedient to Him at all times, so that He may work through me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s such a huge, vitally important subject. May I walk fully in the atonement of Christ and extend it to all to whom I minister, so that many may repent and believe for their salvation, and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!