The Gospel in Ten Words by Paul Ellis Read Free Book Online Page B

sounds like a good deal but it’s not. Indeed, given the phenomenal
price Christ paid for your forgiveness, it’s actually obscene. Allow me to
illustrate.
    If I gave you a mansion, with no strings attached, and
you responded with, “Let me pay you with a piece of navel fluff—there, now
we’re square,” I would be insulted. If you then went around telling others,
“Give Paul your navel lint and he will give you mansions,” I would do a
facepalm. Then I would have to bolt my door to the hordes queuing outside with
handfuls of fluff.
    It is ridiculous to think you can pay God to forgive you.
Yet many sincere believers are examining their navels for unconfessed sins
because they think God is a sin collector who trades favors for sin. Hear that
slapping sound? That’s the sound of a hundred million angels doing facepalms!
    The Creator is not some marionette you can manipulate
through merit and money. He is the Almighty One, the Ancient of Days, who sits
enthroned on high. In his wisdom and mercy he dealt with your sins once and for
all at the cross.
    John said, “He is faithful to forgive us our sins.” From heaven’s
perspective, this seems an odd thing to say. God won’t forgive you because he
has
already
forgiven you. God doesn’t judge the same sin twice, and at the cross he judged
all sin. Consequently, he is no longer counting men’s sins against them. Was
John confused about grace? Not at all, for he goes on to explain that we were
forgiven on account of his name (1 John 2:12). Forgiveness is based on his work
not ours.
    So why does John say God
will
forgive us our sins as though it was
something he hadn’t already done? Why does he sound like he is quoting the Old
Testament? Because he
is
quoting the Old Testament. John is paraphrasing an Old Testament scripture to
illuminate a New Testament concept. Look at the following two passages side by
side and see if they resemble one another:
     
    I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”—and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
(Psalms 32:5b)
     
    If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, KJV)
     

New covenant confession
     
    John
is not preaching an old law (confess to be forgiven), he is using old and
familiar language to describe something that would have been new and strange to
his first-century readers. In this regard he is like Paul who quotes the same
psalm in Romans 4:7–8. Paul quotes Psalm 32 to show we are blessed through
faith and not works; John quotes Psalm 32 to show we won’t be blessed except
through faith. For this is what John means when he says we must confess. The
Greek word for “confess” does not mean review your sins in the old covenant
fashion, it means to agree with or say the same thing as another. [16] It means agreeing with what God has said, which is the essence of faith.
    God has dealt with your sins whether you believe it or
not but if you don’t believe it then his forgiveness will be of no benefit to
you. And you won’t believe it if you are hearing sermons week after week about
how sinful you are and how your sins are piling up to high heaven. If you are
constantly being told to examine your heart for sin, bitterness, and
unforgiveness, then you are going to have trouble trusting that you have been
fully forgiven in Jesus’ name. You’re going to be susceptible to the sort of
works-based, navel-gazing preaching that says you must acknowledge your faults
and forgive to be forgiven.
    From God’s side, forgiveness is
a done deal. There are no more sacrifices for sin. But from our side sin
may be a serious problem indeed. So why do you need to receive the gift of forgiveness if you are already forgiven? For the
same reason you need to receive the grace of God that has appeared to all men—it
will change you. It will free you from guilt and condemnation and liberate you
from captivity to sin.
    An illustration may help: