Forgiveness of Sins for All People, Salvation from Sins for His People

2006-07-15 20:08

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21).

Forgiveness of sins is different from salvation from sins. Forgiveness of sins is the outward love of God, which is given to all people on earth, as it is written, "and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." (Genesis 22:18). Salvation from sins is the inward love of God, which is given to His people whom he foreknew. "Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and, 'Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.'" (2 Timothy 2:19).

Those who received only forgiveness of sins cannot help sinning because they are in the flesh. They cannot fulfill the righteousness that the law requires. Therefore, the Bible says, "that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:4). And also, "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." (Romans 10:4).

The end of the law is those whose flesh has been crucified with Christ. It is written, "The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." (Romans 6:10-11).

The Bible says about His people who are saved from their sins, "However, as it is written: 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.'" (1 Corinthians 2:9).

So the Bible says, "'Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.' 'I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.'" (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

Believing in Jesus is combining with him. If they say they believe in Jesus without combining with Jesus, it is false. It is written, "For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith." (Hebrews 4:2).

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Therefore, faith in the Lord means uniting with him. It is written, "But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him." (1 Corinthians 6:17).

Therefore, the Bible says, "For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection." (Romans 6:5).

Now those who don't believe in the Lord--those who don't unite with the Lord--will be hurt by the second death. It is written, "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8). Those who are in the flesh will come forth to the resurrection of condemnation.

It is written, "and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." (John 5:29). Therefore, the Bible says to His people who are saved from their sins, "Then I heard another voice from heaven say: 'Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues." (Revelation 18:4).

The Bible says about those who receive only forgiveness of sins and continue to sin and those who are saved from their sins and are freed from their sins, "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God." (1 John 3:8-9).

Therefore, the Lord Jesus the author of our faith said, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48). And he said by his apostle, "for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'" (1 Peter 1:16).

So then, forgiveness of sins is different from salvation from sins. Therefore, the Bible affirms concerning those who are saved from their sins, "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life." (Romans 6:17-22). Thank you, Lord.