Page 64 - The Prophetic Word Newsletter Archive 2009

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Most people who preach the pre-forgiveness of sins are protégées of Spurgeon’s Calvinistic theology.
Calvinism is a wide-spread theology in Christendom today as it was in Spurgeon’s day. It is a false
premise, a “twisting of Scriptures” as aforementioned. Pre-forgiveness of sins is a deduction of
Calvinistic reasoning of what is meant by the “Once For All” passages of Scripture:

“…FOR THIS HE DID ONCE FOR ALL WHEN HE OFFERED UP HIMSELF.” Heb. 7:27
“…WITH HIS OWN BLOOD HE ENTERED THE MOST HOLY PLACE ONCE FOR ALL,

HAVING OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION.” Heb. 9:12
“…BUT NOW, ONCE AT THE END OF THE AGES, HE HAS APPEARED TO PUT AWAY SIN BY

THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF.” Heb. 9:26
“…WE HAVE BEEN SANCTIFIED THROUGH THE OFFERING OF THE BODY OF JESUS CHRIST

ONCE FOR ALL.” Heb. 10:10
“FOR THE DEATH THAT HE DIED, HE DIED TO SIN ONCE FOR ALL…” Rom. 6:10

These passages do not convey that “once for all” God has removed our sins past, present and future.
Such a concept is unsupported in Scripture and is at odds with multitudes of other biblical principles.
Because of his belief in Calvinism, Spurgeon could not believe that Christ died for ALL mankind, but
rather only for those predestined to salvation by the sovereignty of God’s will. What these passages
convey that is in harmony with all of Scripture is that Jesus died one time for all of mankind. One
sacrifice of Himself is sufficient to provide the divine Blood-basis by which God can forgive all of
mankind’s sins. Try this illustration: If I am sick with a cold I reach into the medicine cabinet and take a
dose of cold remedy medicine, it will help cure the cold I have, but the one application does not forever
remove from me the the potential of getting another cold. Down the road I may need to take the
medicine again. It is always available to me as it sits waiting in my medicine cabinet for any crisis to
come. The same is true with the “sickness” of sin. When I became born again, the Blood of Jesus
thoroughly removed from me all my sins which produced my spiritual sickness. However, should I sin
again and need another dose of the Blood of Jesus to cleanse me once again, His Blood shed once for
all, is always available if needed. However, like the cold medicine, it must be once more applied to the
problem. Through the sincere process of remorse for sin, confession of sin and repentance (turning
away) from sin, I can avail once more of the shed Blood of Jesus Christ which is always available.

If pre-forgiveness of sin such as Charles Spurgeon and others describe is a valid doctrine, then the
epistles would be devoid of any instruction pertaining to further need to deal with sin on an ongoing
basis in the life of a believer. However, this is far from the case as we shall see. The Scriptures abound
with instruction to believers as to how to deal thoroughly with sin on an ongoing basis by means of the
Blood of Jesus. There is not one passage of Scripture that states God has already forgiven sins not yet
committed. The record is quite the opposite which is proof-positive that pre-forgiveness of sin is a false
doctrine that is to be shunned. Deal thoroughly with sin, or sin, as A. W. Tozer has said, will deal
thoroughly with you! The Christian is in a life-long battle with sin, and is to have dominion over it by
means of God’s enabling grace. I have heard one popular grace teacher telling God’s people not to be
sin conscious as this attitude is an affront to God’s grace and is a sign of unbelief that God has already
forgiven all the sins you will ever commit. Let us now examine whether the apostles of Jesus taught
God’s people to be conscious of sin or not:

THE APOSTLE PAUL ON THE BELIEVER’S RELATIONSHIP TO SIN:

THE APOSTLE PAUL “LIKEWISE YOU ALSO, RECKON YOURSELVES TO BE DEAD INDEED UNTO SIN, BUT ALIVE TO GOD IN
CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD. THEREFORE DO NOT LET SIN REIGN IN YOUR MORTAL BODY THAT YOU
SHOULD OBEY IT IN ITS LUSTS. AND DO NOT PRESENT YOUR MEMBERS AS INSTRUMENTS OF
UNRIGHTEOUSNESS TO SIN…FOR SIN SHALL NOT HAVE DOMINION OVER YOU, FOR YOU ARE NOT

UNDER LAW BUT UNDER GRACE. WHAT THEN? SHALL WE SIN BECAUSE WE ARE NOT UNDER LAW BUT
UNDER GRACE? CERTAINLY NOT!” Rom. 6:11-15

Paul sure has a heavy concentration on the subject of sin in the life of the believer in this chapter from
Romans! He uses the word “sin” 20 times (NKJ). I believe we are safe to conclude that he is very “sin
conscious” in talking to believers about not allowing sin in the life of the believer as well as what is to
be the believer’s relationship to God’s grace when it comes to the subject of sin! No hint of “pre-
forgiveness of sin” is found in these words of Paul, but rather a strong exhortation of responsibility for
the believer not to let sin reign in their mortal body or to obey sin with its lusts. Through God’s enabling
grace they are exhorted to choose to have dominion over sin.