“To open their eyes, (and) to turn them from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” – Acts 26:18
LIGHT FOR NOW: Forgiveness is your inheritance in Christ.
One vital truth all believers must comprehend is that forgiveness of sins is received by faith in Christ. This is because Christ is the one who accomplished the forgiveness of sins in his redemptive sacrifice. Therefore, when a man believes in what Jesus has accomplished, that accomplishment is effected in the life of that man. Paul in our text makes an important statement which explains what forgiveness of sins is; he says, ‘to receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me’.
The word, ‘and’ used in between sins and inheritance is not conjunctive but explanatory. That is, Paul is saying ‘to receive forgiveness of sins which is an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Christ’. We can see that forgiveness is an inheritance in Christ for those who believe. This is why Paul said ‘which is an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Christ’. The sanctified are those who have believed. Thus, a man is sanctified by his faith in Christ. And the common thing among the sanctified (those who have believed) is that they have an inheritance amongst them which is forgiveness of sins.
To receive this inheritance, one must have faith in Christ. Therefore, forgiveness of sins is not in man’s continual prayer for forgiveness of sins but it is by faith in Christ and thus received by faith in Christ.
So, can we say forgiveness in Christ is received once and for all? Yes, because Jesus died eternally and made forgiveness available eternally.
Therefore, we can deduce that a man only receives forgiveness of sins once, which is when he believes in the gospel of Christ. Forgiveness of sins is not received by continually praying for it each time you do wrong. You are forgiven once and that forgiveness is eternal. There is nothing you can do to change that. The problem many believers have with this fact is that in their minds they assume that there is a book God has and each time a believer does wrong, God keeps account of it, but when the believer comes and apologizes with tears, God forgives his wrong and cleanses it. Such a believer has a sin consciousness problem. He does not know who he is in Christ and what he has in Christ. In fact, the writer of Hebrew makes it clear that “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12).
God does not have a record where he keeps your wrong doing. The day you believed the gospel, all your sins were forgiven eternally. Hallelujah!!!
INSTRUCTION: Don’t be sin conscious, be Christ conscious.
PRAYER: Father, I thank you for your redemptive sacrifice that has sanctified me and given me an inheritance in you which is the forgiveness of sins, in Jesus name, Amen.
QUOTE: Jesus died eternally and forgave you eternally.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: Acts chapter 5; EVENING: Ephesians Chapter 19
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 