DIG for Saturday the 21st of October…..did they ask for forgiveness…..John 8 v 11

Carrying on with my theme from yesterday I want you to look at a couple of encounters Jesus has with people in the Word.

Take the woman taken in adultery for instance (John 8 v 3 to 11).

We see Jesus accepting this woman and not condemning her (John 8 v 11).

Yes, we see Jesus telling her to sin no more, however this was after He accepted her.

Do we see the woman asking for forgiveness before His acceptance?

Now think about the thief on the cross (Luke 23 v 39 to 43).

The thief called Jesus Lord and asked for help (Luke 23 v 42), and Jesus said he would be with Him today i.e. after death (Luke 23 v 43).

Where in this account does the thief ask for forgiveness?

If there were any people who needed to ask for forgiveness surely it was an adulteress and fornicator and a convicted thief on a cross!

These are pictures for us today, showing us that we do not need to ask the Lord for forgiveness.

Forgiveness is a ‘done deal’, and not just for those of us in the church but for all men (1 John 2 v 2).

Forgiveness flowed for all and to all as His blood flowed down the cross (Ephesians 1 v 7 and Colossians 1 v 14).

You are not required to ask the Lord for something He has already given you, simply thank Him for it.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I have already been forgiven for all my sin, past, present and future, and that this forgiveness came solely through the shed blood of Jesus”.

John 8 v 11…..She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more

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DIG for Saturday the 2nd of April…..why do I keep talking about the finished work of Jesus…..Hebrews 10 v 12

Someone asked me recently, “Vic, why do you keep talking about the finished work of Jesus Christ?”

Well, this is because this is the most significant and important event in the history of mankind!

Jesus came to earth with a mission; He came to bring the peace of God to man, bringing reconciliation and forgiveness from God.

He did this on the cross when He shed His blood after living a sinless life.

How can I say this work is finished?

Well, Scripture is clear that ALL sin was dealt with once and for all at the cross, in that sense it is finished (Hebrews 10 v 12).

Jesus paid for ALL sin for all people at the cross (1 John 2 v 2).

ALL mankind were reconciled and forgiven at the cross, which is why I say it is finished.

Another reason for me saying this is that this is exactly what Jesus said Himself; He said, “It is finished” (John 19 v 30).

In Hebrews we see what Jesus did once He achieved this reconciliation and forgiveness, we are told that He sat down (Hebrews 10 v 12).

That to me is the final evidence that His work is finished, He sat down!

There is nothing more to be done with regards to dealing with sin, with regards to reconciliation and forgiveness.

It is finished!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that Jesus s now seated at your right hand, His work finished”.

Hebrews 10 v 12…..But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God

DIG for Friday the 1st of April…..forgiveness is also nothing to do with what you have done…..Colossians 1 v 14

In the DIG yesterday I wrote that righteousness was nothing to do with our actions and all to do with those of Jesus.

The same is true for forgiveness.

I hear people praying and asking for forgiveness from God many times, yet forgiveness is something that has already been given.

At the cross Jesus paid for (or was the propitiation) for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2 v 2).

All men were forgiven for everything after He willing shed His blood for us at Calvary (Ephesian 1 v 7 and Colossians 1 v 14).

We have already been forgiven for all our trespasses, those in the past, present and future (Colossians 2 v 13).

You cannot receive more forgiveness from God; He has already forgiven you for everything.

Indeed, you were forgiven for everything even before you were born, as forgiveness flowed at the cross.

Here is an important truth that not enough believers know; you do not need to ask God for forgiveness!

This is a truth that is one of the biggest secrets in the church today.

Lack of knowledge in this area keeps people sin focussed, looking at their sin in order to ask for forgiveness.

This is a trick of the enemy; God is not looking for you to ask for forgiveness, He is looking for you to thank Him for this through trust in His Son’s finished work.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I have already been forgiven for all my sins because of the finished work of Jesus Christ”.

Colossians 1 v 14…..In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins

DIG for Thursday the 14th of January…..past embraced, history rewritten…..Hebrews 10 v 17

I seem to be basing a few DIGs recently on the worship music I am listening to.

The first thing I do when I sit at my desk is put on some music and it is normally worship music, and if you listen to “good” worship music there is always something to edify and inspire you.

Today it was a song from Bethel music and these lines inspired me; “My past embraced, my sin forgiven, I’m blameless in your sight, my history rewritten”.

This is saying we have been forgiven and made righteous, and that is something we all need to remember or indeed have revealed to us for the first time.

All men for all sin have already been forgiven through the shedding of the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1 v 7, Colossians 1 v 14 and Hebrews 10 v 12).

All our sins of the past (and present and future) have been paid for through the finished work of Jesus Christ (1 John 2 v 2).

If we believe this truth and make Jesus our Lord and Saviour, we are born again in our spirit and are created new, created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4 v 24).

In the eyes of God it is just as if we had never sinned, in other words we have been justified.

Our past has been dealt with through Jesus’ finished work and it is as if our complete history had been rewritten.

That is good news, as it means we can all benefit from His forgiveness if we come to and trust in Jesus.

So, I am going to keep listening to worship music and keep reminding myself of the good news of Jesus Christ.

I suggest that you do the same.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I have been forgiven and that as a gift of grace through faith been made righteous”.

Hebrews 10 v 17…..And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more

DIG for Monday the 4th of January…..sin is NOT an issue for God…..1 John 2 v 2

I wrote about forgiveness yesterday, saying many people still insist on asking God for forgiveness.

This is not because they have an issue with forgiveness, but it is because they have an issue with sin.

The church today has an unnatural interest in sin.

Contrary to what most people in the church thinks, God does not have a problem with sin any more.

Sin was an issue however Jesus came and paid (or was made the propitiation) for sin.

In 1 John 1 v 2 we see how much sin Jesus paid for; He paid for ALL the sin of the whole world.

Everything has been paid for so sin is no longer an issue for God.

There is nothing left for God to forgive.

When Jesus paid for sin He completed His mission and finished His work i.e. He paid for all sin and everything, yes everything, has been forgiven.

If you insist of asking for forgiveness you are saying that Jesus’ work was not quite finished as you are saying there is some of your sin that still needs to be dealt with.

Now this is not an excuse to go out and sin, as sin will have earthly consequences for you and those around you, but it will not affect God and how He relates to you.

Jesus’ work was enough and with regards to sin Father God looks at what Jesus has done and not at what you have done, are doing or are going to do.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you lord that Jesus’ work is finished and He has paid for ALL my sin”.

1 John 2 v 2….And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world

DIG for Wednesday the 25th of November…..this is the end of religion…..John 2 v 6

There is yet another picture that we can see from the miracle of water into wine and I’ve saved this one for last, as it is my favourite.

When Jesus turned the water into wine He used the special waterpots that the Jews used for their ritual cleansing.

This cleansing was part of their “rules and regulations” or part of their religion.

In performing this miracle Jesus actually desecrated the waterpots making them unusable for the religious ceremonies that the Jews were required to do.

In a sense Jesus was saying, “You will not need these waterpots any more, you will not need this religion any more, I am here”.

Jesus came to deal with all sin and He indeed paid for all sin on the cross (1 John 2 v 2).

Under the old covenant people had to cleanse themselves through rituals and regulations of the law, under the new covenant we have already been cleansed through the shed blood of Jesus.

Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ man no longer needs religion; that is what He is saying here by desecrating the waterpots.

Jesus is enough.

Religion and religious performance with all the rituals and regulations are no longer required.

Jesus did not come to start a new religion as many think; He came to destroy religion.

True Christianity is a relationship not a religion.

True Christianity as all about Jesus and Jesus is enough.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the finished work of Jesus Christ and thank you that I now live under the new covenant and grace”.

John 2 v 6…..And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying in the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece

DIG for Thursday the 8th of October…..oh no, not again…..Acts 5 v 1 and 2

Ok, so I’m reading through Acts at the moment and writing a few DIGs in the process and I come to Acts 5, and am reading about the death of Ananias and Sapphira.

I’ve read about this recently on Facebook (again) and listened (again) to teaching on this topic.

Everyone teaching on this seems to think God killed them; but I cannot get my head around what they say in this matter.

I know from Scripture that Jesus paid for all sin for all men at His finished work on the cross (Hebrews 10).

I know from Scripture that He was the propitiation for all the sin of mankind (1 John 2 v 2).

I know from Scripture that Jesus was made sin for all mankind, and that forgiveness and reconciliation flowed from the cross.

I know from Scripture that God is not judging anyone for their sin anymore and that this era was ushered in with the New Covenant.

Now, I also know that this is what many, many “grace preachers” out there are saying as well.

So how then can some of the same grace preachers say that God killed Ananias and Sapphira for their lies (or their sin that has already been dealt with through Jesus’ finished work on the cross).

How can some of them say that God killed them as they were not born again believers?

I know from Scripture that God is no respecter of persons, so if He did kill them for their lies (or sin) He should be killing people today, yet I do not know of one “grace preacher” who says that!

I have to be honest and say that I am not sure who or what killed Ananias and Sapphira (I have my theory, but that is not important at the moment).

What I do know however from Scripture is that God could not have killed them, irrespective if they were believers or not; they lived in an era (grace under the New Covenant) where God is not judging people for their sin.

God would not, indeed God could not do it, or He would have been going against the finished work of Jesus Christ, and He would never do that!

Sin (including lies) has been dealt with.

God is not judging liars, saints or sinners, anymore and He was not doing this in Acts 5 either!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that Jesus has paid for all my sin and all the sin of mankind on the cross”.

Acts 5 v 1 and 2…..But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet

DIG for Tuesday the 4th of August…..we boast of His love, not our love…..1 John 4 v 10

I put a picture up on my Facebook page recently that went like this, “The man of law boasts of his love for God, the man of grace boasts of God’s love for him” (Dave Feldman).

Reading 1 John 4 this afternoon I was reminded of this quote from that man of God.

Reading verse 10 reminded me that what God has done is far more important than what we have done or do.

Through Jesus Christ all our sins were paid for and dealt with, even before we were born (1 John 4 v 10 and 1 John 2 v 2)

This was done because God wanted to come back into covenant relationship with man.

And He wanted to do this for us, as He loved us.

He has always loved us, no matter what we have done or are doing as a group (mankind) or as individuals.

His love for us was never based on our performance, His love for use was and is based upon His character and His nature; He is love (1 John 4 v 16).

He cannot do anything but love you, and our love for Him comes form this and from a realisation of what He has done for us through Jesus Christ.

You see, even our love comes out of His love.

Our love is nothing to boast of, it is only His love that is worthy of boasting about.

Jesus and His finished work in dealing with our sin is what we should be boasting about.

His performance was amazing and perfect, so that our performance did not have to count.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you loved us first, and thank you for the wonderful finished work of Jesus Christ”.

1 John 4 v 10…..Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins

DIG for Saturday the 18th of July…..before all things and holds all things together, that’s quit a role profile…..Colossians 1 v 17

I’m sure I’ve written this before, but I need to say it again; Colossians 1 v 14 to 20 is in my opinion the best description of Jesus in the whole of Scripture.

Sometimes it seems that people think Jesus “came on the scene” when He was born as a man just over two thousand years ago.

The truth could not be further from that.

Jesus always has been and He always will be.

He is the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1 v 8).

Jesus was the agent of creation (Colossians 1 v 16 and Hebrews 1 v 2).

Yes He was a man and came to dwell among us but He was, and is and always will be, God (John 1 v 14).

Never think of Jesus as just a man; He was all man yet all God.

I marvel that the God of Creation could love me so much that He gave up heaven to come to earth to set in motion my salvation.

I really hope that you can appreciate that truth as well; that Jesus loved you so much that He came here as a man to die for your sins (John 3 v 16 and 1 John 2 v 2).

It is amazing to think (and quite hard to get your head around) that Jesus, while holding together creation and the universe, had the inclination to think about you and I and about the requirements for our salvation.

I think that is just awesome.

I don’t think I’ll ever really understand that or how He did it, but I don’t have to, I just have to believe His Word.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for Jesus and thank you for His amazing and wonderful finished work”.

Colossians 1 v 17…..And he is before all things, and by him all things consist

DIG for Wednesday the 1st of July…..past events and even past sin are no barrier to the love of God…..Romans 8 v 38 and 39

At the end of Romans 8 (from verse 35 to 39) we read a great long list of things that cannot separate us from the love of God.

The list is not exhaustive but what it is really saying is that there is nothing that can separate us from His love, He loves us and that is the end of the matter.

That love was there from the beginning of time and will be there for eternity.

There are a couple of things not in the list however that fascinates me, given the amount of time and man-hours spent exploring this in the church.

I am talking about our past and about sin; things that Paul thinks do not even merit a place in his list.

Sin is not an issue as Jesus has paid for all sin once and for all (1 John 2 v 2 and Hebrews chapters 9 and 10).

Our sin and iniquity no longer concern God, He has chosen to remember them no more (Hebrews 10 v 17).

Yet we are asked (and this has happened to me) to drag up old sins from the past, ask for forgiveness and repent.

Allegedly, doing this will allow God to come back into relationship with me, turning His face toward me again.

This doctrine implies that He has turned away and moved from relationship with me because of my sin; that is simply not true, as I’ve said already Jesus dealt with all my sin on the cross and it is no longer a barrier for relationship with God.

Yes, I agree that there may be some things in the past that we require to renew our mind about and change, but whatever it is it cannot separate us from the love of God; whatever it is it will not result in God “revoking” our relationship with Him.

If anyone tries to tell you that, tell them it is a lie and gently point them towards Hebrews chapters 9 and 10 and Romans chapter 8.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that nothing can separate me from your love”.

Romans 8 v 38 and 39…..For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, whish is in Christ Jesus our Lord