Isn't Forgiveness Just an Excuse to Sin?

Is forgiveness an excuse for sin? If we continue to sin deliberately after coming to a knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sin is left but only a terrifying fire that will devour the enemies of God. We are insulting the sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross and insulting the Spirit of God. The Bible warns strongly against this. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of God. Hebrews 10:26-31. Forgiveness requires a willingness to change and a genuine desire to get right with God. Some people had come into the church who were using the grace and forgiveness of God as an excuse to practice immorality. Jude v.3,4. God's judgement will come on those who practise gross immorality and they will become like Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude v.7. Black darkness has been reserved for these people forever. Jude v.13. Enoch prophesied that the Lord would come with many thousands of his holy ones to bring about judgement on the ungodly. Jude v.14,15. We need to stay strong in the power of Christ and in the Holy Spirit, waiting for the second coming of Christ. By his Spirit dwelling within us he is able to keep us from falling and to keep us spotless and blameless.

We have escaped the corruption of the world and become partakers of the divine nature. God doesn't just expect us to turn from our sin and follow him by our own determination. He actually changes us on the inside. We have received everything we need to become godly. Living a righteous life is no longer impossibly difficult. It becomes easy. We don't earn our way to Heaven by being good. We become good because, if Jesus is living inside us by the power of his Spirit, it becomes natural to be good. It requires no effort to become godly. 2Peter 1:1-11. Our hearts are saved from sin and have become purified. Our evil desires are replaced with godly desires. We become zealous to do the right things. Titus 2:11-14. We are no longer foolish people with darkened minds who do foolish things because we can't control ourselves. God saved us not by our own efforts but by the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus shed on the cross and the transforming presence of God's Spirit living inside us. Not because of anything we have done but because of his mercy, God has washed away our sins, regenerated and renewed us, and given us eternal life. Titus 3:5-8. That eternal life is not only going to Heaven when we die but if Jesus is living in us by the power of his Spirit it starts now. The natural mind is set on the pleasures of this world and can't set itself on God. It can't follow God's law and is unable to do so. But we have been set free from the law of sin and death and are alive by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:1-11. God has put his law in our hearts and written it on our minds. Hebrews 8:10. We no longer conform to the mentality of the people in this world because we have been transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can understand the will of God. Romans 12:1-2. If we live by the Holy Spirit our lives become full of love, joy and peace. Galatians 5:15-26.

We can't earn favour with God by being good. We become good because we are overjoyed by the tremendous thing that has happened to us. God took us, even though we were sinners, and washed away our sins in the blood of Jesus and renewed us by the power of the Holy Spirit living inside us. Therefore we can't help doing good. Ephesians 2:1-10. We need to set our minds on the things of God and not think about the pleasures of this world or the way that we used to live. Colossians 3:1-4. We are full of the love of God and we are able to understand right and wrong. Philippians 1:9-11. We become imitators of God and live a life of love. Ephesians 5:1,2. We are holy because he is holy. 1Peter 1:13-16. We love one another because love comes from God and because he first loved us by sending Jesus to die for our sins. 1John 4:7-12. He gives us the power to be set free from the sinful desires of the world and to be transformed into divine godliness. 2Peter 1:1-11. If we really are the people of God, we will know this and others will know this because we are set free from the evil desires of world and called out of darkness into his wonderful light. People should be able to see a difference in us and to glorify God because of us. 1Peter 2:9-12.