GOSPEL LIGHT #783

 Why Unconditional Forgiveness Harms the Gospel Message

LEV 16:15 “Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.

LEV 16:21 “Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.

Take note of that expression in verse 21 "send it away" for this is really the idea of forgiveness.

Forgiveness means to dismiss and send away. This is illustrated in the Old Testament by the scapegoat released into the wilderness symbolically carrying the sins of the people. Look at that goat - it's dismissed and sent away! But notice please that before the scapegoat could be released, another goat had to be sacrificed first as a sin offering. Sin offering first, scapegoat second.

The sequence is crucial --- atonement comes first, then forgiveness becomes possible.

Teaching forgiveness as unconditional ignores this essential sequence and effectively bypasses the sacrifice required for the dismissal and sending away of sin. IT MAKES CHRIST'S ATONEMENT UNNCESSARY!

To make all this simple - forgiveness of sins is only possible because of the atonement. Make use of God's quote unquote "goat" on the cross of Calvary. Put your confidence in His sacrifice then and only then can you believe all you want that your sins are forgiven.

GOSPEL LIGHT #782

Doing Christian things and activities, even sincerely, doesn’t make you a Christian.

It’s like an actor who feels so deeply that he is a firefighter, shedding tears, living in the role in his own heart, yet he is still not really a firefighter.

Or take Don Quixote, the character created by Miguel de Cervantes, who truly believes he is a brave knight, dressing in makeshift armor, riding an old horse, and charging at windmills he imagines are giants, convinced he is protecting the helpless and fighting evil, yet in reality, he is still just an ordinary man and not a knight. Or take someone who is immersed in a virtual reality game, fully convinced they are accomplishing great feats, solving challenges, and saving worlds with all their heart and focus, yet it’s all happening in a headset.

Again, doing Christian things and activities, even sincerely, doesn’t make you a Christian. You may be like the actor; sincere in feeling he is a firefighter, but it is merely conceptual. Or like Don Quixote; truly believing he is a knight, yet the whole thing was delusional. Or like someone immersed in a virtual reality game; convinced they are accomplishing great feats, yet it is only virtual. Sincerity alone doesn’t make it real.

Sadly, many people are Christians conceptually, delusionally and virtually but not in reality, as if dreaming realistically of salvation only to awaken in hell. Lots of people are living a realistic dream that they are Christians. 

First things first - all your sins must be paid for. Doing Christian things sincerely, no matter how intense or heartfelt, does nothing to deal with your sins past, present or future. No matter how sincerely you do Christian activities, it cannot erase your guilt. A real Christian is, first of all, saved from the penalty of sin. And this can only happen if you put your confidence in Christ and what He did on the cross for your salvation.