Post by Grace Mayowa Bolden (@DeeMayor)

We are sons of God now. That is the love that the Father has lavished on us.
Sin means to miss the mark; to come short of something.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
God gave Adam life, but he chose death, that was the missing of the mark. Disobedience means unpersuaded. It means unbelief. It had to do with faith.
Romans 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Sin can refer to iniquity, trespass, unrighteousness and transgression. It is important to reiterate that sin has been laid on Jesus (1st John 2:1,2)Forgiveness of sin is not a reward. It is also not the response to a request or an answer to prayer.
Every time it was mentioned, it is in the past tense (Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, Colossians 2:13)
Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
This is one of the key truths about the New Covenant. In the new covenant, there is remission of sins.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Vs 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all. There is no basis to qualify for forgiveness of sins. That is why forgiveness in the epistles is used in the past tense.
1John 2:1 My little children, these things write I to you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: Vs 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
This refers to Believers. Jesus is our Advocate with the Father when we sin.
1 John 2:12 I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
Note the emphasis- your sins are forgiven. Hence, the gift of righteousness says sins are forgiven past, present and future.
In Romans 4, Paul spoke of righteousness as a gift. He didn't say that the man will not sin, rather that the Lord will not count it.
Forgiveness of sins is also not the result of repentance, rather repentance comes after forgiveness. Forgiveness comes before repentance. Repentance is not a change of ways. It deals with the mind. Repentance means to take your eyes off something to another; off sin to the gift of righteousness. It happens after God has forgiven.
If forgiveness was a function of a change of behaviour, that would not be a gift. It would be a reward!
John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said to them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her…
Vs 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said to her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Notice he said 'neither do I condemn you.' This is forgiveness. He then adds 'go and sin no more.' He first gave her the gift of no condemnation.
Luke 5:20 And when he saw their faith, he said to him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
How did Jesus forgive in the four gospels?
In Luke 7:37-47, Jesus used figure of speech to talk to the self-righteous Pharisees.
Jesus is saying loving God is a product of his love for us.
1John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Vs 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
God's love is what affects our conduct. God's love comes first. It is not our conduct that brings forgiveness.
1st John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
The word 'him 'is not in the original text. We love because he first loved us.

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