Well, some teachers increasingly popular, by the way today, claim that since we are already forgiven we must never ask God to forgive our sins. To do so, they tell us, is an expression of unbelief. It's an expression of doubt. And, in fact, you are calling God's Word into question. Why would you ever ask the Lord to forgive your sins when He has told you all your sins are already forgiven? And so they insist that 1 John 1:9 has nothing to do with Christians but it is an invitation to non-Christians. When I was writing the book on forgiveness, I used some illustration from the best-known contemporary proponents of this view, a man named Bob George who teaches on the radio, a popular author, he says that Christians who pray for forgiveness, quote: "Live in daily insecurity, doubting whether all their sins are forgiven." He and several others who teach similarly claim that the only way to enjoy your liberty in Christ is to forget your sin, forget about it all together and just embrace God's forgiveness as a fully accomplished reality because of the work of Christ and never again pay any attention to your sin.
Well there's enough truth, of course, in saying that all your sins are forgiven to confuse people with that. And, you know, that's a...that would be a great way to live, pay absolutely no attention to your sin as if it didn't exist. That's what historically and theologically is known as antinomianism, disregard for the law of God and your violation of it. Our sins are all forgiven, that's true. But to say therefore we should pay no attention to our sin and if we ever were to ask forgiveness we would be disavowing, doubting or denying the promise of God indicates that you may understand some of the truth but you don't understand all the truth. It is true that all our sins are forgiven but that's not all the truth. From the perspective of God's judgment throne, the sins of believers are forgiven...forgiven, even before they're committed and even if they're never confessed. Did you get that one? Before the judgment throne of God the sins of believers are forgiven even before they are committed and even if they are never confessed because God has said He has forgiven all our sins.
As a righteous judge, He has done that because He thoroughly and completely punished Jesus Christ for our sins. The price is paid in full and therefore God by justice cannot hold us guilty because the price has been paid.
But that's not all the truth in this matter and to say that God therefore pays absolutely no attention to our sin is ridiculous and to say that you are to pay no attention to your sin is also ridiculous and dangerous. To say that we can sin and completely ignore it and bear no guilt and no remorse and offer no confession and ask for no forgiveness will, believe me, bring down on such a person's head the discipline and the displeasure of God. The idea that a Christian should never pray a penitent prayer seeking forgiveness is unbiblical, it's heretical. So-called Christians who think they can sin and never need to seek their Father's forgiveness is seriously deceived, but that is an increasingly popular view.
Another advocate says, I'm quoting, "You've probably heard people pray like this, 'And, Lord, we ask You to forgive us for all our sins,' but why do forgiven Christians ask God's forgiveness? Do they not believe they are forgiven? If they believe they're forgiven then why do they ask for it repeatedly? Their prayers reveal unbelief." Same approach. A few paragraphs later he proposes what he thinks is a better way to pray. This is what he writes, 'How frequently do you hear someone pray and...Lord, I thank You that I stand before You a completely forgiven man, thank You that I am as spotless as the driven snow? How frequently do you hear people pray that?' he asks. Those words are rare but they thrill the heart of God because they demonstrate faith that a man believes God who says we are forgiven in Christ. There is no way you're going to cozy up to God if you feel He is increasingly upset with you. To feel secure you must believe that He does not hold one single sin against you."
Here is a bold statement he writes, "It is impossible for a Christian to ask God's forgiveness for a besetting sin the umpteenth time and then snuggle up to Him. He will feel like God's patience is being stretched to the limit," end quote. I don't even know what cozy up and snuggle up to God means. But what he is saying is, you're never going to enjoy the presence of God until you stop thinking about your sin. And if you really want to get close to God, pay no attention to your sin. How much sense does that make? That's a happy doctrine for an antinomian. That's a wonderful conclusion to come to if you don't want to pay any attention to your sin. Very convenient theology.
But don't be under any illusions. Just because you tolerate your sin doesn't mean God does. In fact, the Bible teaches the opposite. Luke 11:4, Jesus said to the disciples, "Here's how you pray, 'Forgive us our sins.'"
You say, "Well what do people do with that verse?" Well, those who argue against praying for forgiveness say that that verse applies to the Old Covenant under Moses' law. They say that under the Old Covenant, under the law of Moses, under the legal dispensation of the past and maybe some future legal dispensations, some of them refer to, that prayer applied. In other words, when you ask for forgiveness you got it and the next time you asked you got it, and the next time you asked you got it. And that's how it was, they say, under the Old Covenant.
Guess what? That's never how it was under the Old Covenant...never. People were saved under the Old Covenant the same way they're saved under the New Covenant.
