The primary business of Jesus is the forgiveness of people. Scripture is irrefutably clear about the fact that the primary objective of Jesus was to make the forgiveness of sin an established reality. When the angel explained Mary’s conception to Joseph, he declared, “And she shall bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sin” (Matt. 1:21). Just prior to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry John the baptizer declared, “Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29). In the final days of His life, Jesus said of Himself, “. . .The son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28). Just prior to the ascension, the resurrected Jesus declared to the apostles, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Lk. 24:46, 47). Paul wrote to Titus concerning Jesus, “. . .who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a people for his own possession, zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:14). To Timothy Paul wrote, “Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners….” (1 Tim. 1:15).

Jesus’ death is a solution to the problem of sin only if forgiveness is a reality in the life of a Christian. Jesus either can forgive or He cannot forgive. If He can forgive, then the cleansing from sin is a fact in the life of a Christian. If forgiveness has occurred in the life of a Christian, he has the responsibility to feel and to act as a person who has been freed from sin. The Christian who refuses to trust God’s promise of forgiveness is a living refutation of the power of Christ. Why should any sinner wish to become a Christian just to exchange the guilt of a sinner for the guilt of a Christian? The burden of guilt is equally oppressive whether one be a sinner or a Christian. If God cannot keep His promise of forgiveness, why should a sinner trust any other promise God has made?

Perhaps the great irony to be found in common Christian conviction is this: Christians tend to have much greater faith in God’s forgiveness of the alien sinner than faith in God’s forgiveness of His own children. Christians will argue passionately that God’s complete forgiveness of the baptized alien sinner is a fact. No matter what sins a person has committed, if he with faith and repentance will be baptized into Christ, his total forgiveness of all past sins is an unquestionable fact. Yet, many of those same Christians will not affirm God’s complete cleansing of a Christian. They affirm that sins committed before baptism into Christ are completely destroyed by the blood of Jesus. At the same time, they spend many anxious hours in their own lives fearful that sins committed after baptism will condemn them to hell. They never feel confident that any sin committed after baptism has been destroyed as thoroughly as those sins committed prior to baptism.

The promise of the complete forgiveness of a believing, penitent alien sinner who is baptized into Christ is clear and certain. The New Testament clearly declares that baptism marks the point of transition from unforgiven sinner to forgiven Christian. In the process of transition, faith, repentance, and baptism are of equal importance. Baptism cannot make forgiveness possible if either faith or repentance are absent. Baptism is no more essential than faith or repentance; baptism is the point of transition from sinfulness to spiritual purity. The passages which document the importance of Christian baptism (the baptism commanded by Christ and the apostles after the resurrection and the inauguration of the new covenant) are likely well-known and understood by the reader: Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15, 16; Acts 2:37, 38, 41; 10:48; 16:33; 22:16; Romans 6:1-4; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13; Galatians 3:26, 27; 1 Peter 3:18-22.

There is unanimous agreement in Christ’s church that baptism is the point of transition from sin, and that at baptism all past sins of the sinner are destroyed completely. The baptized sinner is no longer accountable to God for his past sins. It is because of that unquestioned conviction that any Christian will plead with any sinner guilty of any form of evil to be baptized into Christ. Regardless of the nature of the sins committed, the sinner is assured unconditionally that the sins will be destroyed if he with faith and repentance will be baptized for the remission of his sins.

There is only one reason for any Christian placing that much confidence in the effectiveness of baptism. There is only one reason for any sinner placing that much confidence in the effectiveness of baptism. This is the reason: faith in the promise of God. Baptism is to be trusted to cleanse a sinner from all past sins simply because God promised it would. God promised that He would accept the shed blood of Jesus as atonement for the sins of any baptized believer, and He would thereby extend forgiveness for all past sins.

God’s plan for man’s forgiveness was not a partial solution to the problem of sin in human life. It was not a powerful plan to care for 100% of the needs of the alien sinner, but a weak and ineffective plan for caring for the needs of the Christian. It was not a highly effective means of dealing with human sinfulness for those outside of Christ, but an inadequate means of dealing with human sinfulness for those in Christ. God’s sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus, was a total solution to the problem of all human sinfulness of both the lost and the saved. It was a complete resolution of the problem of human sinfulness. It is as effective in dealing with sins committed after baptism as it is in dealing with sins committed prior to baptism.

The most specific passage which deals with God’s promise of forgiveness for sins committed by His children is 1 John 1. This letter was unquestionably written to Christians. Through the frequent use of “we” John affirmed the common spiritual bond linking him and those he wrote. In verses 5-10, John stated these truths: (1) God is light; there is no darkness in God. (2) To claim to have fellowship with God as one walks in the darkness is to lie and to not “do” the truth. (3) The blood of Christ cleanses Christians from all sin if they walk in the light. (4) If Christians claim to have no sin, they are self-deceived. (5) A Christian’s confession of sin results in the certain cleansing of sin, a cleansing from all unrighteousness. (6) To claim to be free from sin (and thereby having no need for forgiveness) is to make God a liar and to prove His Word is not in that individual.

There are those who would claim that “walking in the light” (v. 7) means that the person is living a sinless life in Christ. At any time the person sins, he ceases to “walk in the light.” That position stands in opposition to the point of the passage in two distinct ways. (1) If “walking in the light” means living a sinless life, John said that God will use the blood of Jesus to cleanse all sins from those who have no sin. Thus, forgiveness is for those who do not need it. To the contrary, the passage affirms that it is for those Christians who do need it—which is every Christian. (2) John also plainly stated that to claim sinlessness is to be self-deceived and to be void of the truth (v. 8), and is to make God a liar and to verify that His word is not in that person (v. 10).

This passage shows how imperfect, sinful Christians (which is every Christian) can live in fellowship with a sinless God. They cannot live in fellowship with God by pretending to have no sin. They can live in fellowship with God by walking in the light, by maintaining fellowship with other Christians, and by confessing their sins. To walk in the light is to devote one’s self seriously to a godly existence. He will not live a sinful lifestyle. He will not indulge evil in his life. Maintaining fellowship with Christians is to be a living, functioning part of the spiritual family of God. He is a living part of the church. Confessing sins is a person’s acknowledging acts or attitudes of evil to God when he becomes aware of his sin.

There are specific promises to the Christian who walks in the light, maintains fellowship with Christians, and confesses his sins. The blood of Christ “cleanseth” (present, on-going) that Christian from ALL sin. The faithful, righteous God’s forgiveness will be extensive and adequate; it will cleanse from ALL unrighteousness.

Note the perfection and completeness of God’s forgiveness for the Christian. If the Christian maintains (1) a continuing, serious commitment to godly living, (2) fellowship with Christians, and (3) the readiness to confess sin upon the awareness of sin, God will forgive ALL sin and cleanse from ALL unrighteousness. Just as God’s forgiveness at baptism is not just for those sins which the sinner knows and understands he has committed, God’s forgiveness of the Christian is not just for sins the Christian knows and understands he has committed. Not only does God forgive the Christian of known sin, but He also forgives sins of ignorance. No Christian has a perfect understanding of the Word or a perfect knowledge of all forms of evil. All Christians likely commit more sins in ignorance than through knowledge. No one can repent of or confess sin which he does not know to be sin. Yet, proper dedication to godly living and to a penitent heart which readily confesses known sin results in one being forgiven of all sins.

God’s perfect, total solution to the problem of sin cares for all sin before and after baptism. It does not permit willful indulgence in sin, but it provides complete forgiveness to those who resist sin in their lives through godly living and who confess their failures. Forgiveness of sin does not end at baptism; it begins at baptism. The blood of Christ begins to flow continuously in the life of a Christian upon baptism into Christ. It will continue to flow in his life continuously cleansing him of his sins as long as he dedicates himself to godly living in Christ, as he continues fellowship with God’s people, and as he confesses his sins. When he ceases to do any of these things, the continuous cleansing ceases. God’s forgiveness allows the baptized person to have the total confidence that his sins prior to conversion have been destroyed, and it allows him to have the same confidence that his sins after baptism are being destroyed.

Confidence in God’s full forgiveness of sins comitted before baptism and after baptism should be the same confidence. Both forgivenesses are to be accepted and trusted for the same reason: God promised it would happen. Both are empowered by the same source: the blood of Jesus. Both are permanent solutions: any sin forgiven is a sin destroyed. Both acts of forgiveness destroy ALL sin, ALL unrighteousness.

A failure to have confidence in God’s promised forgiveness is an act of faithlessness. The faith of righteousness trusts the promise of God. The penitent Christian sincerely devoted to walking in the light who doubts his full forgiveness is struggling with faithlessness.

When does a Christian trust his forgiveness? When does he know he has placed faith in God’s promise? He has the faith of righteousness when he feels and carries no sense of guilt for forgiven sins. When his forgiven sins are as dead to him as they are to God, he has the faith of righteousness.

The penitent Christian sincerely dedicated to godly living and to the Lord’s family who constantly struggles with an unending burden of guilt does not have a problem with sin; he has a faith problem.

1. Explain why the promise of forgiveness is the key promise to Christian existence.
2. Explain the meaning of each of the following words and how each relates to forgiveness: redemption; sanctification; justification; atonement; propitiation.
3. Prove that the primary business of Jesus is the forgiveness of people by using Matthew 1:21; John 1:29; Luke 24:46, 47; Titus 4:14; and 1 Timothy 1:15.
4. If forgiveness has occurred in a Christian’s life, what responsibility does that Christian have?
5. Do Christians commonly have more faith in God’s forgiveness of an alien sinner or God’s forgiveness of a Christian? Explain your answer.
6. Why do Christians have so much confidence in the effectiveness of baptism?
7. List the basic truths declared about the Christian in 1 John 1:5-l0
8. Does “walking in the light” mean “living a sinless life?” Explain your answer.
9. How can the imperfect, sinful Christian (all Christians) live in fellowship with a sinless God?
10. What is God’s promise to the Christian who walks in the light, maintains fellowship, and confesses his sins? What is included in all sin and all unrighteousness?
11. Explain God’s perfect solution to the problem of sin in a Christian’s life.
12. A Christian who does not accept the fact that he is forgiven is having a faith crisis. Explain why.