PERFECTION IN CHRIST Devotion 9 of 15 Because God requires perfection, ALL of your sins have to be forgiven, blotted out, and cast into the depths of the sea. You cannot not come into the presence of the Lord with moral and spiritual defilement upon you. You will recall that when Joshua the high priest stood before the Lord in filthy garments, they were removed and clean ones given to him. God caused his "iniquity tyo pass" from him (Zech 3:3-4). When Isaiah acknowledged he was a man of unclean lips, the Lord saw to it that his lips were cleansed, his iniquity "taken away," and his sin "purged" (Isa 6:6-7). Man cannot not stand unclean before the Lord!
The prophets foretold this marvelous condition of remission, even though it was not experienced in their time. Through them God divulged the glory of His coming salvation. "I, even I, am he that BLOTTETH OUT thy transgressions for mine own sake, and WILL NOT REMEMBER thy sins" (Isa 43:25). 'I have BLOTTED OUT, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee" (Isa 44:22). " . . . for I WILL FORGIVE their iniquity, and I will remember their sin NO MORE" (Jer 31:34). "And I will cleanse them FROM ALL THEIR INIQUITY, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon ALL THEIR INIQUITIES, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me" (Jer 33:8). "ALL HIS TRANSGRESSIONS that he hath committed, they SHALL NOT BE MENTIONED unto him" (Ezek 18:22). "NONE OF HIS SINS that he hath committed SHALL BE MENTIONED unto him" (Ezek 33:16).
As confirmed by Moses and the Prophets, this kind of remission could not be realized under the Law, or the First Covenant. That was because, under the Law, the qualification for such remission required the perfect and unwavering obedience of the people. Other than their flawless fulfillment of every jot and tittle of the Law, there was no basis for the remission of sin.
However, God had purposed from the foundation of the world to provide a completely adequate basis for forgiveness in His coming Son, "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13:8). That remission would result in the required perfection in every person who received and embraced His Son.
Believe that this remission DOES occur in Christ! "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you ALL TRESPASSES" (Col 2:13). From this standpoint, your present perfection consists of the remission of all of your sins! This truth is affirmed repeatedly for our confidence. "And by Him all that believe are justified from ALL THINGS" (Acts 13:39). " . . . whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are COVERED. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord WILL NOT impute sin" (Rom 4:7-8. "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember NO MORE" (Heb 8:12).
Sin is either forgiven in its totality, or not at all! From this higher vantage, there is no such thing as partial remission, incomplete acceptance, or fragmented righteousness. That is why we are challenged to walk in the light, in fellowship with the Father and the Son, where this full remission is realized on a continual basis. Thus it is written, "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from ALL SIN" (1 John 1:9).
If you are in Christ, and your past keeps haunting you, this is the truth you need to grasp. If you are not in Christ, and the enormity of your transgressions are so bludgeoning you that you do not think God can forgive you, this is what you will realize in Christ Jesus.
It is was this perspective that Peter communicated to the very ones who had, by "wicked hands," crucified and slain" the Lord Jesus (Acts 2:23). One cannot imagine a more heinous sin, or one of greater magnitude. These people "killed the Prince of life" (Acts 3:15). These seemingly hopeless people cried our for Divine direction. In answer to their plea, Peter powerfully declared, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Again he said, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be BLOTTED OUT, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19).
I understand that some will object to the mentioning of baptism, but that is of no consequence to me. The Holy Spirit associated baptism with the remission of sins. What spirit would move a person to reject that association, or say baptism is of no consequence. Those who first heard that word rejoiced to hear it. It certainly put the remission of sins within their reach. It is written, "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them" (Acts 2:41). Not only did that response actually occur, the Holy Spirit saw to it that it was placed in Scripture. Let every man and women be humble enough to receive that gracious word.
This full remission is held out to the people alienated from God, and declared to be an ongoing provision for those who have been reconciled to Him.