WHAT IS SIN AND WHY DOES IT NEED TO BE FORGIVEN? One Could Ask What Is Forgiveness And Why Does It Exist And This Would Lead To The Same Answer. Forgiving people is not always easy to do especially if you are deeply wounded and you are still suffering from the pain; although it is in this state that many turn to God and learn that He has forgiven their sins.

On what criteria and basis does God forgive our sins?

Happy Riches answers request by Pat Hatch

Two sides of the coin, having to do with the forgiveness of sins, needs to be understood. One has to do with the violation of faith between Man and God, and the other has to do with ignorance—although, ignorance resides at the basis of the first sin and probably is what the coin of sin is made from, as far as we, being mere mortals, are concerned.

The first toss comes us heads and informs us that when Jesus died, He died for the sin of Adam and his progeny.

The sin of Adam is really the sin of Adam and Eve, because when God created man, He made them in His image: male and female He made them. The image of God is man.

• Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

Man is Adam and Eve, not Adam alone, or even Adam and Steve. Both Adam and Eve together contributed to the violation of faith that handed over the right to subdue the Earth and its inhabitants to the Serpent. We learn who that Serpent happens to be in the book of Revelation,

• And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (Revelation 12:8-10)

What many people refer to as the reptilians who control the world today, attempted to take control of the world by causing Adam and Eve to forsake their rightful authority and position of power. The ancient serpent was a reptile after all.

• And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)

This violation of faith between man and God was only part of the legal issue that had been violated at this juncture in time. Nevertheless, God’s righteousness had to be demonstrated to be exactly that —flawless—without any deviation. For this issue to be rectified, where Man (Adam and Eve)—for it is only when a man and a woman come together in sexual union is Man actually complete, this is why two becoming one is a heralded as major mystery in the Bible.

• “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church; however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:31-33)

The sin that occurred in the Garden of Eden had to be dealt with before any other sins could be addressed. This was done when the Righteous One was crucified on a cross in place of a murderer, so that He could reclaim what was lost. This was the ransom of the Righteous One for the murdered ones, who consist of Adam and Eve, including their progeny, who had been given authority to reign in life upon the Earth.

• For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
• Then as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obediencemany will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18-19)

What is important to note is that when Jesus gave His life for many, this means the many descendants of Adam and Eve. Nobody had asked to be born into sin and this needed to be addressed. Therefore Jesus’ act of righteousness—His death on the cross—leads to acquittal of condemnation for sin and life for all men—not just some, or a certain select group. Whether all men take up the offer of eternal life and freedom from sin is another matter.

The second matter that needs to be understood is our sins are forgiven because of ignorance.

• And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.
• The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent, (Acts 17:30)
• As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, (1 Peter 1:14)

Willful sin that has no mitigating circumstances, due to any ignorance on the part of the perpetrator, does not receive that same grace.

• For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, (Hebrews 10:26)
• How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:29)
• For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. (Hebrews 6:4-6)

God forgives us of all sin. God forgives everybody of sin. But we have to repent before we can begin to taste the forgiveness of our sin.

Having tasted the forgiveness of sin, it is not until such time that we have been totally enlightened, and have meet the qualifications enumerated in the above Scripture, that we are capable of being forsaken by God—but more because we have forsaken our salvation rather than our Heavenly Father forsaking us.

Ignorance will provisionally shield us to some extent and permit us not to be judged harshly as Christians for sins committed.

When we willfully sin, as long as there are mitigating circumstances—such as not having gotten the victory over a particular sin, because of weak faith—then the grace of God covers us as Lord Jesus Christ goes into our corner to bat for us.

• My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

The criteria by which God forgives sin is actually His own righteousness. This forgiveness, God has accounted for in Lord Jesus Christ, through whom He has chosen to reconcile (2 Corinthians 5:19) every person to Himself—providing each one is willing to repent of sin.

For how could God unjustly create humans, place them in an evil world, then cast them into eternal punishment, because He refuses to forgive sin done in ignorance. Nobody asked to be born and we are all ignorant until we have been fully enlightened as to what the truth may be.

However, if we willfully reject Lord Jesus Christ, we are lost because their no longer is any means for salvation. For while our ignorance is overlooked, those who hate the light do flee from its presence.

Ignorance Does Not Shield Us From Suffering, Therefore Learn The Truth