In Christ, you have the forgiveness of sins

Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV): In Him (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Are you feeling like your hope has gone up in smoke because of something that you've done wrong, or a sin you've recently committed?

Maybe it is something that you promised God you won't commit it ever again, but yet you found yourself committing it all over again! And now, you are really feeling bad about it and wish you could turn back time. You may even be feeling that God is really angry with you right now, and is all-out to punish and suffer you from now on!

Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV) says, 'In Him (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace'. It says here 'we have'. It doesn't say 'we try to get' the forgiveness of sins!

And because His work on the cross is complete and perfect (Hebrews 10:14, Hebrews 9:12), your forgiveness is also therefore complete and perfect! Make no mistake about it. Complete forgiveness means all the penalties for your sins can no longer fall on you, because they have already fallen on Jesus' body at the cross. Isaiah 53:5 says 'the chastisement (punishment) for your peace (well-being) was upon Him'. So, you see, not only are you forgiven, Jesus has also carried your punishment as well! The Word of God says so.

"Pastor, in that case, does it mean that as a believer in the New Covenant, I don't need to repent?"

God has definitely not gone soft with sin under the New Covenant. A sin is a sin, and a sin still has to be punished. Just that Jesus in all His grace has carried upon Himself your punishment (Isaiah 53:5). So, of course there is a place for repentance. 'Repentance' is 'metanoia' in Greek, which actually means 'change the way of thinking'. When a believer who is under grace realizes he has done wrong, he then 'repents', i.e. acknowledge it with God, and then 'change his ways', yet also knowing that he has already been forgiven, through the blood of Jesus Christ.

So, my point here is it's not about you don't acknowledge or repent (i.e. change your ways). What I'm saying is 'you don't have to beg and keep begging Him for forgiveness', because under grace, you are already forgiven, whether it's your past, present, or even future sins!

I know of many believers who are still struggling and begging God for forgiveness, and even after crying and pleading Him hard, they still aren't sure if they really have been forgiven or not! That's the problem. This in turn causes 'guilt' within, which then leads to 'fear' (that something bad's going to happen to them due to those sins they've committed), and eventually this 'fear' leads to stress, depression, and even sicknesses. See how one leads to another?

So, in conclusion, all is not lost and hopeless yet for you. What you need to do now is to settle it in your heart once for all, that as a believer, you already have the forgiveness of sins, because God sees you in Christ, not by what you do, but by what He has already done for you on the cross. Amen.