Religious tradition has dimmed our view of the cross and diminished our understanding of what it means to be born again. People make a recurring ritual out of repentance.
Whatever their religion—they usually practice some sort of penance, or some sort of offering or confession, or some kind of ritual by which they continually come before God exposing again and again the same sin and the same fault.
Forgiven Once And For All
Now, what I want you to recognize is this. When you ask for forgiveness of those sins and you confess them to God, they are once and for all forgiven! I didn’t say that you could not sin again.
John said,
My little children, these things write I unto you that you sin not, but if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous: He is the propitiation of our sins and not of ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world,
(1 John 2:1-2)
You may sin inadvertently, but as a born again Christian, you will not practice sin. For John again said in his epistle in chapter 3, verse 9,
The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning, because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him—he has been born again.
(TLB)
The only way you will keep yourself in bondage is if you go back to those sins and pick them up and live in them again. You see, the only way the devil can keep you under guilt is for you to turn back to that sin.
Peter said, “Repent ye therefore, be converted that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). When you turn from your sins and forsake them, those sins are blotted out!
Tools for Winning Others to Christ by Dwight Thompson
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Dwight Thompson has become one of the most powerful evangelists of our time. Known worldwide for his legendary ability to captivate and move an audience, he has devoted his ministry to touching the lives of all those who are lost and hurting with a message of hope, found through salvation and deliverance in Jesus Christ.
The elements that make his message unforgettable include humor, compassion, deeply rooted Biblical convictions, and unique ways of illustrating the meaning of Scriptural phrases, parables, and promises.
Dwight has traveled around the world as an evangelist, preaching to millions and leading thousands of lost souls to Jesus Christ. His crusades frequently launch long-lasting revivals. With his ability to communicate the Gospel with power and charisma, he touches countless lives.
Dwight and Zonelle have been married for 51 years and have two children, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Zonelle travels nation-wide with Dwight, and she is the founder of Operation STITCHES (Saving The Inner-city Through Christ’s Hope: Eternal Salvation), an outreach to inner-city children and their families.
God has given both Dwight and Zonelle a divine love for souls. He has created within the two of them an obsession for helping people transform their very existence.
Dwight and Zonelle know the worth of just one soul and are committed to continue being obedient to the calling God placed on them over 49 years ago.
Truly, Dwight Thompson is a man with a call on his life and a commitment in his heart to reach lost souls for Jesus Christ.