God's Second Law of Pardon - Part Two

God’s Second Law of Pardon - Part Two

Acts 8:22

Having looked at two steps of restoration for the erring Christian in the first part of this lesson we will now look at a third step in greater detail.

Third, we must confess, just as John wrote to Christians, to experience God’s forgiveness - 1 Jn 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Compare this to God’s first law of pardon where confession is commanded, but not confession of sins. Instead, confession is made concerning Jesus Christ - Ro 10:9-10 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”; Ac 8:37 “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

Understanding the word “confess” is important here in these text. Coming from the Greek word homologeo “lit., to speak the same thing; to agree with, admit” - Vine. In regards to sin, it means to openly and honestly admit sin without hiding it or offering excuses for it – for example note Dan 9:4-6 “I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.”, 10-11 “and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And the curse and oath that are written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out upon us, because we have sinned against him.” , 15 “And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly.”

Confession of sins should be made continuously - for John literally wrote “If we keep confessing our sins...”, for both known and unknown sins - Psa 19:12 “Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults.” Confession of sins should be made always to God, sometimes to each other - Ja 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” -- So as the erring Christian prays, confession of sins should be made!

Simple is God’s second law of pardon: to repent and pray, confessing our sins! To encourage us to be diligent in taking advantage of this wonderful grace, consider now what God will do. God will be faithful as John promised in encouraging us to confess our sins - 1 Jn 1:9. This means He will be true to His promise. What promise? The promise found in the prophecy of the New Covenant! Found in Jeremiah, and repeated in Hebrews - Jer 31:31-34 ‘"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."’; He 8:7-13 “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more." In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” - He 8:12 -- Thus we have the assurance of God’s response!

God will be just, as John promised in encouraging us to confess our sins - 1 Jn 1:9. This means He will be righteous in forgiving our sins. How can this be? By virtue of the cleansing blood of Jesus! A cleansing alluded to earlier - 1 Jn 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” So God can be both just and justifier of those who have faith in Christ - Ro 3:24-26 “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” -- Thus we have the basis for God’s response!

God will forgive and cleanse. He will “forgive us our sins” - 1 Jn 1:9. “The word ‘forgive’ describes the act of canceling a debt and the restoration of the debtor” - Kistemaker. No longer will the guilt of our sins be held against us! He will “cleanse us from all unrighteousness” - 1 Jn 1:9. “The word ‘cleanse’ refers to making the forgiven sinner holy so that he is able to have fellowship with God” - Kistemaker. The word “all” is reassuring; no sin is beyond God’s ability to forgive the penitent Christian who confesses their sin! -- Thus we have blessedness of God’s response!

With God’s second law of pardon, the Christian who repents, prays, and confesses will experience the continual cleansing of the blood of Christ and enjoy the blessedness of knowing your sins are forgiven! Why would any Christian hesitate to obey God’s second law of pardon...? You can have the same joy of salvation as when you were baptized into Christ! For you rise from prayer as cleansed from sin as when you arose from the watery grave! If you want to have the same joy, the same assurance of salvation, as that new babe in Christ who comes forth to a new life, then take advantage of “God’s Second Law Of Pardon”...!

“Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” - Isa 55:6-7

God's Second Law of Pardon

Acts 8:22

The Scriptures reveal different instructions on how to obtain forgiveness.... To alien sinners outside of Christ - Ac 2:38 “And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”; 22:16 “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.'”

To erring Christians guilty of sin - Ac 8:22 “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.”; 1 Jn 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The difference has been described by some as “God’s Two Laws Of Pardon”.... For the alien sinner, there is God’s first law of pardon:

1) Hear the gospel

2) Believe that Jesus is the Christ, who died for our sins

3) Repent of sins

4) Confess faith in Christ

5) Be baptized for the remission of sins

For the erring Christian, there is God’s second law of pardon:

1) Repent of sins

2) Pray to God

3) Confess sins to God

As we evangelize, we often spend much time explaining the first law. As Christians seeking to maintain our relationship with God, we should be equally concerned with the second law. So let’s take a closer look at “God’s Second Law Of Pardon”... Looking first at what Christians must do. We must repent of sins. Note that repentance is required in both laws of pardon - Ac 2:38 “And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”; 8:22 “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.”

What does it mean to repent? Literally, it means “a change of mind”. “signifies to change one’s mind or purpose” - Vine. “this change of mind involves both a turning from sin and a turning to God” - ibid.. Thus it involves making a decision to stop sinning. Just as the alien sinner is called to do so in becoming a Christian. So the erring Christian must do to return to the Lord. Repentance is produced by “godly sorrow” - 2 Co 7:9-10 “As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” A sorrow for having sinned against God - Psa 51:4 “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.” As opposed to worldly sorrow for getting caught or being exposed. Repentance is also prompted by God’s goodness - Ro 2:4 “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Awareness of God’s grace and kindness should lead us to repent. Frequent meditation on the Word of God will help in this regard. Repentance will be manifested by a remarkable change - 2 Co 7:11 “For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.” Such as diligence and zeal to do that which is right. Such as indignation for our sins and a desire to make right what we have done wrong. -- So the first step for erring Christians is to repent of their sins!

Second, we must pray. So Peter told Simon when he sinned after having believed and was baptized - Ac 8:22 “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.” Compare this to God’s first law of pardon. Baptism is an act of faith, in which we make an appeal - 1 Pe 3:21 “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” Prayer is also an act of faith, as we appeal for forgiveness. Yet alien sinners are commanded to repent and be baptized - Ac 2:38. While erring Christians are commanded to repent and pray. The difference is understandable. Before baptism, one is not a child of God - Ga 3:26-27 “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”; Jn 3:3-5 “Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” After baptism, prayer is a privilege for those who are God’s children - Ga 4:6-7 “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” Praying is effective for the Christian because of our two intercessors. Jesus, who understands our feelings - He 2:17-18 “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”; 4:14-16 “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”; 7:24-25 “but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

Also, the Holy Spirit, who communicates our feelings - Ro 8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

As we pray, we must do so with humility. Compare the difference between the Pharisee and the publican - Lk 18:9-14 “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."’ God favors the humble and contrite in spirit - Psa 34:18 “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”; Isa 66:1-2 “Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

-- Having repented, the erring Christian humbly needs to pray!

There is yet a third step the erring Christian needs to take; we must confess, just as John wrote to Christians - 1 Jn 1:9. In the next part of this lesson we will examine this step in greater detail, answering why it is important to restoration.

Are There Few Who Are Saved? Part Two

Luke 13:23

Having looked at only a few examples in part one of our lesson we will now look at other examples of many other religious people who needed salvation. The devout Jews on the Day of Pentecost - Ac 2:5, 36-38 “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.” – “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

The devout Ethiopian returning from worship at Jerusalem - Ac 8:27-28, 35-38 “And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.” – “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.” (KJV)

The devout Lydia, a worshipper of God who kept the Sabbath - Ac 16:13-15 “And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.”

The devout Saul, doing what he thought was the Lord’s will - Ac 26:9 ‘"I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth.”; Ga 1:14 “And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers.”

Being religious is not enough, and one cannot truly be a Christian who believes that salvation can be found outside of Christ (Ac 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."’). But note that Jesus also taught salvation is for those who obey. Many think that all who believe in Jesus will be saved. They believe that we are saved by faith only, with no need for obedience. Yet Jesus warned of those who believed in Him but were lost - Mt 7:21-23 ‘"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'” They believed Him to be their Lord. They spent their lives in service to the Lord. But they had not done the Father’s will!

We do well to remember that Jesus is the author of salvation to all who obey Him - He 5:9 “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,” We do well to remember the end of those who do not obey His gospel - 2 Th 1:7-9 “and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,” Not all believers will be saved. The demons believe, yet tremble! - Ja 2:19 “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder!” Some believed, but were unwilling to confess Him - Jn 12:42-43 “Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”

Believing that many (if not all) will be saved is a comforting doctrine. A view praised as tolerant and loving. But if one really desires to follow Jesus, they must abide in His teaching (Jn 8:30-32 “As he was saying these things, many believed in him. So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."’)...

That few will be saved. That Jesus is the only way. That salvation is for those who do His Father’s will. Of course, God wants all men to be saved (1 Ti 2:3-6 “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”; 2 Pe 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”). He has provided His Son as the perfect Sacrifice, the perfect Mediator and the perfect plan. But will you believe and obey His Son...?

Are There Few Who Are Saved - Part One

Luke 13:23

In August 2005, Newsweek and Beliefnet asked 1,004 Americans what they believe and how they practice their faith. Among the questions was this one: Cana good person who isn't of your religious faith go to heaven or attain salvation, or not? Here are their responses:

Yes No Don't know

Evangelical Protestants 68% 22% 10%

Non-Evangelical Protestants 83% 10% 7%

Catholics 91% 3% 6%

Non-Christians 73% 3% 24%

Total 79% 12% 9%

The responses are interesting.... Most people believe those of different faiths will be saved. Among Catholics and more liberal Protestants, that view is overwhelming. Even the majority of those who view themselves as"evangelical" agree. This would suggest that most believe manywill be saved. Is that true?

Jesus was asked a similar question (Lk 13:23 "And someone said to him, "Lord,will those who are saved be few?"), and He spoke often on the subject. Note that He taught few will be saved. Many think the opposite, that many will be saved, or to put it another way, that most people will go to heaven. Yet Jesus taught that few would be saved - Lk 13:23-24 "And someone said to him, "Lord,will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able."; Mt 7:13-14 `"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

We do well to remember only eight souls were saved during The Flood - Gen 7:21-23"And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock,beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left,and those who were with him in the ark."; 1 Pe 3:20"because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.";2 Pe 2:5 "if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;" Only three souls escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - Gen 19:24-30"Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace. So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley,God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived. Now Lot went up out of Zoar and lived in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters." Only two men out of 603,550 over the age of 20 were permitted to enter the land of Canaan - Num 14:26-32 "And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, "How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.Say to them, 'As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness."; 1:45-46 "So all those listed of the people of Israel, by their fathers' houses,from twenty years old and upward, every man able to go to war in Israel-- all those listed were 603,550." Sadly, there will be few who find the way that leads to life (Mt 7:14).

And what is the way that leads to life? Again, we find Jesus taught that He is the only way.Many think all religious people will be saved. As some put it, "It doesn't really matter what you believe..." Yet Jesus taught that no one comes to the Father but through Him - Jn 14:6 "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." We do well to remember the example of Cornelius, a religious person who needed salvation -Ac 10:1-6 "At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius." And he stared at him in terror and said,"What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside." ;11:14 "he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.'"

There are other examples of many other religious people who needed salvation. We will look at these in part two of our lesson.