How can I know that my future sins are forgiven?

Answer

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God forgives all our sins: past, present, and future. Forgiveness comes as a complete package; God does not forgive us partially but entirely.

The believer in Christ can say, “My future sins are forgiven” for these reasons:

• When Jesus died, all of today’s sins were yet future. Jesus did not die only for the sins of people who lived before Him. He died for the sins of the whole world «and he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. », (1 John 2:2), including the sins of those who lived after Him.

• If our future sins are not forgiven, then two things must happen: 1) when we sin in the future, we revert to an unforgiven state, meaning we lose our salvation and must be saved again, and 2) Christ must die again to cover the sins we’ve committed since His last death. Neither of these scenarios is biblical. We are kept by God, and thus our salvation is secure (John 10:28-30); and Christ died “once for all” (Hebrews 10:10;cf: Hebrews 7:25).

• From the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished!” «When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. », (John 19:30). No other sacrifice would ever be needed. Sin—all sin—had been atoned.

• God’s purpose, which cannot be thwarted, is that His children be made perfect: “Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And thThose whom He predestined, He also called; those whom He called, He also justified; those whom He justified, He also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30). It is noteworthy that all of God’s actions are in the past tense, as if they have already occurred.

• “We have been justified through faith” «Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: », (Romans 5:1). When God justifies us, He declares us to be righteous. We still sin, but God’s declaration stands. The fact of our justification argues for the fact that our future sins are forgiven.

• “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” « There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. », (Romans 8:1). Nothing, not even our future sins, will condemn us. The verdict of “forgiven in Christ” has already been handed down from the divine bench.

• “Neither the present nor the future, . . . nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). The future cannot separate us from God’s love, even if there is sin in our future.

Of course, the fact that our future sins are forgiven in Christ should not make us flippant toward sin. No one can say, “My future sins are forgiven,” and then proceed to live a life of sin. Such an attitude is decidedly un-Christian: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2;see also

1 John 3:9).

The Bible teaches that, after salvation, we continue to sin (1 John 1:8;1 John 2:1). We won’t reach sinless perfection this side of glory. The power of sin is broken, but, because we are still flawed humans living in a fallen world, we still at times give in to temptation. Our future sins, although ultimately forgiven in Christ, should still be confessed to God “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”, (1 John 1:9). Unconfessed sin, a sign of a disobedient, stubborn heart, will bring the Father’s discipline on His children (Hebrews 12:4-11).

When we sin, we don’t fear losing our salvation. At the same time, we understand that our sin does damage to our fellowship with the Heavenly Father and to our relationships with other people. We confess to God our future sins as we commit them for these reasons:

• We seek to walk in the light, as He is in the light “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 1:7).

• We strive for peace in the Body of Christ “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?”, (James 4:1).

• We do not want to grieve the Holy Spirit “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”, (Ephesians 4:30).

•We want the joy of our salvation restored «Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit. », (Psalm 51:12).

• We desire to “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way” «that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; », (Colossians 1:10).

• Our testimony matters. We are called to good works that glorify the Father. Our light should shine, not be hidden under a bowl (Matthew 5:14-16).

• We must “put to death . . . whatever belongs to [our] earthly nature” «Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: », (Colossians 3:5). Confessing our sin to God is part of putting the old nature to death.

We are saved by grace through faith, and the moment we trust in Christ, we are made right with God. Our sins, including our future sins, were ultimately forgiven «And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; », (Colossians 2:13), and our salvation is permanent.

The woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus in John 8. Rather than condemn her, Jesus offered her forgiveness: “Neither do I condemn you,” He said «She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. », (John

8:11). Then He set her free, not with a blank check to continue sinning, but with an instruction to stop sinning: “Go now and leave your life of sin.” He did not say, “Go now and do as you please.” Those forgiven by God are summoned to a life of holiness.