Early on, Christians learn that Jesus died for our sins (1 Cor 15:3). Certainly, this means Jesus died for our past sins and mistakes, but does it mean he also died for our future sins? When the Bible says Jesus died for our sins, this includes all of our sins—past, present, and future. But this is not what all church leaders teach.
Some of them worry that this biblical teaching will give free rein to people’s sinful nature. They think, “if we tell people Jesus died for their future sins as well as for their past sins, then they will just go on sinning, thinking, ‘it doesn’t matter what we do, because our sins are already forgiven!’”
Based on this faulty thinking, some church leaders falsely teach that Jesus only died for our past sins. They change the truth of Scripture to, “God only forgives our past debts, which are past sins. This is what we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer—for God to forgive our (past) debts (Matt 6:12). That is also why we need to ask God to forgive us daily.” They sometimes reason, “2 Peter 1:9 clearly says, ‘whoever lacks these qualities [knowledge, self-control, perseverance, etc.] is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.’ (ESV) The text clearly says we are forgiven for our former sin, but not for our future sin.”
This is clearly wrong, for at least two reasons. Firstly, this is not what God tells us.
Jesus’ sacrifice covered all sins—there is no exception. All means all—past, present, and future. Colossians 2:13 says, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.” (ESV) God’s inspired Bible writers are unanimous on this.
The author of Hebrews teaches the same thing. In Hebrews 9:24-26, he says that Christ’s sacrifice is superior to the Old Testament sacrifices. He declares:
“For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (ESV)
Sin was “put away… once for all.” That means all sin—your sin, my sin, our ancient ancestors’ sin, and our great-grandkids’ sin. All sin—past, present, and future.
Another reason it is wrong to teach that God did not forgive our future sins is this: If God only forgives our sins when we ask for forgiveness, 1) we will die in our sins, unless we somehow manage to confess our sins the moment before we die; and 2) this means our forgiveness is earned by our confession, not by Jesus’ work on the cross. This is a form of works-righteousness and cuts people off from Christ (Gal 5:4).
So, did Jesus die for our future sins? Yes, he certainly did. This truth does not give us an excuse to sin in the future. Instead, it reminds us daily that we are freed from all sin, to live a life pleasing to God. It reminds us that we were bought at a price and now are free to use our life in a God-pleasing way (1 Cor 6:20).
Theology Q&A
- Over the years, our professors have been asked many questions in the classroom. Much of the time these questions repeat or have a similar theme. This is because they are important and are on the hearts and minds of our students who truly desire to serve God’s people well and share his truth with the lost. “Theology Q&A” is a response to those questions. Each month a question will be posted with an answer by an ALS faculty member. The answers are not meant to be a full theological/doctrinal treatment of the matter, but rather a pastoral answer that seeks to allow the person asking the question to speak the truth in love to the person in need in the most appropriate way possible. We pray this resource is a blessing to you and those you serve. God bless!