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1 Certainty: Jesus is faithful, meaning that He<br />
always keeps his promise to forgive the sins of<br />
anybody who prays for remission. We do not<br />
always do what we say, but anything Jesus has<br />
promised is forever certain. All your transgressions<br />
have now been pardoned. If you were to<br />
doubt this, something evil would have transpired:<br />
you would be calling Jesus a liar. But if you<br />
believe that you have now received forgiveness,<br />
then you honour the Lord Jesus Christ (possibly<br />
for the very first time). Through this, you<br />
acknowledge what He said about Himself: “I am<br />
the truth” (John 14:6). The certainty of pardon is<br />
so exceptionally important for a true conversion,<br />
that Peter emphasises: “For you know that it was<br />
not with perishable things such as silver or gold<br />
that you were redeemed,... but with the precious<br />
blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The word know<br />
is crucial. God now commands us to go forth<br />
secure in the knowledge of forgiveness.<br />
2 All sin is removed: Note the very important<br />
last two words of 1 John 1:9: He will “purify us<br />
from all unrighteousness”. Imagine for a moment<br />
that this sentence included a statement that He<br />
would purify us from 99.999 % of our sins. Let us<br />
follow this through logically. If I were to die<br />
tonight, would I go to heaven? Of course not,<br />
because 0.001 % of our sins would be enough to<br />
be barred from heaven. God does not allow the<br />
faintest taint of sin in His heaven. That is why we<br />
have to be cleansed 100 %, as this passage<br />
asserts. He takes all our sins away – everything<br />
from childhood to the present day, including sins<br />
which are still hidden.<br />
But what about tomorrow and the day after? Will<br />
we then be totally free from sin? Or can sin again<br />
enter our life so that evil starts all over? Does this<br />
mean that the present thoroughgoing pardon is<br />
worthless? These questions deserve answers.<br />
136<br />
Eternal life becomes ours at conversion. At the<br />
same time our earthly life is changed; it is now<br />
characterised by a radical break with sin. This can<br />
be illustrated as follows in railway terminology:<br />
“Before our conversion, when we sin, we are<br />
completely ’on track’, but afterwards, every sinful<br />
act or thought is like a railway accident, a derailment<br />
from our new path.” A saved person is set<br />
“free from the law of sin and death” (Rom 8:2).<br />
He no longer needs to sin. Even a converted person<br />
will not live a totally sin-free life, but the<br />
status of sin has changed completely. Accidents<br />
are not included in a railway timetable, but they<br />
do happen. In such a case the authorities investigate<br />
the rails, the signalling system, the technical<br />
equipment of the train, and the conduct of the<br />
engine-driver. Everything possible is done to prevent<br />
a repetition. It is the same in the case of sin.<br />
War has now been declared on sin (read for<br />
example 1 John 3:7-10 and Hebr 12:4).<br />
This new life also finds expression in a changed<br />
way of life. Those who have found peace with God<br />
will reflect this in their present life. Not only do<br />
we ourselves benefit from this change, but also<br />
those around us. The epistle to the Colossians<br />
strikingly compares this change to the taking off<br />
of an old garment and putting on a new one.<br />
“But now you must rid yourselves of all such<br />
things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and<br />
filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each<br />
other, since you have taken off your old self with<br />
its practices and have put on the new self, which<br />
is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its<br />
Creator... Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy<br />
and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion,<br />
kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.<br />
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances<br />
you may have against one another. Forgive<br />
as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues<br />
put on love, which binds them all together in<br />
perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your<br />
hearts, ... Let the word of Christ dwell in you<br />
richly” (Col 3:8-16).<br />
After you have been released from all your sins at<br />
the foot of the cross, you can then ask Jesus to<br />
come into your life. Do not fear that He will<br />
somehow exploit you. There are many historical<br />
examples of people being enslaved, deceived,<br />
exploited and abused by their kings, emperors<br />
and political leaders. Not so in the case of Jesus.<br />
He is the good Shepherd who loves us more than<br />
anybody else could love us. Of Himself He said:<br />
“The good shepherd lays down his life for the
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