Confession & Declaration 12
Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor,
Thus far we have covered 5 aspects of how the Blood of Jesus empowers us to overcome the accuser of the brothers. Those 5 ways are: cleansing, propitiation, justification, redemption, and communion. Now that’s pretty impressive but there’s more. In fact we are jut getting warmed up. Ephesians 1:7 points out that through the Blood of Jesus we have remission, or forgiveness of sins. What does that mean? It means release from bondage, or imprisonment; forgiveness, remission, and pardon – as if they had never been committed. Literally it means “letting them go.” For example when I forgive someone I now have the understanding that I am “releasing them from the debt that I think they owe me.” The Godhead did that with ALL our sins. He released us from the “debt we owed Him.” In other words, He “let us go.” Before Jesus breathed His last breath the Bible records 2 things that made that final breath. One Gospel writer records that He simply said, “It is finished.” Another records, He shouted. In my personal opinion those were two of the same event. I believe that at Jesus’ last breath, He pushed up on HIs nail pierced feet, took in a deep breath, and shouted, “It is finished!” Now in the Greek that phrase is simply one word, Tetelestai. Tetelestai is an accounting, or banking term, which means, “the debt has been paid in full.” Jesus took the record of our sins, wrongdoings, transgression, trespasses, intentional, and unintentional sins and closed our account. He remitted the payment. Now when someone has a debt they can’t pay and its cancelled or remitted, someone still has to absorb that debt. Someone has to pay what hasn’t been repaid. That’s what Jesus did for us. He absorbed our debt, taking it upon Himself; transferring it to His account. That’s a sobering truth. The root word for remission or forgiveness is even better. It literally means “to send it away.” Not only has Jesus absorbed our debt, forgiven, pardoned and remitted it – He has sent it away. Now it would be really tempting at this point to say, Well Robert that takes care of my past sins – but what about the sins afterwards? Remember yesterdays confession and declaration? Remember 1 John 1:7? Your salvation and mine are continually abiding in the Eternal Now. Jesus’ Blood is continually washing away my sins – in the present. In Jesus, there is no past or future, just Now. He has adopted you and I into Him. For example if you were able to take a sheet of paper and record all of your sins on it, and then take a larger sheet of paper writing, “Jesus,” on it. Take that larger sheet of paper (Jesus) fold it down the middle, and place your smaller sheet of paper (a record of all your sins) – in the middle of “Jesus.” What would you see? Only Jesus. We have been enfolded into Jesus. That’s powerful. Let’s tell Him so and let us be transformed by the truths of Jesus. Let us forsake the lies the enemy has spoken about us. Let us embrace who He has made us to be. This is the Gospel!
Declaration 12: Heavenly Father I humbly bow before You slowly beginning to make sense of what You did for me at the cross. Yet I still cannot fathom the depths of Your Love and Mercy. I never will be able to. Thank You. Forever and ever I will thank You! You have forgiven, remitted, and pardoned my sins. You have closed my account of sins’ debt. You have released me from that debt and You have sent it away – forever away. Thank you for absorbing my debt and enfolding me into You. Thank You that all the Father sees is You. I have been hidden in You! Thank You Lord that my salvation is always in the present – in Your Eternal Now. I am always hidden in You. Hidden in Your Blood, forgiveness, washing, cleansing, healing, and freeing. I love You and I thank You for the Great Price You paid to secure my salvation. With You I shout, tetelestai! My debt has been cancelled, paid in full, and sent away! Thank You Jesus!
