The Gospel given to Paul the Apostle is simply NOT believed by most Christians. We might say we believe in Jesus and we believe the Bible is God’s Word BUT in practice we DO NOT believe what Paul wrote. But in these days the Tares are being removed with help by the angels of God so that the Truth which has always been there in front of our eyes may be seen and believed.
I wrote a post last week called “God is in you reconciling the world to Himself.” Unfortunately it was deleted when my site was hacked. The previous backup I had done was prior to writing that post. This has happened a few times before. So I wanted to share that same revelation from Paul again under the new name “Not imputing sins.”
The Gospel according to Paul is simply mind blowing! The phrase “not imputing” and “not impute” both found in Paul’s writing’s (and also David’s) are staggering in their implications for us. The Gospel is Good news right? For the one labouring under their own strength to be made right with God by what they do the Gospel is like sweet balm or pure fine oil to sore muscles. The heart is sick from working, labouring under a heavy burden of sins imputed but God has done something about it!!
My New King James Version puts King David’s writing this way….
Blessed Are the Forgiven
Psa 32:1 A Psalm of David. A Contemplation. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.
Psa 32:2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Now think of the Pharisee Saul for a moment will you. He had been busy rounding up followers of the Way, consigning them to prison and torture having many murdered in the name of the LORD. Do you think that upon reading Psalm 32 Paul would wish that the opening lines were for him? That he would be that blessed man whose transgressions were forgiven. whose sin is covered? Absolutely he did!!
Oh that I may be forgiven all the things I have done!!!?
Paul’s Gospel is not something new and never heard of before, but is rooted in the Love of God from the beginning. But the love of God has been hidden behind clouds of accusation and judgement and fear also since the beginning. Paul called it the hidden mystery now revealed to His holy Apostles and saints.
The revelation of FORGIVENESS is in the centre of Paul’s good news. But it goes way beyond forgiveness.
You are forgiven because another Person’s blood was shed for you. Jesus bled out on the cross for your sake. Justice has been satisfied. The innocent One willingly died for your sake so that your forgiveness could be secured. Wonderful Jesus !!
But when Paul writes about not imputing sins in the letter to the Corinthian believers he says more….
2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2Co 5:18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
2Co 5:19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
God our Father has forgiven us TOTALLY through Christ’s sacrifice yes! But more than that God has brought us INTO HIS SON. God did that in Gethsemane when Jesus took the bitter cup and drank you and me into Himself. From Gethsemane on you were inside Jesus going to the Cross to be slain. Then on the other side you rose up inside Jesus a new creature in Him. All the OLD HAS PASSED AWAY. You are just as Jesus is now. A new creation..a new man or woman…a new person in Christ!!
God was inside Christ not imputing our trespasses to us but imputing them ALL to Jesus!! God was not condemning you but Jesus.
The Lamb of God has taken responsibility for your sins so that you would not be judged for them. God had to impute trespasses to someone. Your trespasses.
But God so loved the world–you and me-that He sent a Lamb!! Behold the Lamb of God!! Laying down His life for you, for ALL!
The imputation was made–it all fell upon Jesus. His account was filled up to the full with humanities sins. And it all went into the empty tomb and IS NO MORE!!
The account is cleared of all debt. You are free –LIBERTY AND JUBILEE!!
And now as ministers of reconciliation we who are inside Jesus and Jesus inside of us do the same.
We do not win anyone to God by IMPUTING their trespasses to them. When Christians point the finger at people labeling them by sin they are not being ministers of reconciliation. Instead they are ministers of death and condemnation. Because of the Cross ALL men are now justified before God. They do not know that they are. You are God among them–and like Father- you do not impute their trespasses to them- in order to win them by mercy and grace.
If God had imputed our trespasses to us….and even after being born again, if He had of done so…we would all be in the grave by now! But God Who is RICH IN MERCY HAS forgiven you all trespasses and HAS wiped out the handwriting of the law’s requirements that were against you, rightfully accusing you of guilt. These others out there who have not yet believed are also FORGIVEN…..ALSO MADE JUST AND RIGHTEOUS that ONE sacrifice for sins forever. Our job is to be God among them not imputing their sins to them.
The love of God shall prevail and melt every hard heart for His glory.
Not Imputing sin to ourselves
The next most important thing about what Paul was saying is that we as BORN AGAIN NEW CREATIONS ARE NOT TO IMPUTE SIN TO OURSELVES EITHER!!
Once again David wrote about this.
Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear.
Psa 66:19 But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
Psa 66:20 Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!
Compare this with John
1Jn 5:12 He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
1Jn 5:13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.
1Jn 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
1Jn 5:15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
David learned not to IMPUTE INIQUITY to himself. If he did that God would not hear His prayer. God wants us to see ourselves as He sees us. We were falling short but not anymore BECAUSE OF JESUS INSIDE US. If you have the Son you HAVE LIFE. That life is a RIGHTEOUS HOLY AND JUSTIFIED LIFE. Your heart is clean before God so why call what God has cleansed unclean? Your heart is purified by faith in Jesus!
Father wants us to walk in this CONFIDENCE OF KNOWING OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS INSIDE OF JESUS…If we know we are clean and blameless before God through Jesus AT ALL TIMES….then whatever we ask God hears us..
On the other hand every time we accuse ourselves of falling short in some area, we depart in our mind from our right standing and are regarding iniquity in our hearts—EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NOW NO INIQUITY IN OUR HEARTS! The difference between imagining and the true condition of our heart is LIFE OR DEATH to us.
David said If I regard iniquity in my heart…..
raw-aw’ H7200
A primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitively, intransitively and causatively): – advise self, appear, approve, behold, X certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed,
What David is saying is that He is forgiven all iniquity—so it is effectively NOT THERE. If he on the other hand were to advise himself by his imagination affected by the voice of the ACCUSER that the forgiven sin IS STILL THERE….then he would have no hope of coming before God to ask Him anything.
We are a cleansed people. We hear the Shepherd’s voice because we ARE cleansed.
