Honoring the Finished Work !

To honor the finished work of the cross there are some things we need to stop believing and other things we need to start believing .

First we need to stop believing that it is all about us! right standing with God is not about what you do, its about what Christ has already accomplished for you. When Jesus died he did not say" its half finished" No! He said "it is finished!" In other words everything that needed to be done to save us , forgive us and to redeem us has already been done! Its a done deal! Its not what we do, its what we believe.

Our part is to believe that He did it ! and to receive all that God wants us to receive. (Romans 5:17)

Grace is a Gift, Righteousness is a Gift, Forgiveness is a Gift even Holiness is a gift from God. We honor Jesus by receiving what He has already bought and paid for. You can't buy it, you can't work for it and you can't earn it, its all free to us, because Jesus paid it all ! Our part is to receive.

The main difference between the true gospel and the counterfeit gospel is that the real gospel is Free and it Works when believe! The counterfeit gospel always comes with a price tag and it does not work! Anytime you hear a gospel that adds to the finished work of the cross then you need to run the other way! Galatians 1 and 3. speaks of other gospels and bewitchment !

We honor the cross by agreeing with God about the finished work of the cross.

We honor the cross by proclaiming that the one time sacrifice of Jesus was enough to forgive all of our sins once and for all time. Forgiveness is not an on going perpetual process of remembering sins and then confessing our sins before God will then forgive us of sin! No! If that were the case then it becomes all about us again! or what we do in order to get forgiven. We need to remember once again that any doctrine that leads us away fro Christ and the cross and back to us is not the gospel of Christ.

Forgiveness of all sin is a gift that we receive and can never be achieved.

The doctrine about the ongoing confession of sins for the forgiveness of sins really came out of one scripture in 1 John 1:9

John 1:8-10 

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

When John wrote these words, he was addressing certain gnostics during that time who said that they did not believe in sin, nor did they believe they had ever sinned and if it stands to reason that If a person claims that they have no sin and have never sinned, then how can they receive forgiveness of sins? This scripture was never meant for believers who had already confessed that they were sinners in need of forgiveness, but it was for those who had not yet seen their need to be forgiven.

The way we honor the finished work of the cross is to confess our need for forgiveness, but once we confess and believe then we are forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. 

We do not need to continually repeat the process over and over in order to stay saved or to stay forgiven. I mean if the forgiveness of sin is based on our ability to remember each sin and then confess each sin then what happens if we forget one or miss one?  Are we then not forgiven?

We need to understand that Jesus blood and not our great memory or confession is what forgives all sin. Jesus offered His blood once and for all.

Hebrews 9:11  So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come.]He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

Ephesians 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Colossians 2:13  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

We honor the Cross by acknowledging that it worked! We are indeed forgiven. all our sin.

Hebrews 1:3  Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Hebrews 10:12  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

The other way that we honor the cross is by sitting down with Him. The word says that after jesus offered His blood, He sat down and that we are now seated with Him in heavenly places in Christ.

Ephesians 2:6  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Sitting does not mean that we will be spiritual couch potatoes, but it means that we cease from all our works for righteousness and justification. Remember its not about what we do, but its all about what Christ has already done for us.

We honor the cross by believing that all redemptive work has been finished and now we enter into the Rest of God. God loves it when we believe him and enter into His Rest, we dishonor God when we do not believe in the finished work and we continue to work our way into the Gods presence.

Hebrews 4 
Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest,

One of the greatest ways to honor the cross is to rest and give thanks for all that He has done.