Don't Look Back

Well, did he or didn't he? Did Jesus die for all our sins?

Romans 3:24 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

At first glance it's obvious that Jesus "propitiated" our sins by his blood because of our faith. "Propitiate" simply means that Jesus made the sacrifice for us so that we won't have to!"  His "forbearance" is refraining from requiring us to pay the penalty for our sins. From the time we believe in Jesus our past sins are in remission. Our spiritual health is improved because the poison which was killing us was removed from our soul! That's important! Only "past poison" is purged, and we know that we WILL sin again no matter how hard that we try! At the time of salvation we are cleansed from the disease of sin, but Satan now and then drips a little spiritual strychnine in our I.V. of faith.

We don't have to take the poison, but sometimes Satan is sneaky. Sometimes when we fail to take our vaccine (scripture and prayer), Satan catches us with our eyes closed (to truth and righteousness) and promises us lives of pleasure. He adds a little lasciviousness to the I.V. and our sickness returns. If we don't do something for our spiritual health he (Satan) turns up the drip and we become really spiritually sick! The symptoms are apathy toward God, disobedience, delusions of invulnerability, and a lust for fun.

If anyone has these symptoms, without another dose of "booster", death is eminent. Spiritually, that's called "apostasy" and leads to terminal cancer; spiritual melanoma. All that's required to boost a person back to spiritual health is repentance. Although, Jesus died for past, present and future sins; at the time of your salvation, repentance is for past sins and as such, the past sins were covered by the "payment".

In legalese, the judge accepted the payment for the fine, but tells you to change your life. He knows that you will fail and expects the person to stay alert to avoid further offenses. The way the person stays clean is living a life that would please the judge! The same works for God. As a saved person the sinner must want to please the Supreme Judge!

Once a person is saved, "Don't look back!"  Those sins are paid for and the good doctor says that you are in remission. The spiritual cancer has ceased to spread and the prognosis is eternal life!  Dwelling in the cancer you once had is useless. It's gone! Why credit what's not there? We must not look back!

Isaiah 43:25 (ESV) "“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins."

God chooses to forget what you once were! As God does, so should you. All of mankind shared your disease. It is hereditary. Therefore, reliving evil isn't necessary for spiritual health. We don't need a breakthrough to see why we are the way we are! We were all born that way and got worse as we mingled with those who are contagious, spreading their malignancy wherever men gather. Forget the carrier of that awful disease: pleasure! Don't look back!

What happens when we look back? Let's see:

 Genesis 19:26 "But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt".

It's not that Lot's wife looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah in wonderment of the explosions! She looked back because her heart was diseased. She remembered what was! Sodom and Gomorrah were cities of pleasure. She already missed what she would be missing! Lot's wife died there on the spot that day with the human immuno-deficiency virus. She lacked faith and feared the loss of pleasure! Lot's wife should have never looked back!

Even those who have yet to be cured worry about looking back! The thought process goes as this: "If I get saved I won't be able to have fun anymore. If God's not real, then I've totally lost out on life. I don't want to lose out on all the fun. I'll take my chances without God!" These folks are deluded into "looking back" from a vantage point of not looking forward. They have the "Looking back" petrie dish from which they eat, and being inoculated with the disease of pleasure, never seeking the cure for it!

I look back, but what I see are blessings! As God chooses to forget my past, I choose to forget them also. My disease is cured and all I have to do is make daily checkups to see that the virus with which I'm in contact doesn't get in my blood. Prayer and God's word filters out the strychnine Satan still drips into my I.V. Thank you, Lord!