Forgiveness of Sins and Retribution

 

 

Most of us fall short of the level of faith described in the Bible, but have misunderstanding that if we vaguely believe in Jesus and repent appropriately, ‘we can receive forgiveness of sins and salvation...’. However, the level of faith of believers resulting from these teaching of the church makes it difficult to achieve salvation, let alone forgiveness of sins, and instead only leads to prejudice against the Bible. The issue of forgiveness of sins and retribution is an important matter that determines the faith of all Christians, so it should not be overlooked too easily. 

 

Doctrines are man-made commandments, and God rebuked them by saying, “They worship Me in vain.” (Mt 15:8) As such, all churches must quickly return to focusing on the Bible because doctrines only cause contradiction and confusion in the Bible. If we look at the doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints, which is the fifth of the five major doctrines of predestination advocated by Calvin, it is said that ‘once a person is born again, he will never lose his salvation.’

 

Until now, this doctrine has led to countless arguments and now even Calvinists are turning their back on it. Nevertheless, some Christian sects are making an unreasonable claim regarding the forgiveness of sins, saying, “Once you believe and achieve salvation, you will never lose that salvation.” In other words, there is nothing left for us to atone for, either to God or to people, regarding our sins. Because of the incorrect biblical interpretation of ‘Jesus, who blessed us, fully paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross’, it causes believers to become careless in their faith, drifting in laziness and leading them to destruction.

 

This is like a farmer lying by saying, “I sowed seeds and only planted seedlings in spring. So the farming is over, and now all I have to do is to harvest.” It is only natural that in order for farmers to harvest, they must diligently care for the crops even after planting, by weeding, applying fertilizer, and using pesticides to ensure a bountiful harvest in the fall. Similarly, the forced logic that if ‘you believe once and achieve salvation, that salvation can never be lost’ is a flawed doctrine that misinterprets the Bible and leads many believers to destruction through a significant error.  

 

Like the parable of the farmer, faith is continually maintaining the guidance of the Holy Spirit and growing in walking with God. However, the truth is being distorted as if everything is accomplished and completed through a one-time forgiveness of sins. 

 

The doctrine of forgiveness of sins without retribution has become one of the main factors that have severely corrupted Christianity to this day.

 

Christianity has been in confusion all this time due to various different opinions and arguments regarding forgiveness of sins and retribution, thus I would like to address the correct relationship between forgiveness of sins and retribution as described in the Bible.

Cf.: Salvation (It contains a wide range of meanings. See the Salvation section in ‘What are the true meanings of salvation, life, and eternal life?’)

 

1. The Relationship between Forgiveness of Sins and Retribution

(The First Stage of Forgiveness of Sins)

 

“We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins...” (Eph 1:7)

“In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col 1:14)

“... because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.” (1Jn 2:12)

“He forgave us all our sins ...” (Col 2:13)...etc.

 

Based on these words, it is said that as long as you repent your sins are forgiven, and thus there is nothing left to compensate for your sins, either to God or to people. 

 

Here, we must first understand why forgiveness of sins is necessary and how it is applied. Since Adam, human communication with God has been severed due to sin. After that, humans began to fall, and their fallen form eventually degenerated into the flesh. Therefore, God declared, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh.” (Ge 6:3) The fact that humanity has descended into the flesh means the sins of the flesh, such as “sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies.” (Gal 5:19-21) Because of these, humanity’s communication with God was severed. 

 

In this way, to save humanity, whose relationship with God was severed in the flesh, from sin and restore the relationship with God, God sent Jesus Christ according to the prophecies of the prophets. By dying on the cross once and for all as a peace offering, the price of the blood Jesus shed- the blood of Jesus (the Holy Spirit)- brought forgiveness of sins, thereby fulfilling all the sacrificial laws of the Old Testament, the relationship between God and humanity was finally reconciled. 

 

 

“We were reconciled to God through the death of His Son...” (Ro 5:10)

“Now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death...” (Col 1:22)

“In this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross...” (Eph 2:16)

 

The premise of forgiveness of sins is established between God and humans, and as a result, the relationship between humans and God is reconciled (in fellowship). In other word, as a result of the forgiveness of sins, communication with God is established through the intercession of the Holy Spirit. This is referred to as the first stage of forgiveness of sins.

 

The first stage of forgiveness of sins refers to the eradication of human sins, which makes communication with God possible. Next, communication between God and humans takes place, and only then does the Holy Spirit come down. Only when the Holy Spirit descends in this way, believers can be supplied from above with the abilities necessary for faith in general (love, joy, peace, various gifts, revelation, wisdom, forgiveness, and ability to overcome sin, etc.) (Ac 2:38) This is similar to mail-order shopping, where in order to receive the necessary items, you must first make a call and place an order before they can be delivered. In the same way, once forgiveness of sins is received and fellowship (reconciliation) with God is established, the next step is to ask for the power needed for faith and use it in your spiritual life.

 

The confession of the Apostle Paul “What a wretched man I am!” (Ro 7:24) emphasizes that humans are weak and wretched people who cannot help but fall due to sin. In order to overcome the sin, we must be clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit, the blood of Jesus. This is the core of Paul’s theology and Paul’s thought. Like this, the Holy Spirit helps people who are weak and cannot help but fall due to sins by empowering them with faith, love, wisdom, ability, goodness, revelation, etc. to keep God’s commandments.

 

●There is no Forgiveness of Sins without the Holy Spirit.

The reason for the misunderstanding the Bible regarding forgiveness of sins up to now is that we must keep in mind that the Bible is written with premise that it is for the saints who have received the Holy Spirit, and it should be interpreted correctly. For example, the instruction manual for cold medicine describes efficacy of the medicine. Just as you cannot see the effectiveness of the medicine by merely reading the instruction and the effectiveness of the medicine can be seen only when the patient takes it, only those who have received the Holy Spirit or those who reached the level that required by the Holy Spirit can experience the benefits of faith, forgiveness of sins, repentance, salvation, etc.

 

However, trying to experience these benefits without reaching the level required by the Bible is like trying to experience the effectiveness of the medicine by merely reading the instructions. This means that just as ‘a women alone cannot give birth to a child on her own’, forgiveness of sins cannot be received without the Holy Spirit. (More details will be mentioned in Part 2 of Forgiveness of Sins)

 

2. There is still Retribution even after Forgiveness of Sins.

The Bible says that the sins in the relationship between God and humans can be forgiven through repentance due to the Holy Spirit, allowing communication with God; but ‘sins caused by the relationship between God and humans’ and ‘sins caused by the relationship between humans’ must separately receive the price for those sins, i.e., retribution.

 

          “Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins?” (La 3:39)

          “Because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin...” (1Pe 4:1) 

 

For example, let’s say a little child broke a window of person A’s house while playing ball in a neighborhood alley. Just as the child’s parents, with an apology to person A and under the condition of compensating for the cost of the broken window, are finally reconciled, if a person repents, he receives forgiveness of sins and the communication with God is restored in spiritual terms also in the issue of forgiveness of sins, but the person must receive the retribution, the price of sins, which are derived from the relationship between God and humans and relationship between humans. (1Pe 4:1)

 

(1)What is retribution?

Until now, Christianity has had many questions regarding how far forgiveness of sins can be received through the merits of Jesus Christ’s cross, and what sins cannot be forgiven. However, since the New Testament alone could not provide satisfactory answers to such questions, pastors have, over time, interpreted that forgiveness of sins can be received unconditionally according to the doctrines of each denomination and their own subjective views.

 

However, the problem is that the truth that believers obtained through pastors’ sermons contains many contradictions that do not align with actual life. Specially, if sins are forgiven through faith, the disasters and pains that come as a result of sins should not follow, but in reality, what is the reason that countless diseases, disaster, failures, frustrations, pains persist throughout life? If so, does that mean the truth is wrong? 

 

In real life, although people receive punishment from God for committing sins, they ignore it and forcefully rationalize it as being in the process of training. In this way, the saints lead a contradictory life of faith, where faith and life are separate, and the word and reality do not align, amid much doubt and confusion. If, as some denominations claim, those who are saved (forgiveness of sins) never lose their salvation, then there is no need for sermons telling people not to commit sins in those denominations. Like this, we will examine what the biblically correct view is regarding the contradictions in their doctrine which leads to results that are paradoxical to the teachings of Christ.

 

Retribution refers to the biblical concept of a reward or retaliation for an action.

In the New Testament, the Greek word ‘misthoo’ is used, and its primary meaning is ‘to pay a fixed wage’, while the subordinate meaning is ‘to reward.

 

The Bible says that all acts between good and evil, and all sins are based on the premise of judgment and retribution (Eze 7:3, 8, 27, 2Co 5:10, Job 1:15), and it emphasizes that compensation must be made accordingly. 

As the Bible says, ‘A man reaps what he sows’ (Gal 6:7), we must know that even if we receive forgiveness of sins, retribution, in whatever form, will follow us for the sins we have committed. The Bible records that among God’s attributes, He is a God of retribution along with being a God of love.

 

    “For the Lord is a God of retribution; he will repay in full.” (Jer 51:56)

    “He repays a man for what he has done; he brings upon him what his conduct deserves. (Job 34:11)

    “He will reward each person according to what he has done.” (Mt 16:27)

 “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong,...” (Col 3:25)... etc.

 

 

(2) How to Compensate for Retribution

In the Bible, a servant who owed 10,000 talents was forgiven by the king, but did not forgive a fellow servant who owed him 100 denarii, but rather imprisoned him. When the king heard the news, he became angry and arrested him again until he paid back the 10,000 talents. Just as in the parable of the servant, if you want to be forgiven for your own sins but cannot forgive the sins of others, you must know that in the end, you will not be forgiven for your own sins from God.

 

Just as Zacchaeus received salvation through his determination of repaying 4 times the amount of cheating anybody out of anything (Lk 19:8), repentance is a determination in the heart to repay 4 times for the sins I have committed. As it is written, ‘Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors’ (Mt 6:12), there is a law of recompense or retribution where, through my own repentance, I receive forgiveness first and when someone else commits the same sins that I have committed, I forgive them, thereby receiving forgiveness for my sins. This is the truth.

 

Although sins have been forgiven by God, the fact that one must receive retribution for one’s sins, i.e., forgiveness of sins and retribution are separate matters. This is explained well in the Bible through the examples of two incidents: ‘David who committed adultery with Bathsheba’ and ‘the Israelites and the twelve spies’. 

 

● The Example of David who Committed Adultery with Bathsheba (2Sa 12:1-15)

After David committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, God sent the prophet Nathan to point out David’s sins. On the spot, David realized his crime and confessed his sin before God. (Ps 51) The problem is that although the sin has been forgiven by God, the issue of retribution (payment for sin) for that sin still remained.   

 

     “I have sinned against the LORD...

     The LORD has taken away your sin...

     The son born to you will die.” (2Sa 12:13-14)

David received forgiveness of committing adultery with Bathsheba from God through repentance but he received three punishments as the price of his sin in terms of retribution. 

(1) The sword will never depart from your house.

(2) Out of your own household, calamity will be brought upon you. The one, who is close to you, will lie with your wives in broad daylight.

(3) The son born to you will die.

 

●The Example of the Israelites and the Twelve Spies (Nu 14:19-33) 

Before the conquest of Canaan, the Israelites sent twelve spies to explore Canaan and the remaining ten of the spies excluding Joshua and Caleb reported that it would be difficult to conquer that land. Although they had seen numerous God‘s miracles and wonders through the Exodus, they did not believe in God and complained against Moses and Aaron, thus God decided to destroy the Israelites. Then, Moses asked God to forgive the sins of the Israelites and as a result, the sins of the Israelites were forgiven but the issue of retribution still remained.

 

 

     “Forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them...

     I have forgiven them, as you asked...

     You children will be shepherds here for forty years.” (Nu 14:19-33)

The Israelites received forgiveness of their sins by God through the prayer of Moses, but they received two kinds of retribution for the price of their sins.

(1) God said that all people who were counted in the census as twenty years old or more, except Joshua and Caleb, would never enter the land of Canaan and their bodies would fall in the desert.

(2) A Journey that should have taken three days turned into forty years of painful wandering in the wilderness.

 

Like this, when looking at the examples of these two incidents in the Bible, what is important to note is that although forgiveness of sins was received through repentance, the retribution for the sins remained, so it was clearly explained that complete forgiveness of sins was not received. 

 

3. What is Complete Forgiveness of Sins? 

(The Second Stage of Forgiveness of Sins)

God is spirit. If we want to communicate with God who is spirit, we must also belong to the sprit and we must be born again through Jesus Christ’s blood (the Holy Spirit) to belong to the spirit. In other words, only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can spiritually reach the divine nature, and only then we can be reconciled with God. However, at this time, we are spiritually reconciled and communicate with God, but our flesh will face tribulations and sufferings as retribution for the wages of sins of the past.

 

To attain the salvation of complete forgiveness of sins in such tribulations, it can be achieved through being filled with the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is filled, believer’ heart is in righteousness, peace and joy through His power. Even while he is receiving retribution, he will never feel difficulty and pain in the midst of tribulation, and receive the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. Rather, he can easily accept retribution with gratitude and praise. 

 

 

     You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, 

     you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. (1Th 1:6)

 

 

This is called the second stage of forgiveness of sins and this means to repay retribution through the power of the Holy Spirit. However, since a believer who is not filled with the Holy Spirit must repay the wage of sins with his own strength, he will feel the full intensity of the pain and suffering for his sins as it is and make restitution. Like this, the presence of the Holy Spirit and the pain of retribution are inversely proportional.

 

For example, if undergoing surgery is considered a form of retribution, the difference is whether the patient is anesthetized or not during the surgery. When one is filled with the Holy Spirit, it is like getting an anesthetic injection, so the surgery is over without the person even realizing when it happened. On the other hand, when one pays for the price of his sins without the help of the Holy Spirit, it is like undergoing surgery without anesthesia, thus he must feel all the pain. This is the difference. In this way, in order to receive the complete forgiveness of sins (the second stage of forgiveness of sins), one must be filled with the Holy Spirit.

  

     “...Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven;

     If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (Jn 20:22-23)

     “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, 

     in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Eph 1:7) 

 

However, unfortunately, many believers do not properly understand the role of the Holy Spirit, thus they are unable to benefit from the second stage of forgiveness of sins. 

 

 

4. Sins that Cannot Be Forgiven.

The Bible clearly states that there are sins that can be forgiven and sins that cannot be forgiven. In 1 John 5:16-17, ‘a sin that leads to death’ and ‘a sin that does not lead to death’ are distinguished and Apostle John says that one should not pray about the former. It implies that this is difficult to be forgiven.

 

The sins that cannot be forgiven are as follows:

(1) Anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit (Mt 12:32)

(2) Anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit (Mk 3:29)

(3) Anyone who profanes the Holy Spirit (Lk 12:10)

(4) Anyone who insults the Holy Spirit (Heb 10:29)

(5) Anyone who keeps on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth (Heb 10:26)

(6) Anyone who falls away after tasting the gift of the Holy Spirit (Heb 6:5-6)... etc.

 

The Bible states that those who commit sins such as those who speak and blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, those who profane and insult the Holy Spirit, those who keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, those who fall away after tasting the gift of the Holy Spirit, etc. cannot be forgiven and says that they cannot avoid the punishments.

 

The reason Christianity has been in great confusion all this time is due to a misunderstanding of the relationship between forgiveness of sins and retribution. In other words, the wrong teaching that any sin can be forgiven as long as one repents and the neglect of the issue of retribution have become the decisive factors which that  have led to the confusion and abetting of corruption in Christianity today. Now, Christianity must prevent the indulgence and corruption of the church and the believers by accurately testifying to the relationship between retribution and forgiveness of sins.

 

 

Hallelujah! To the only God be glory forever and ever. Amen.