Some who have received Christ Jesus as LORD and Savior at some point in their life have given up on that relationship, feeling their less than perfect walk with the Lord Jesus has cost them their salvation. On the surface, after reading Hebrews chapter 10, most would believe if you sin, even once, knowingly after receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you’re out of God’s Kingdom. Not, three strikes and you’re out, but ONE strike and you’re out! I agonized for years over that chapter because I haven’t led a perfect life since being saved, and chances are you haven’t either. Verses 26 and 27 say, “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.” It goes on to say in verses 28 and 29;
He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?

So it leaves the impression that one sin and you’re finished, doesn’t it? Well, with me it certainly did, and I struggled with how to get back in God’s grace again.  And if that wasn’t enough, it goes on to say in verses 30-31 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

But the LORD gave me some revelation I’d like to share with you. It’s something to shout and praise God about, not something to be sad about. Back in verse 18 it says, “Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” That at first seemed to also shoot us down, that is, until the Lord caused me to understand this; Jesus gave Himself a sacrifice for sin once for all time. It doesn’t need to ever be done again, like in the days of the Old Covenant, where the High Priest entered in once a year into the Holy of Holies with blood, for himself and for the sins of the people. But Jesus entered in once with His own Holy blood, purging our sins forever; All of our sin, past, present, and future. It is finished, and sin’s hold on us has been broken forever!  The Lord Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death.

Verse 26 says For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sin. That’s right.  In offering up Himself, the Lord Jesus gave the only sacrifice that can save us. There is no other. Pass it up, and you have NO other hope of salvation, ever.  But yet, we all sin after being saved. The Apostle Paul spoke of it in Romans 7 about how he knew to do good, but didn’t always do it, and that which he hated, that was what he did. He asked, Who will save him from this body of death? For in his heart, he agreed the law was right and good. He delighted in the will of God. But he couldn’t always do it. That sounds like you and me, doesn’t it?

Going back to Hebrews 10, it says that a person who despised the law of Moses died without mercy. Despising something means you don’t want anything to do with it. Do you despise God and not want anything to do with Him? NO? Then that verse doesn’t apply to you. If you love God, the sacrifice of Jesus just keeps on giving for you. It’s an ongoing thing, to purge your every sin. Grace is not a trampoline, or a license to continue in sin though. It’s more like a safety net under a high wire walker. He doesn’t intend to fall off the wire, but it’s there just in case he does. There just isn’t another sacrifice available to us for sin, and there doesn’t need to be. The one Jesus made is enough for all time.
I wonder how many people, having received Jesus as Lord and Savior, have fallen back into sin and have thought there is no way back to Him? How many have prayed and prayed and pleaded for forgiveness and yet felt they weren’t forgiven? The devil always comes to condemn people. The very thing he tempts you with, when you fall for it, he uses it to condemn you continually.  The Lord Jesus didn’t come to destroy us, but rather to save us! If you look at 1 John 1:9, that we often use for the “sinner’s prayer”, it says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Who was that written to, sinners who have not yet been saved? NO! It was written to the Body of Christ, the saved, because God knew we would still be in our fleshly bodies and we would still sin!

There’s an important message written in 1 John 2:1-5 that we need to get inside of us:
1Jn 2:1  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1Jn 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1Jn 2:3  And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
1Jn 2:4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1Jn 2:5  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
John KNEW we would sin, even after receiving Christ Jesus, BUT, like I said earlier, that isn’t license to sin, it’s just telling us we have a lawyer, Christ Jesus, who by virtue of His shed blood, has already paid the penalty for our sins for us.  Verse 5 contains a key: the love of God is PERFECTED, that is, MATURED in us by our keeping His Word.  When we stop keeping His Commandments, we start straying away from Him, getting us out from under the LORD’s protection, and then the devil has open season on us. And the devil has no mercy whatsoever. Of course, you already have experienced that, so you know.

You see, there is a difference between an unsaved sinner and a Christian. An unsaved sinner sins and LIKES it. A Christian sins and hates it. As long as we are striving to follow Jesus, if we ask, we are forgiven.  And if a Christian backslides, as long as he lives, he can “slide back” and be forgiven.  What’s the “unforgivable sin”?  That’s dying without receiving Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior, because this life is the only opportunity you will have to do so. Everyone is given the opportunity to be saved, and if you refuse, you lose.  So, if you’ve backslidden, why not pick yourself up out of the pig pen, dust yourself off, cry out to your heavenly Father, and return home!  You need to read about the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32.  That story is about the mercy and grace of the Father! You aren’t “out on your ear”, you’re beloved, and your sins have been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus. Why waste another moment of your life under the devil’s condemnation? God isn’t condemning you! He paid the price so you may be saved and walk with Him! Tell the devil that he’s a liar and stop listening to him. Listen to Jesus, the Lover of your soul. He’s saying, Come back home and take your place at the Father’s table. He hasn’t put your plate away, it’s still there and He’s waiting for you to “come and dine”. So what are you waiting for, an engraved invitation? OK, here it is: it’s 1 John 1:9. and it has your name written all over it, If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And if you’ve never received Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior, well, today’s your day!   Let’s pray:

Father God in heaven, I’m so thankful to be Your child and know You still love me, even though I’ve made mistakes. Lord, I wandered away from You and lost my way and ended up in the devil’s territory.  I’ve wanted to come back, but I’ve been afraid, because I thought you would turn me away. I believed the devil’s lies, but no more!  Father God, I confess my sins, for You already know all about them anyway.  Father, please forgive me.  I’m sorry I’ve done things to displease You. Thank You, Lord, that the blood of Jesus covers ALL my sins. Please restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and help me to walk with You forever, one day at a time. I receive Your forgiveness NOW and thank You in the name of Christ Jesus of Nazareth. Amen.