Lesson 20 – Benefit and responsibility of forgiveness
Read Hebrews 10 - www.bible.com/bible/59/heb.10.esv

In this lesson we study the benefits and responsibilities of having been given such an incredible gift as forgiveness.

First, the benefits. Verse 19 says we have confidence before God. This is not an arrogant expectation that anything I want to do is okay with God. It is a quiet knowing. Back to my story about my dad. When I paid for that substitute window, he told me everything is okay, that he would have forgiven me even without buying that substitute window. I can come home anytime I want and know that dad will welcome me with open arms. I can sit and visit with him about anything at all – not because I paid for a substitute window, but because he forgave me. God’s forgiveness gives me that confidence that is based on His love for me, that says I can enter the holiest place where He is and can talk with Him. Jesus’ blood keeps the door open between me and God.


Our responsibility before God, then is to hold fast the confession of our hope – we don’t let go of what we know God has promised us, because He remains faithful to every promise He has made. And we encourage each other in this beautiful life of hope too – that’s what church is supposed to be, and why He wants us to be part of a church that’s based on Him and His forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrifice.

But our life cannot be one of recklessly doing whatever our flesh may desire to do. We cannot deliberately set out to sin and think God will take no action, even though He has promised we will not face judgment. The very idea of such an action on our part should fill us with horror – because verse 29 says it’s the same as stepping on Jesus and profaning the blood He shed for us. We still need to remember who God really is. We will still stand before Him one day and have our works judged to see what kinds of rewards will be ours in heaven (see 1 Corinthians 3:11-15). We also read in 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 that God allows illness or even death to come to His children who profane the holy things of His kingdom. This doesn’t mean that every time we’re sick it’s punishment for doing something wrong, but we should be sensitive to His Spirit inside us that when He points out sin in our lives we must confess it immediately and turn away from such sin.

 God goes on to remind us that our confidence in Him has great reward – verse 35. We need to endure to the end. And the end of our life here has a single goal – to build our faith strong in Jesus Christ. This confidence gives us courage to step forward and do those things God asks us to do – even when we know we can’t do them of ourselves. He can do them through us when we are willing to be used of Him – and through such experience our faith grows strong.