1915 378 A question has appeared recently, "How does the contention that we need not 'ask' and 'plead' for forgiveness harmonise with the petition in the Lord's Prayer, 'Forgive us our trespasses'?" And this was answered by various statements, to some of which attention is here called, that we may compare them with the unerring standard of truth. For Scripture is the true corrector of our thoughts and words.
It may perhaps help to clear the ground, if we consider for, or to, whom the prayer was given. It was, we submit, to the disciples of our Lord in contrast with the multitudes. For "seeing the multitudes he went up into the mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him; and he opened his mouth and taught them" (Matt. 4:25; Matt. 5:1-2). And yet more explicitly in Luke, where no mention of "multitudes" appears, but "as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray even as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray," etc. (Luke 11:1-2).
Thus, instead of being a prayer for all to use indiscriminately, it was for His disciples — to whom He had said, "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet … pray to thy Father," etc. It was to His own, who were "not of the world" (John 17:14), to whom it was given, and not to or for all mankind; so that sinners are here excluded. To these the message of the gospel comes, and is preached on the ground that they are lost who have no works of any kind whatever which they can plead. Guilty before God, we, through believing, are justified freely by His grace, justified by faith, justified by Christ's blood.
Here works have no place. For, as says the great apostle, "not by works in righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us" (Titus 3:5). Never can any poor sinner (and "all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God") be justified by works, but "by faith of Christ" (Rom. 5:1; Gal. 2:16). As unconverted, how can we ask or plead for forgiveness on the ground of our having forgiven others? That would be pleading a righteousness of our own, however small. Is it the sinner that is taught to say, "Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come"? Does God our Father look for these utterances from unconverted men? On the contrary, is it not the renewed heart alone which can rightly take up these words? For when the Father's kingdom does come, it will be the righteous who shall shine forth. Where then shall the ungodly stand?
The forgiveness of the Lord's Prayer is of the child of God in regard to his walk day by day as under the Father's governmental dealings. So Peter, in his epistle, reminds the strangers of the dispersion, "elect through sanctification of the Spirit," that the Father on whom they, as having been redeemed, now called, was Judge of every man's work (1 Peter 1:14-21). And accordingly, if we do not now forgive, seeing we have ourselves been forgiven "even as God in Christ forgave us (ho theos en Christo echarisato) — neither will our Father (governmentally) forgive us. I may add, that this prayer, perfect and divinely suited to the then disciples before redemption was accomplished, and the Holy Spirit was sent to indwell the believer as He does now, purposely gives way to Christian prayer which is presented in Christ's name. "Hitherto," said our Lord at the close of His ministry, "ye have asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive" (John 16:23-24). Now we are to pray in the Holy Ghost (cf. Rom. 8:26-27).
But let us turn now to some of the statements made in the answer referred to. They are as follows: "The message of the Gospel is that when Christ died on Calvary, He made a full and final atonement for the sin of the world; He 'offered one sacrifice for sins for ever '; He offered it 'once for all,' and it needs no repetition (cf. Heb. 10:10-14). He bore the sin of the whole world every sin, past, present and future, of every sinner. His atonement stands complete and final, and all that w e have now to do, is to appropriate the mercy which He has won for us. It is already ours in virtue of His Infinite Sacrifice, and we have no need to plead for it; we have only to claim it and rejoice in it. This we do when we pray: "Forgive us our trespasses.'" … "He [God] has forgiven the sin of the whole world, and has proclaimed His forgiveness in the Cross of Christ; nevertheless, so long as a sinner remains obdurate and impenitent, he is God's enemy, and so God deals with him."
If these quotations are indeed "the message of the gospel," "the gospel which the New Testament teaches," then we ought to preach it assuredly. But let us examine them.
Does scripture anywhere say that Christ made a full and final atonement for the sin of the world (i.e. in the sense of the words that here follow), that "He bore the sin of the whole world every sin … of every sinner"? We read that He gave Himself a ransom (antilutron) for all, His life a ransom (lutron) for many; that God sent His Son, the propitiation (atonement) for our sins; that He is the propitiation for our sins (Jewish believers); and not for ours only, but also for the whole world (Gentiles). He is the "way," the "door," the only "name" given, etc. Here there is what is available for all mankind, as there is also the appropriation of these on the part of him who believes. But when it is a question of sin or sins being borne, this is carefully confined to believers. "He bare the sin of many" (not of all). "Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." "He bare our sins," that we having died to sins might live unto righteousness; "by whose stripes ye were healed; for ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls." These words are not spoken of sinners, but of believers.
"Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Here is presented the One who is God's Lamb, provided by Himself, who "takes away the sin of the world," no other was equal to this stupendous work, but He is the One that takes it away. He effects it. He appeared for this very purpose, "for the putting away of sin by the sacrifice of himself" (eis athetesin hamartias). Is "sin" now put away? Where does scripture say that it is? But it will be put away, for He has done the work in virtue of which all evil shall be banished. And not till the new heavens and the new earth are brought in will this glorious result be seen. But seen it will be, and for all eternity.
Whether as to the world or ourselves — is not sin now rampant in the world? is it not in the believer still? "If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves." But God, by the sending of His Son, and as a sacrifice for sin, has condemned sin in the flesh. So the believer is called to reckon himself dead indeed to sin. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body," says the apostle, "that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof" (Rom. 6). How could this apply if sin were already "put away" even for the believer? "Sin" is here our evil nature (the root) which produces "sins." Our nature cannot be "forgiven," but it has been, and is, condemned in the cross of Christ. On the other hand, our sins (that is, of those that believe in the Lord Jesus) are gone, they are blotted out, for "we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins," and believing we are justified from all things.
To conclude then, the gospel of God's grace is "preached" not to Jews only, but "to every creature which is under heaven." For God hath set forth Jesus, a propitiatory through faith in His blood. Confessing my sins, I bow to God's judgment of myself as verily guilty, without one shred of righteousness, and this is "repentance toward God." I look to Him who died on Calvary's cross –the Just for the unjust, and believing (this is "faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ"), I see there my holy Substitute, who gave Himself for me. There all my sins were laid upon Him by God Himself. But although this was so 1800 years ago — my whole life then future yet I am not "forgiven" my trespasses, nor am I entitled to say He bore my sins — my every sin, past, present and future, till I own my guilt and state, and believe in the Lord Jesus who was delivered up for my offences, and in God, who raised Him from the dead for my justification. Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom I have now received the reconciliation.
But the sinner who refuses the gospel has to be judged before the great white throne according to his works, seeing he refused the one and only sacrifice for sins. These were not borne, or atoned for, substitutionally, or they would not come up for judgment. He has died in his sins, and every sin will be remembered. Further, there will be the added guilt of not believing the gospel, which is God's power to salvation to everyone that believes. In the book of life their names are not found. If God has forgiven the sin of the whole world (!) why is the Holy Ghost here to convict of sin (John 16:8-11)? And why is man judged hereafter for his sins and his unbelief? For the believer, on the contrary, our Lord has avowed that he comes not into judgment (John 5:24).
What is said as to reconciliation is true. Not God, but we, need the reconciliation. But the expectation that "the word" preached by us, however faithfully, will be confirmed by "the signs following," as was promised to, and fulfilled in the case of the apostles (Mark 16:17-18, 20), is an assumption without warrant. We are not apostles, nor in apostolic days; and Scripture nowhere assures the continuance of "these signs."