Paul’s thirteen epistles reveal that the believer who has trusted in Christ for their salvation and justification before God the Father lives the grace position of already having been forgiven of ALL sins. Every believer lives in perpetual forgiveness… from which he then is free to forgive others in the same way of the grace the believer received his own “forgiveness,” which was received “freely.” We may feel remorseful for our failings… but they’ve already been forgiven.

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened (he made alive) together with him, Having (already) Forgiven You All Trespasses;
Ephes. 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even (that is) AS (in the same way as) God for Christ’s sake hath (already) forgiven you.

Col. 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even AS Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Our reconciliation, redemption and justification under grace is freely given.

Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

We know by now that Christ’s kind of forgiveness for us during this age of during “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph 3:2) is purely the “gift of God” received as result of His grace and mercy as we simply believe to receive salvation in Christ.

Paul’s writings show us ‘forgiveness’ in relation to the heavenly phase of the God’s universal kingdom in which we are already “seated in Him in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 2:6), This is according to the “revelation of the mystery,” the good news of the grace gospel presented by Paul for us Gentiles today (Rom 16:25, 1Cor 2:7, Eph 1:4, 2Tim 4:18).

Praise God!!!  What a difference between law and grace – between conditional forgiveness (see Part 3) and unconditional forgiveness. How we should rejoice in being saved members of “the Church, which is His body,” during this present age of “the dispensation of the grace of God.” It’s clear that while God Himself never changes, His dealings with humanity has changed through the course of the history of several Biblical dispensational ages – First there was innocence in the garden, then after the fall of Adam eating of “the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil” their conscience was activated and men lived under the dispensation of ‘Conscience’ which ended in perpetual evil and the Noahic flood. This was followed by the dispensation of ‘Human Government,’ which ended at Babel. It was then that Abraham was called according to God’s promises of a Seed that would bless all the nations of the earth. Of course Israel consistently failed so God gave them the dispensation of “the Law” soon after Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. Obviously every dispensation that depended upon man’s performance has failed, and that was not a surprise to God. Soon after Israel fell and was set aside (Rom 11:25) Jesus from heaven called Paul and saved him, making him the Apostle to the Gentiles. Paul was given a dispensational relationship for the Gentiles that cannot fail… it is called “the grace of God.” Thus today we live under the  pure “GRACE of God” by which God in Christ has done it all “for us” – “making us (and counting us as) the righteousness of God in Him (in Christ)” (2Cor 5:21).

Yet religionist still object, saying that the forgiveness teaching of Jesus of Nazareth while on this earth as “the minister of the circumcision (Israel)” (Rom 15:8) represents the current doctrine even for us as members of the present day “Church, which is His body.” They further argue that we also should make our forgiveness conditional just as Jesus of Nazareth had done. They do this because they hold to tradition and the supposed fear that grace could be abused. The truth is that we cannot live by the O.T. law of forgiveness or any other law. Why do I say this?

First of all, I agree, “Whatsoever things aforetime were written were written for our learning” (Rom 15:4). All Scripture is equally inspired of God, and it’s profitable for our learning… but ONLY as it is “rightly divided” (2Tim 2:15, 3:16) as to what applies to us today. We learn by noting that dependence upon man’s capabilities have never and will never work. This points us to God’s grace which cannot fail… being based on Christ’s work for us and in us as the free “gift of God.”

Second, let us understand that Jesus of Nazareth’s’ earthly ministry was only to the Jews (Matt 15:24, Rom 15:8), according to prophecy and under “the law,” not according to Paul’s later “the gospel of the grace of God” (Matt. 10:5-6, 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30).

Third, our Jesus of Nazareth’s teaching did not nullify the covenant of “the law” given through Moses on Mt. Sinai to and only for Israel (Matt. 5:17-18, 8:1-4, 23:1-3, Luke 2:21-24, Gal. 4:4). Paul tells us Jesus was born, lived and worked as a Jew “under the law” (Gal 4:4). He was circumcised the eighth day, observed the Jewish feast days. He told the leper He healed to show himself to the priest and offer the gift (sacrifice) that Moses (law) required, and charged his disciples to observe and do all that those who sat in Moses seat bade them (i.e. The scribes and Pharisees who had this authority and were strict adherents for the letter of the law, plus they added their traditions.).

Jesus teaching was principally one of confirmation of the promises made to the Fathers of Israel. Any new details given by Jesus of Nazareth at this time were only added details as He strengthened the Law. In His life and words on earth were to demonstrate and speak concerning the way things will be in the prophesied Millennial kingdom of heaven… on the eternal New Earth.

Finally, let’s acknowledge that the Apostle Paul is “THE Apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom 11:13), to all those of the present “dispensation of the grace of God” in which we live today. It is in Paul’s writings alone that we find the doctrines of our relationship with God, our position in Christ, our walk, and our destiny as members of “the Church, which is the body of Christ.”

Most Christians fail to recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ, who had an earthly ministry to the Nation Israel also had  a second ministry, a heavenly ministry, through Paul as His mouthpiece to the Gentiles (1Cor 14:37, 2Cor 13:3, Gal 1:11, 12, 2:2, 9, Eph 3:1-9).

We today are the recipients of Paul’s ministry through his thirteen epistles. We should never lose sight of who we are “in Christ” according to Paul’s words that reveal our true identity “in Christ.” Being ‘holy and blameless in Him’ (cf. Eph 1:3). Paul teaches us where we stand in the time-line of the ages and dispensations, in God’s program and eternal plan. This is crucial for our understanding of 100% grace forgiveness and also in every other pertinent area impacting our lives “in Christ.” Paul says that grace is 100%, or it is not grace at all (Rom 11:6).

Being properly inclined to Paul’s ‘grace’ teaching is absolutely essential for us to have a joyful, restful, secure, and victorious life of faith. With “the law,” which is conditionally based, your standing is based us upon your performance under “the Law.” Under the ‘if thou” program you can never quite be sure if you are okay or not... “Have you done enough?” Realize of course the words of James who said “if you offend one point of the Law you’ve offended it all” (James 2:10). The fact is that we in ourselves are hopeless and helpless… in and of ourselves.

That’s why God the Father sent His Only Begotten Son to die ‘for us’ and give His righteous life to us, to dwell in us as the new us (cf. Gal 2:20). How could we love and praise and thank God for a program under which we are not quite sure if we are ok? How can we have security joy, peace when we fear God may withdraw His gifts ‘if’ we falter and fail? Under “the law” we never quite know if we measure up – but under grace we know that we “are accepted in the Beloved.” Paul wrote of us today as follows.

Titus 3:5a Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…

Don’t let unscriptural or undispensational misinterpretation of Scripture separate you from the peace, rest, security, and enjoyment of SINS FORGIVEN, UNCONDITIONALLY and keep you from the unconditional eternal fellowship we now have with the Him.

“In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith (faithfulness) of him. (Ephes. 3:12).