No More Conscience of Sins

[Ken & Sue Brown]

Nearly 20 years ago, not long after leaving TWI, I came across a section of Scripture that astounded me. I was stunned because the section seemed to contradict something I had long held to be an important and fundamental doctrine. I must have read this section before, but apparently I had never seriously considered what it was saying.The section to which I refer is in Hebrews.Hebrews 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.The Israelites could get forgiven of their sins, but they had to keep coming back to the temple year by year to get forgiven again. If they had had a sacrifice that made them perfect (telios), the Children of Israel would not have needed to offer any more sacrifices; and having been “purged” (cleansed), they should therefore have had no more conscience of sins. The record goes on to say that we DO have such a sacrifice, a one-time sacrifice that perfects us forever.12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.14 For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.The obvious conclusion is that we should have no more conscience of sins. How can this be? Israel had to be reminded of their sins once a year and God wanted to deliver them from that. I was remembering my sins and confessing my broken fellowship multiple times every day! I would gladly have traded that for only needing to be reminded of my sins once a year. And yet if I was correct about what I understood 1 John 1:9 to be saying, what I was doing was needful.1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.What Hebrews seems to clearly say contradicts what 1 John seems to clearly say. If I have to remember my sins to confess them, asking God for his forgiveness, thus obtaining His forgiveness and getting cleansed of my unrighteousness, I cannot have “no more conscience of sins.” Either my understanding of Hebrews was incorrect, or my understanding of 1 John was incorrect.In 1972 at the HQ Advanced Class, I talked to Dr. Wierwille about the practical application of 1 John 1:9. We were under the apple trees. I said:“Sir, I know there are sins of omission as well as sins of commission. I may have missed the revelation or not thought something through. Since this is true, I do not necessarily always know when I may have just sinned. Since all sin is broken fellowship, and since the only way to repair my broken fellowship and be forgiven and cleansed of my unrighteousness, is to confess my sins, and I never know when I may have just sinned, I confess my broken fellowship before the father whenever it comes to my mind. It might be 5 or 10 or 20 times a day. Is this what you do?”He looked startled. Then he leaned back in his lawn chair and stared toward the sky for a moment or two with his hands clasped behind his head. Finally he looked at me and said, “Oh no son. You’ve got to get out of your sin consciousness. I go to bed at night and I thank God for forgiving me for sinning all day long, and other than that, I just never think about it.” I appreciated his practical advice, but I couldn’t do it. I didn’t have the doctrine to back it up. From what I was taught and believed, what I was doing was the logical response.It took a quest lasting many years before I understood the correct doctrine from God’s Word that freed me from sin consciousness. Reading Hebrews chapter 10 that morning was a major stepping-stone in the right direction.In PFAL we learned a principle. If there are 50 verses that apparently say one thing, and one verse that apparently says something else, believe the 50 and take a second look at the one to see if you understand it correctly. What do other Scriptures have to say about forgiveness, about righteousness before God, about our fellowship with Him, about confession of sins, etc?Let’s take a few examples. Ephesians says we have already been forgiven.Ephesians 1:7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;Ephesians 4:32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.These verses say we already have the forgiveness of sins and that we have already been forgiven. They do not say we have been forgiven for some sins but still must do something to gain God’s forgiveness for others. I used to read that into these verses because of what I thought 1 John was saying, but they don’t say that. They just say we have the forgiveness of sins and have been forgiven.Colossians states the same truth.Colossians 1:14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:Colossians 2: 13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;Colossians 3:13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.Romans says we are dead to sin and freed from it.Romans 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.1 Peter tells us the same.1 Peter 2:24Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.How can it be said that we are dead to sin(s) and freed from it if God is holding certain of my sins (the ones I haven’t confessed yet) against me; these sins causing a separation between us such that God will not answer my prayers. That doesn’t sound like dead to sin(s) to me. (Incidentally, the words “sin” and “sins” are not used in God’s Word to distinguish between the state of sin and the acts.)1 John seems to say I must do something to get cleansed of my unrighteousness. The Church Epistles say I don’t have any unrighteousness. They say I have been made the righteousness of God in him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Righteousness basically just means rightness. Our righteousness is our rightness before God. The Church Epistles say I have that rightness before God as a gift (Romans 5:17) because Jesus Christ paid for my sins.If it were true that any given sin would cause you to be “out of fellowship” with the Father, causing you to be in a state where He does not hear, much less answer, your prayers, and that the only way to get out of this condition is to confess your sins, doesn’t it seem like that would be important to know? What else could be any more crucial for the born-again believer to know? Why is it then that confession of sins is not discussed in Romans, the foundational book of doctrine? Why is it that confession of sins is never once so much as alluded to in all the seven Church Epistles? Confessing your sin to God is never mentioned ANYWHERE in God’s Word relative to the grace administration other than 1 John 1:9!This whole doctrine of “broken fellowship” and the need to confess your sins to get back “in fellowship” and explaining away clear verses that say we have been forgiven, made free from sin, and made righteous is all based solely on one verse outside the Church Epistles. I had previously, without ever really considering what I was doing, redefined scores of clear verses “in light of” 1 John 1:9. When I read, for example, Ephesians 4:32, “… even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you,” I would automatically think “yes, for the sins I committed before being born again but not for the ones after until I confess.” But this verse does not say that.Acts 13:39 has a piece of interesting information.Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.“Justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” What was it that people could not be justified from under the law of Moses that they can justified from by Jesus Christ? David was under the law, and God forgave him for murdering Uriah. There are many examples of heinous acts that God forgave people of in the Old Testament under the law. What exactly was it people could not be justified from under the law of Moses but can be justified from by Jesus Christ? The verse in Acts tells us. It is all things. The children of Israel could be forgiven of any one thing or a number of things, but as Hebrews shows, they did not have a one- time sacrifice that justified them from all things. If we today still have to piece meal getting forgiveness from God, confessing one sin at a time to gain God’s forgiveness, we have nothing better regarding forgiveness than did the children of Israel.Let’s think about this from a practical point of view for a moment. It is simply not possible to confess all your sins. The verse does not say to acknowledge your state of broken fellowship; it says (or seems to say) that being cleansed of your unrighteousness is dependent on confessing your sins. Would you agree that willfully, knowingly violating the Word of God is sin? What about the verse that says to lead every thought captive to Christ? Is there anyone who honestly believes that it is possible to identify and confess every bad thought? What about the guy who goes out in “left field” for 20 years, and then has a change of heart? He decides to come back to God and follow Him and love Him. Unfortunately, he will always have unrighteousness before God (thus being “out of fellowship”) no matter what he does, because there is no way he is going to be able to remember all his sins for the past 20 years to confess them and get forgiven. 1 John 1:9 just cannot be telling born-again believers that they must confess individual sins to gain God’s forgiveness and get cleansed of their unrighteousness. That would be an absolutely unattainable standard for righteousness.For a long time, I didn’t know what the story was with 1 John. I just knew that what I had believed it was saying was contradictory to many other Scriptures. For years I chose to believe the many clear records from the Church Epistles and other places regarding righteousness and forgiveness and hold 1 John 1:9 in abeyance, having no explanation. Whether I had an explanation for 1 John or not, it was life changing to finally begin to believe the Church Epistles: that I am righteous before the Father, not just righteous in one way but not another; that I am dead to sin(s) and freed from it; and that I have been forgiven all trespasses, not just some of them. (Also, not needing to spend half my prayer life apologizing and asking for forgiveness freed up a lot of time and mental energy.)To understand what 1 John 1 is talking about, we must first understand what “fellowship” means as it is used in God’s Word. We must determine to whom the book is addressed. We must learn the meanings of the idioms: “walk in light” and “walk in darkness.” We must also examine what the sin is that is referred to, among other matters. These will be the subjects of future articles.

[Ken & Sue Brown]

Hi guys. Thank you for your interest and comments. The doctrine we are discussing is both practical and foundational. How far do the accomplishments of Jesus Christ’s completed work go?
A few general comments pertinent to some of your postings: the real issue that should be at stake here is not what people might do with the info in my article if they believe it, but is it true. If it is, then it should be taught. If it is not, then it should be refuted from the Scriptures and rejected. If what I have presented is what God’s Word says, then it will not be harmful to people if they believe it. It is obvious that I believe it. I hope you don’t think this causes me to live a life of moral chaos. I don’t; nor am I lobbying for others to do so. When I have screwed up and know it, I tell God I’m sorry. In the culture in which I live and the way I was raised, this just seems like the decent thing to do. I would say, “I’m sorry” to any of you if I so much as accidentally stepped on your foot. I don’t give God any less respect. There is not, however, any doubt in my mind that God has already forgiven me. I’m not saying it to gain His forgiveness. I just Love Him, and want to express how I feel.
Craig—You recognize that God’s forgiveness and our righteousness before Him cannot be dependent on remembering all our sins to confess them, so you make it dependent on trying. There are two problems with this: (1) 1 John doesn’t say anything about trying. If we believe (and I don’t) that 1 John is addressing “out of fellowship” believers about how to get back “in fellowship” then we must do what it says, not just try. (2) Whether by doing 1 John and good works for righteousness or just trying to, either way, it still puts righteousness before God in the category of works. Is it a gift as Romans 5 says it is, or not?
Karl—Yes, sin has its consequences, even for a born-again believer. God says don’t lie, but one does and hurts others and/or himself. There are consequences, but not as a matter of retribution from God toward those of us who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. You applied “the wages of sin is death” to born-again believers, arguing that that is why we get sick, etc. It is our sin bringing death (in part or in whole) upon us. The contrast given in God’s Word for “the wages of sin is death” is “the gift of God is eternal life.” The phrase in this context (and this is the only occurrence of this phrase) is not talking about believers who screw up.

Romans 6:
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

John—You are certainly right about past behavior. I believe the cause of the rampant sin side of the issue was a lack of genuine love, not “unconsciousness” of sin(s). People were used and abused in a number of different ways. Those who did so were in a position to know better. Anyway, what I endeavored to address in my article wasn’t really consciousness, i.e. awareness, of sins but conscience of sins. We should be acutely aware of what is right and what is wrong, always endeavoring to do the former out of our love for God and for others. What should be a done deal, however, is conscience of sins, i.e. guilt and the feelings of guilt (and the accompanying self-condemnation) over that for which Jesus Christ has paid the price. Thank you for your input.
Don—You’re welcome. This is a topic that is likely to be closer to my heart than it is for some people because of the years I spent in so dang much self-condemnation, but I’m not alone. As I have taught this stuff (I do a seminar on the gift of righteousness), many have expressed their thankfulness for how it has changed their lives. Thanks for sharing.
Regarding 1 John 1: I do not believe 1 John is addressing the condition of the born-again believer who needs to find a way back to righteousness before God. I believe it addresses the need for those are not righteous, not born again, to acknowledge their separation from God and thus their need for the savior, and to get forgiven and cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. I believe “walk in light” and “walk in darkness” have to do with whether the individual has or does not have the light (Jesus Christ) to walk in, not how perfectly or imperfectly he may do so. Those who do not have the light walk in darkness no matter how morally or ethically they may try to behave. The “we” in 1 John 1:6-10 is the inclusive euphemistic “we,” not John talking about himself. “Fellowship” in this chapter is translated from koinonia. The basic meaning is to have a share in common. I believe a better translation of this word in this chapter would be “partnership.” The Apostle John is addressing people who do not have a partnership with him as he does with the Father and with His son, Jesus Christ (verse 3). In other words, he is addressing people who are not born again, not part of the one body.
Making all these statements about 1 John 1 is like the salesman starting off with his “big fat claim.” I don’t expect anyone to believe it until documentation is given. But you have your own research tools to work with, and I will be addressing the documentation of these claims in future writings.
Bless.
Ken

[Don Ball]

Hey.. John R. appreciate your view. Not very many persons steeped in the gross sins of the flesh are actually going to mistake thier sins for righteousness. Every Baptist preacher knows he has an unending supply of the guilty, and he is right. But of course fleshly formulas (discipleship programs etc) sometimes are mistaken for godliness. bless you all, Don B

[Don Ball]

Thank you Ken , Johnnie and Bruce...I'll be looking and listening for more insight. I like you guys have sometimes questioned myself as to whether I am sufficiently attentive to Jn 1 n 9 or perhaps excessive in confessing sin. Perhaps more effort to actually understand needs to come first.. Thanks,,, Don B

[John Richeson]

"Many became so sin- un-conscious that sin prevailed."

Karl, though it was mighty fun practicing what you just described, I ultimately must agree with you. Many of us swung way too far to the "unconscious". It was attractive to many of us who came from an era of the permissive and reckless 60's and 70's.

I also have experienced pretty extreme sin consciousness before and during my Way ministry time.

I am not sure which is worse. They are both wrong and they both are usually destructive in some way. But if I had to choose between those two wrongs I would definitely choose the unconscious path. I am not sure why.

In my opinion the best life is one which has the delicate balance between the two extremes. It's really just common sense.

[Karl Chang Wai]

Is sin still a problem for us believers? Yes it is! What happens spiritually when we "as believers" sin? Our sins brings death into our lives; "...the wages of sin is death" Maybe one does not die immediately. But many Christians are not living a full life and are dying of many diseases. I know that Christ is the solution to our sin problems.. He is our Savior indeed. When I was in TWI it seemed that many turned their eyes from their own sins becaused Doc said we should not be sin-conscious. Many became so sin- un-conscious that sin prevailed.
Since there is no automatic renewed mind , we as believers must maintain our "state" as being holy as He is holy. Sin is what affects our holiness (Romans6:19). I believe that part of our personal walk is to go before God and His Son to confess our sins, to recogize that we have done wrong and that we are truly sorry for that wrong. As for those sin we may have missed or forgotten or even those we are unaware of God looks at our hearts, the rightness of our hearts, the genuiness of our hearts. His forgiveness is fully realized will our humble heart and our Godly sorrow. When we approach the Father and the Son in the Throne room of Grace we give our hearts to them, we sincerely ask for forgiveness not out of fear (tormenting fear) but our of respect and fear (healthy fear) for God and His Son. The fear of God I am referring to is the kind you had for your parents whom you knew loved you but you knew when you did something wrong you had to face up to them and therefore you fear them in a way that instilled a healthy repect. God is love but not just love, He is also a God of judgement, and a God that is Holy. Sin does affects us in our relationship with God and His Son. Yes He has taken care of the forgiveness for every sin a believer may commit in their lifetime. Praise Him for our Lord Jesus Christ!! But do you understand this is God's job and He has done it in Christ. Amen, Praise God!! Our job though is to take stock of our lives, our duty before Him as a responsible child of God is to go to Him and recieve our forgiveness. It isn't automatic. We are guarantee His forgiveness every day, but if we live our lives thinking oh my sins are taken care of there would be a rude awakening for us at the judgement seat of Christ. Contriary to popular belief it's not just a rewards show.
I believe that we cannot throw out 1John 1:9. The epistles of John is the word of God just as much as Ephesians is and if you look at 1 John 1:9 as our duty as children of God to the Father it fits will all the other records that speaks of our forgiveness like Eph 1:7 this being God's duty to us.
I thank you for choosing this topic, a great one indeed. I submit my comments with no ill-will to what you or anyone else believe but to contribute meaningfully as the Lord as directed.

Love, Karl.

[Ken & Sue Brown]

Hi Johnnie'
The reason you cannot go with "that" is because theGreek word is "ei" and it means "if."
Bless.
Ken

[John and Janet Ruiz]

My pleasure, Ken. Uses of aphiemi - interesting. I see the difficulty of the "if perhaps",I would agree with "that", but I can see how the others works too. Cool!

[Ken & Sue Brown]

Hey guys,
Very insightful. Indeed Acts 8:22 is the only place outside 1 John 1:9 that directs (seems to) a believer to do something to gain God's forgiveness. In my article I said 1 John 1:9 was the only one. I believe Acts 8:22 is a mistranslation. (Johnnie, you are right that quick translations are not advisable, but I'v been looking at this for many years, so I'm going to make the definite commitment.) Dr. Wierwille recognized part of the problem and endeavord to deal with it by changing the "if perhaps" to "that." Even if one believes we must confess our sins to get forgiven, there is certainly no "if perhaps" about God forgiving you. Recognizing this problem, Dr. wierwille gave the translation, "...pray God that the thought of your heart may be forgiven you... The problem with this translation is that the Greek text says "if." Replacing "if perhaps" with "that" solves a problem, but there is no justification from the Greek for doing so. Johnie is right about aphiemi. The basic meaning is to leave or send away. It is translated "forgive" only in contexts where what is leaving or being sent away is one's guilt. It is translated "leave" in the KJV more frequently than it is translated "forgive" and it should have been translated "leave" in Acts 8:22. Simon was being told to pray God if perhaps the thought of his heart might leave him. Now the "if perhaps" is fine. God is not going to change anyone's mind for him. But Simon or anyone else can pray for help in doing so.
And this takes care of the only record outside of 1 John 1:9 that seems to be directing a believer in our administration to do something further to gain God's forgiveness.
Thanks for your input guys. I thought about including Acts 8:22 in my article, It was probably better brought to light this way with your comments.
Bless.
Ken

[John and Janet Ruiz]

Don't know, Bruce. That's just a slug of a slice of some stuff that came to mind about that record. What's your .02 and how you see da light? : )

[Bruce Peterson]

WOW! Did I say all that?