Bible Studies

I No Longer Have Any Consciousness of Sins or Guilt

by Michael Edwards 
02/23/18
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I used to tell people a good way to know if they were saved is if they felt bad for their sins. If you did not feel guilty and concerned for your sins, conscious of your sins, I would question your salvation. I have since come to change my mind. Today, I realize that guilt and shame are an indicator that a person is not living and walking in the abundant grace Jesus died to give us. The grace that sets us completely free, trains us to live Godly lives and reign in this life. They are living under the law and giving sin dominion in their lives. The law is the only thing that brings guilt, shame and condemnation.

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Rom 6:14 ESV

NO LONGER have any consciousness of sins

The following verse is telling us that if we believe Jesus sacrifice really worked, we should NO LONGER have any consciousness of sins, focused on our sin debt to God, guilt for sins committed. Does it describe you?

Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?Heb 10:2 ESV

A second translation.

If it could, would not the offerings have ceased? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all and would no longer feel the guilt of their sins. Heb 10:2 BSB

When I first read Hebrews 10:2, it scared me. I thought that if was not conscious of my sins, worried about them and keeping an eye on myself, I would sin like crazy.  The enemy had me terrified to let go of the law. Today, I know that is a lie perpetrated by Satan.

Finally, today, I realize that I no longer have any consciousness of sins, of my sin debt to God and the ensuing guilt. I did not purposely try and stop thinking or worrying about my sins as I do not think it is possible to force oneself to stop these thoughts. That would be the dead flesh doing the work, and the flesh cannot overcome the flesh, Col 2:23. I did what the Bible tells us to do, and it worked.  It took focused Bible studies on His righteousness and the New Covenant and time for my mind to be renewed in this area. I can remember times when I just wanted to let go of the law myself during this period and felt like I was hanging onto it, like a man hanging on a cliff by his fingertips, terrified to let go.

To have a consciousness of our sins is to think about them, to worry about our sins and worry leads to fear and the lie that we may not be saved.

The Bible calls a conscience in a person that is perpetually focused on their sin debt to God, an evil conscience.

Satan wants us to think that worry and fear are us working on the problem. But they are not, they are just stealing our life away and making us unusable for God. The Bible tells us over and over again not to doubt, worry or fear. This applies to the complete and total forgiveness of our sins too – past, present and future and our complete right standing with God in Christ. So, when Satan deceives a believer into thinking they are still under the law that brings a consciousness of sins – Rom 3:20, and the ensuing condemnation sin brings, it leads them to have a consciousness of sins that lead to worry, fear, and doubt. Therefore, his lies have led the believer to live in more sin – worry, fear, and doubt are all sins.

This is Sin having dominion in the believer’s life because they still think they are under the law, resulting in more condemnation in the thoughts of the believer. It all comes from wrong believing.

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. Rom 6:14 ESV

Feeling guilty for our sins goes hand and hand with an evil conscience.

I have known the Bible tells us Jesus took our guilt and shame, but why did I still feel guilty? Shouldn’t I feel guilty for my sins? No, not if we believe the gospel that sets us free.

know that it is not through obedience to Law that a man can be declared free from guilt, but only through faith in Jesus Christ. We have therefore believed in Christ Jesus, for the purpose of being declared free from guilt, through faith in Christ and not through obedience to Law. For through obedience to Law no human being shall be declared free from guilt. Gal 2:16 WNT

For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” Rom 10:11 ESV

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Rom 8:1 NAS

The Solution

The answer to this problem is to properly divide the word of God and believe and apply God’s word that pertains to a born-again follower of Jesus. As a believer, we are looking for a way out of sin and not into sin. But the truth is you are no longer under the law; you are now under grace where your sins are not counted. A person cannot fall from grace by sinning.

According to the Bible, we can only fall from grace, be severed from the grace of Christ, by going back to the law to try and be right with God.

You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. Gal 5:4 NAS

We cannot out-sin God’s abounding grace, where sin abounds His grace abounds all the more.

God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant. Rom 5:20 NLT

The reason the Old Covenant of law failed is because of the weakness of man. As a Christian, Paul wanted a way out of any weakness/sin he saw in his life and he pleaded with God.

Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 2 Cor 12:8 NAS

But God comforted Paul with the following.

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." 2 Cor 12:9a NAS

Paul’s response was joyful, a response of a relieved conscience resting in the power of Christ alone, no longer sin conscious, free from sins dominion and the bondage of an evil conscience.

Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Cor 12:9b NAS

Paul reigned in life from this point forward because he gladly received the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness. This is how we reign too.

For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Rom 5:17 NAS

Let’s look at our main verse again.

Can you see the error the believer is making if they are conscious of their sins? It is a foundational and enormous error that leads the believer to live a life of defeat in this life.

Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?Heb 10:2 ESV

The verse is a question. It is comparing the Old Testament sacrifices to Jesus sacrifice. Rephrased in a statement, it is saying, if the Old Testament sacrifices had worked, the worshippers having been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins.

The Test

So, here is the foolproof test to see if you believe Jesus sacrifice worked and if you are dividing God’s word correctly.  The question is, do you believe Jesus sacrifice really worked? If you do, you will no longer have any consciousness of sins according to the Word. If you still have a consciousness of sins, it is evidence that somewhere in your mind and conscience you have doubts that His sacrifice worked. From experience and based on the Bible, this is most likely because you have been deceived into adding law keeping to salvation by grace, as a requirement for your salvation like the Galatians had been. You may disagree, but your symptoms do not lie.  I can guarantee that if you ever doubt your salvation, experience guilt and are still conscious of your sins, it is the subtle addition of law keeping that has placed a false burden on your conscience. This has placed the burden of your salvation back on you in your mind and is leading to doubts about His finished work and your righteous standing in Christ. This will lead you to walk from faith to fear, up and down in your life instead of walking from faith to faith as we are called to do.

This is like saying, Jesus saved me by grace through faith but is now watching to see if I qualify to go to heaven. Can’t you see the contradiction in that position? You must focus on the truth that Jesus did not come to see if we can qualify, he fully qualified us to partake in the inheritance of the Saints.

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. Col 1:12 NAS

And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Cor 3:6 BSB

Not of the letter, means not of the letter of the law. This is because we are under grace and not the law. We are ministers of the Spirit of the law. The Spirit of all of God’s law is love – Rom 13:8-10. There is no condemnation in the Spirit.

If you are a born-again believer in the gospel, God sees your Spirit as sanctified, holy, righteous, perfected and a saint. Your sinful flesh will never be transformed or perfected, not now, or after death. This is why it dies, and you will receive a new glorified body. Your sinful flesh will be taken completely out of the equation.

The primary way we rid ourselves of an evil conscience focused on our sin debt is to believe the truth we are no longer under the law and focus on our total forgiveness, His love for us and His righteousness that is ours in Christ. It is like changing the record in our head and the truth in the New Covenant is the song you want to play.

Just like Paul, we take our eyes off our sin and fix our eyes permanently on Christ and His finished work. 

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb 12:1-2 NAS

The freedom Christ died to give us is incredible. Study the New Covenant in the book of Hebrews and in New Covenant Bible studies. I have written many filled with scripture that will set you free from bondage.

And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. Luke 22:20

Studies:

What is an Evil Conscience in the Bible?

Is an Evil Conscience Creating Fear in Your Life Christian?

How to Stop Sin Consciousness that Leads to Fear, Worry, Guilt and Condemnation

Sin Consciousness Grieves the Holy Spirit

Self Occupied or Christ Occupied 

Jesus Did Not Die to See If We Can Qualify

Many more New Covenant Bible Studies HERE. Jesus poured out His blood for the New Covenant of grace and truth, replacing the Old Covenant law of Moses. Believers are exclusively under the New Covenant, the last will and testament of Jesus that began after the cross.