Acts 26:18:
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Notes on Acts 26:18:
Jesus commissioned Paul to preach to the Gentiles so that they could be turned from the power of Satan to God. When you receive Jesus, you are set free from the power of Satan. You still have to resist him, but you have total victory over him. You also receive forgiveness of sins at the same time that you receive the rest of your inheritance – you do not have to continue to receive God’s forgiveness on an installment basis! However, you do need to keep forgiving YOURSELF as well as others just as God has forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32 and elsewhere).
I’m convinced that some people think that they are receiving forgiveness from God progressively because they “feel forgiven” for different sins at different times. The reality of forgiveness may “sink in” over time for different things. It may take longer for someone to really understand being forgiven for being involved in an abortion than it takes to understand being forgiven for getting drunk. But I think that what is really happening is that they are progressively forgiving themselves. All their sins (past, present and future) were actually forgiven as far as GOD was concerned as soon as they received Christ. However, they may not SENSE His forgiveness and WALK IN the reality of that forgiveness all at once, so it seems to them as if they are “receiving” forgiveness over time. In a sense they are, in that they are “receiving” for themselves a benefit of the cross in the soulish sense and walking in the light of it. What was already imparted spiritually becomes a reality in their soulish realm. This is part of the process of being set free from a guilty conscience. (However, this is NOT what 1 John 1:9 is talking about. 1 John 1:9 is about God forgiving you, not you being able to comprehend that forgiveness. If you want to know what 1 John 1:9 IS talking about, see What 1 John 1:9 Really Means.)
Finally, notice that you are sanctified – which means “set apart” or “made holy” – by faith in Jesus, not by your own efforts to be good. Holiness as your legal status with God is not the result of holiness in your actual conduct, though the latter should still be your goal.
See also: