Message of the Latter Rain - Kelvin M. Duncan

Chapter 19
Charizomai Produces True Obedience
Many hold to an understanding of the gospel which is tantamount to the
conclusion that forgiveness or pardon means a person is ready for heaven.
This understanding is why some unconsciously hold the belief that salvation
comes through confession. The idea is that we keep confessing our sins, thus
making certain of forgiveness and thereby maintaining a "saved" status. This
idea--that mere pardon means eternal salvation--is not the idea presented in
the Spirit of Prophecy or the Bible. The first phase of forgiveness, judicial
pardon (charizomai), as wonderful as it is, only cancels out our bad deeds--
and is thus a negative act. It involves removing or taking something away. It
does not provide what is required to replace that which is taken away,
although it is the true motive for obedience.
In order to enter heaven, we must also have righteousness! Therefore,
we should understand that we need more than mere judicial forgiveness or
pardon in order to enter heaven. We need righteousness. While we are "born
forgiven," so far as the judicial pardon is concerned, we still need
righteousness. This is provided in the second phase of forgiveness, aphiemi,
which is also referred to as "justification by faith." In this phase of salvation
the righteousness of Christ is imputed and imparted to the believer. The
evidence of the experience of justification by faith is revealed in "obedience
to all the commandments of God."[1]
Genuine obedience is not simply obeying the "rules." It goes much
deeper than merely "doing the right thing" and "abstaining from doing the
wrong things."
The eye of the Lord is upon all the work, all the plans, all the imaginings
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