Message of the Latter Rain - Kelvin M. Duncan

Chapter 11
Two Phases of Forgiveness
Having come to grips with the nature of the unpardonable sin, we are
prepared to understand the meaning of 1 John 1:9 more clearly. An isolated,
superficial reading of the verse seems to contradict the concept of atonement
as we have explained it thus far, but the Scriptures cannot contradict
themselves. In a very real sense, all men have been forgiven for all of their
sins, with the possibility of one exception. The sin of rejecting the gospel of
Jesus Christ cannot be forgiven. We have observed that this is a "legal
forgiveness"--also called a "judicial pardon." What do we mean by "legal
forgiveness?"
In the Scriptures we actually find three phases of forgiveness correlating
to the three phases of salvation. However, before one can comprehend the
three phases of forgiveness, one must come to grips with the idea that there
is more than one phase. In this chapter we will demonstrate the first two
phases. Thus far, we have focused on the first phase of salvation, involving
the legal ramifications of sin, forgiveness, and justification. At the cross, the
whole human race was granted a judicial pardon. The significance of this
pardon is that all mankind was justified to probationary life. All of us are
under the umbrella of corporate, universal justification. All have been
redeemed from the curse of the law. This phase of justification pertains to the
first condemnation, which came upon the whole human race in Adam.
In Isaiah we find one of the earliest biblical references to the first phase
of forgiveness. It comes as the word of the Lord to Israel, during a time of
apostasy and needed reform. In the midst of their backslidings and their
terrible sins, the Lord spoke words of comfort and hope. He said,
"Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed
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