The Past Tenses of God’s Word

The gospel is good “news,” not good prophecy. News refers to things that have already happened, things that have already taken place. In lieu of this Easter season, I thought it would be appropriate to write about what Jesus provided over 2,000 years ago when He said, “It is finished!” In fact, many of the promises in God’s Word are past tense. The past tenses of God’s Word mean a settled, sealed, and final decision of His will. If God puts something in the past tense, so should we. Here are three examples of past tense blessings that every follower of Christ already possesses.

#1.  FORGIVENESS. – If you are a Christian, you will never be more forgiven than you are right now!  All your sins – past, present, and future – are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:14 tells us, “by one sacrifice he has made us perfect FOREVER,” and verse 17 tells us, “he will remember our sins no more.” Some people struggle to believe that God has already forgiven our future sins, but the reality is this: when Jesus died on the cross, all my sins were in the future. Jesus dealt with all sin for all time, and 2 Cor. 5:21 lets us know that “Jesus became sin, so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him.” There is no room for shame or condemnation in a Believer’s life.  Jesus has made us perfect forever. “Has made” is past tense!  

#2.  FREEDOM. – “It is for freedom that Christ HAS set us free” – Galatians 5:1, 2. Christ has not only set me free from the penalty of sin, he has also set me free from the power of sin! Colossians 1:13 tells us “he has delivered us from the dominion of darkness.” There is no sin, no stronghold, and no form of bondage more powerful than the freedom that Christ has already provided for us. We don’t have to wonder if God can set us free, he has already done the work, and we can receive it by faith right now.

#3.  HEALING. – 1 Peter 2:24 tells us, “by his stripes, we were healed.” Once again, healing is a blessing that has already been provided by Jesus. It is available, but not necessarily automatic. We have to appropriate by faith the things that have already been provided through a relationship with Christ. If you have a broken heart, healing is available. If you have sickness in your body, healing is available. Praise God! The gospel really is good news!