“If ALL of our sins (past, present, and future) were judged on Christ on the cross 2000 years ago and God says he will NEVER remember ANY of our sins anymore ((Heb 8:12; 10:17), then why do we have to repent for sins we commit now?”
Because God tells us to do it.
“My Bible says those sins I commit now and in the future were already fully and completely judged 2000 years ago so that now, God sees each of us believers as he sees Jesus (1 John 4:17).”
My Bible says “repent, or you shall perish”, “repent, that your sins may be blotted out”, and “go and sin no more”. I haven’t read anything in the Bible that says “You’re forgiven, so you can go ahead and sin all you like now!”, but perhaps I have missed something.
And you won’t read it there, because it isn’t there.
The sad thing is that I used to hear some of this same stuff at my old seeker church. And many Christians I have met over the years think that it is perfectly fine to have sex with someone with whom they are not married, engage in idolatry, engage in homosexual behavior, neglect children etc. This easy beliefism is encouraged by our modern seeker churches. Being a Believer is not “easy”!! We are not justified by works, but it sometimes takes tremendous courage to operate faithfully in our fallen world.
You have missed a lot.
Before Jesus died and rose again, they were still in the Old Covenant of the law especially where you see Jesus talking mainly to the self-righteous Pharisees “repent, or you shall perish”, “repent, that your sins may be blotted out”.
But when Jesus talked to a sinner who knew they were a sinner, his tone and approach completely changed. Do you think the story of the woman caught in adultery was about sin? Think again. It was about condemnation. The hypocritical Pharisees, like you, wanted to condemn this woman for her sexual promiscuity. But after showing the Pharisees for the hypocrites they were and are, he turned to the woman and asked, “Has no man condemned you?”
She said, “No man Lord.” He wanted the woman to say she wasn’t condemned. He then said, “Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more.” His no condemnation gave her the ability to go and sin no more.
You would say, “Go and sin no more and I will not condemn you.” But that isn’t what Jesus said then or now. Jesus gave to this adulteress the same blank check of forgiveness and no condemnation he offers to sodomites, murderers and every despicable human being you can think of.
Did Jesus give the law so men would keep it? NO!!! The law was given to show man how hopeless he was to bring him to Christ. “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith [NOT the works of the law] Gal 3:24.
But doesn’t the law help us not to sin? NO!!! The law triggers sin and strengthens sin. “The strength of sin is the law” 1 Corinthians 15:56.
So what’s the BIBLICAL (not your) answer for sin? Grace!!! “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law [which triggers sin] but under grace” Rom 6:14.
HMMMmmm...
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.