Why does Les believe that total forgiveness is true?
Total forgiveness is true because Scripture teaches that Christ died for the sins of the world, was buried, and rose again. When a person comes under that forgiveness, everything—past, present, and future—is paid for by Christ’s accomplished work, not by human effort, so it is believed even though it surpasses human comprehension.
Les explains that Paul’s classic statement in Galatians 2:20—crucified with Christ—shows the very function of the Gospel: Christ died for the sins of the world, was buried, and rose from the dead. Les emphasizes that when we come under that forgiveness, we are forgiven everything, past, present, and future. We will never come into God’s presence with sin on our back, because it has all been paid for. This is beyond human comprehension; he cannot understand it but believes it because that is what the Book teaches—that we have been forgiven all our trespasses, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Christ accomplished on our behalf. Les notes this makes the Gospel simple yet complex, something we will never fully understand this side of glory. Paul goes on to say that though he is crucified by identification with Christ’s death, yet he lives, and the life he now lives in the flesh is lived by faith—what Les prefers to call the faithfulness of the Son of God.