Direct Answer
Jason Willis had been taught that all his sins were forgiven at once. If baptism cleanses only what came before, then decades of later sin would still need repentance, and he says this is where his Protestant worldview began to crumble.
Support from the Message
- Clement of Alexandria says deeds done before baptism are forgiven at baptism, while those committed after must be purified. - Jason saw two Christianities, and only one could be true: all sins washed away in a moment of faith, or only what came before. - Sins after baptism are cleansed through repentance that must be good and pure, and one a person can abide in. - Jason says this teaching almost destroyed Christianity for him, and he asked what good the cross was if he could not sin. - He says it rebuilt his understanding of salvation.
Discussion Follow-up
If your sins since baptism are still a matter for repentance, what would you need to bring to God? How would that change this week?