Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Here Paul is telling us to cast off any works of darkness, obedience to sin. This is a free will choice just as Christ made that free will choice at the cross.

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

So many have taught us to sacrifice our lives for Christ and I do not think that is what the Lord is saying here. If you are going to follow Christ with your own cross, follow His example also, cast the sins that lay before you over your back to that cross. Discard as useless, of no value, sacrifice sin not your life.

Each and every day we are put in position to either sin or sacrifice that sin. These are not sins of ignorance, they are known, seen, and need to be dealt with appropriately. We are not to sin willfully.

Hebrews 10:26-27 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.

1 Timothy 3:9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

1 Timothy 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

Let you conscience be your guide. Which do you love more, your Lord or your sin? Your Lord loved you enough to sacrifice His life for you. Will you love Him enough to cast off sin, cast it behind you as a waste of effort and give it to your cross?

Colossians 1:10-11 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

Isaiah 38:17 Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

Looking at the usage of casting here in the Hebrew I discovered some interesting entries in the Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon. One usage is casting anything behind ones back i.e to neglect or despise. This matches this passage from Isiah perfectly, having cast all are sins behind His back, to discard as waste, useless, of no value. They are no longer in front of Him, not within His light of sight.

Even more telling is a usage in Ezekiel 18:31 in which it means “to exposes one’s life to the greatest danger”. Whose life was in danger at that moment? Those were our sins that were cast away. It was our lives that were in the greatest danger, eternal damnation. Now that our sins are no longer in His line of sight, where is the danger of losing our eternal salvation? It has shifted, cast behind His back.

This is a clear indication that eternal damnation has shifted from the guilt of sin to the sacrifice for sin. Our status before our righteous God is no longer a matter of our sinfulness but rather our acceptance by faith of the free will sacrifice offered by Christ at the cross. No one is condemned to hell for their sins. Now everything hangs on the cross, literally, in Christ.

Hebrews 10:11-12 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man (Christ), after he had offered one sacrifice for (all) sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

You are either covered by the blood or guilty of the blood. Which is it?