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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
A frequent question is "what happens if I sin, and then I die before I have an opportunity to confess that sin to God?" Another common question is "what happens if I commit a sin, but then forget a...
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Anthony Clinton
God only forgives sin that is confessed and repented of. A Christian was dwelling comfortably in his sin and the whole Corinthian Church accepted it. If that person's sins were already forgiven without repentance then why would he be driven out of the Church till he did repent. Sin that is not dealt with by Christians will indeed separate them from God if they don't do as 1John 1:9 says to do they will not be forgiven in any terms until they deal with it. Note that word "if" is there. Why is it there because it's a choice not a foregone conclusion. If a person commits the sin of hating their brother they have become a spiritual murderer and eternal life has stopped dwelling in them till they fully repent and be reconciled to their brother. 1Jn 3:15..Everyone hating his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has everlasting life abiding in him. The purpose of communion is to show the Lord's death till He comes back but also to "discern the Lord's Body". The Body of Christ is the Church and in communion, if sin is not dealt with, the partaker brings the judgment of God upon themselves. There is a vast difference between an act of sin, and dwelling continually in sin. For example a Christian who was once walking in the light begins to backslide and go back to his old ways being a drunkard, that person is now dwelling in sin. If he does not repent and return to God he will suffer the same punishment as all drunkards. This reality can be seen in the story Christ told about the one of His Servants who, while Christ delayed His coming, went back to the life of eating and drinking to get drunk. On the Master's return, which is the Second Coming in my opinion, The Master slays him and appoints him his portion of judgment with unbelievers. In fact because this Servant of Christ has conceived such wickedness in his heart, the Bible says Christ will return to him at a time when He is not ready. Luke..12:45 But if that servant says in his heart, My lord delays his coming, and shall begin to beat the male servants and women servants, and to eat and drink and to be drunk, Lu..12:46 the lord of that servant will come in a day when he does not expect, and at an hour when he does not know. And he will cut him apart, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. The only time a Christian repentance for sin is useless is if one blasphemes the Holy Spirit. That sin is a sin that is an eternal sin and cannot be forgiven in this life or the world to come. Rev 21:8 But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, will have their part in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. 1Jn 5:21..Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. A person not heeding the scripture's exhortation to keep themselves from idols and they commit the sin of Idolatry that does not make them an idolater because they while choosing to dwell in the light would feel conviction and repent. But if that person resists the conviction and continued to dwell in that sin they will not be forgiven after death. Because no idolater will enter heaven. You cannot abide in Christ and abide in sin too. 1Jn 2:24..Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. So then the answer is yes they do have to continue asking forgiveness for sins not repented of, but they never need to ask for forgiveness for sins already repented of. Although Jesus' blood is sufficient to pardon all sin it must be applied by repentance or the consequences for sin remain the same. Rev_3:3..Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
OTTIS MACHIRI
Once one finds Christ, there is no need to keep asking for forgiveness from past, present or future sins.1 John 2:1 says but if anyone should sin we have an Advocate with the Father the one Jesus Christ.. The blood of Jesus Christ keeps cleansing the righteous man from sin. Many have confused the above scripture with 1John 1:9 where the writer is talking of the need for one to be convicted of sin and realize that ''all have fallen short of the glory of God'' and must therefore come to repentance where (verse 7) the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin. To para-phrase it John is simply saying; ''Do not deny it, admit that you are sinner and come to Christ'' Having said that, the serious believer should not view this as a "ticket " to continue in sin. Our walk of faith should be progressive and draw us nearer to Christ and further away from sin. The bible calls us partakers of the inheritance in Christ. We may not enjoy that inheritance if we deliberately choose not to grow i.e. remain in sin
Jim Tumlinson
No one needs a license to sin, because we all do it. Why do we need to confess sin after we are saved when; The initial confession is for the sin of thinking we can do good works to get into heaven; Heb 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance — now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. NIV 1 John 1:9 refers to non Christians since once you are saved you are 2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. KJV All our sins were forgiven before we were born and to ask for forgiveness each time in order to get forgiveness is a work. Its like the Levite priests making a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Heb 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all KJV It was done once for all otherwise He would be crucified daily. Confessing our sins brings healing not necessarily physical but emotional as well and from guilt. 1 Tim tells us to confess our faults one to another so we can pray for one another (not gossip) and get healed. If I however hurt someone here on earth then I need to ask for forgiveness. Heb 10:2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. KJV Unfortunately Christians are way too sin conscience and not enough righteousness conscience. We worry more about what not to do than what to do or what we should be doing. Many Christians don't do anything because of guilt. Now that's not empowering is it. John 8:11 11 "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin NIV We are not condemned and Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery and by telling her "I don't condemn you go and sin no more" He empowered her to sin no more. But we want to condemn others and ourselves and do not empower them but put them into bondage. 1 John 3:18-24 8 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence 20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. NIV We need to set our heart at rest when we feel guilty of our sin. Instead of allowing our heart to condemn us. We are in the truth and who is the truth? Jesus. We are in Him, so there is not need to feel condemned. So don't feel condemned or guilty when you sin, just acknowledge you messed up and move on in the kingdom. Do good for God, David did, Moses did, they all did. I'm not saying it is okay to sin, we don't need a license and yet we still do. I'm saying our right standing with God should speak volumes over our sin that we commit not the other way around. Focus on not sinning and sin and that is what you will do, focus on your righteousness and right standing with God and that is what you will do, RIGHT STUFF!
Andy Mangus
When Jesus was crucified and hung on the cross at Calvary, He bore 'ALL of my SINS'--(past, present and future). And, for "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have life everlasting life"! "It is finished!" (John 19:30) Jesus "paid for our sin once and for all eternity". The Bible tells us that 'He is our intercessor to the Father, pleading our case". And, a major point here is this: For WHOM is Jesus "pleading our case to the Father"? Well, He is pleading the individual cases of each and every one of His children (His sheep/His flock), that have committed some kind of sin. Jesus is NOT pleading for someone that is STILL LOST, because they are still in the condition of "for I never knew you". He is one with the Father and His eternal love is 'eternally secure'. His grace is sufficient! One doesn't earn salvation; for, it is "by grace through faith" as His 'eternal gift' is what saves us once and for all! Jesus is NOT coming back to hang on that cross again! We are to CONFESS (1 John 2:1 and 1 John 2:12-14) (or apologize to God, the Father for) our sins on a daily basis because we are living one second at a time, one day by day at a time, in the flesh IN our daily human consciousness with His indwelling Holy Spirit guiding us, convicting us of our sin. And, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. The Holy Spirit is our guide, helper and comforter. And, because He resides in our heart, His Holy Spirit will also bring to attention our sin and convict our conscience of such. This is just one of the tasks that the Holy Spirit does in His 'guide, guard and direct our paths' tasks He does for us each and every day! (Matthew 6:33) He is also our comforter, He is our mediator to softly speak to us to remind us "to whom we belong" and that we are to keep our focus on Him, to love Him, to trust Him and to obey and live our lives daily, "sacrificing for the cause of Christ!" It is all about Him and for Him! (Our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!) The night I got saved, I felt His presence of His Holy Spirit and experienced it with immediate understanding and full clarity of His Holy Word, the Bible the 'exact' first time I picked it up off the pew I was sitting on. I have been reading, understanding and comprehending His precious 'words of life' with extreme clarity ever since that night in October 1979! Thank You Jesus, AMEN! "Praise God we have a Savior! And, His name is Jesus Christ." --Andy--
Gary Patton
Christians, a key New Covenant verse on our route to continuing forgiveness (1 John 1:9), does not say we have to ask for it, nor repent, as many believe and teach, but simply tell God we're sorry. Please, relax in God's unconditional love for us because of Jesus' sacrifice for us. Blessings all!
Cody Bond
Yes believers must ask forgiveness for sinning but we're also to repent of these sins. Repent meaning to turn away from, to stop doing it.
marilyn pyse
When we confess a sin and ask for forgiveness, God forgives and then that sin in cast into the sea of forgetfulness. God remembers it no more. So If you are under conviction regarding that sin and ask for forgiveness again, God doesn't remember it. Our faith must be in Christ and His work on the Cross. We must believe in His redemption work for us. Salvation is a daily walk and a daily request for any sin we may have committed, knowingly or unknowingly.
James Wilson
Luke 11:1-4 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.”
Jeanetta Bass
Christ only died once and when he did that it covered us the believer not only our past but present and future. That's the power of the blood on the cross it reaches to the utmost. We are not to been sin conscious but Christ conscious so that we can rid our minds of all the unbelief we have acquired over the years. So that we can trust the God in us to do the will of the Father in the lives of the unsaved as well as the saved. Look to Jesus as the author and the finisher of our faith. Moving forward
jojo devera
It is like saying to your dad, "Sorry Dad I made mistake." Admitting to your dad that you disobeyed his rules is also showing respect to your father. Of course, your father who loves you would forgive you and understand you. But making the same mistake again and again means you are really not sorry for what you've done. The same thing is true with our Heavenly Father when you say, "Lord sorry I have sinned." This means you admit your sin and you honor Him, and because you are loved He will understand and forgive you. But committing the same sin again and another sin again does not show true repentance.
Jack Gutknecht
No, we just have to pray once, "Forgive us as we forgive everyone else. Don’t allow us to be tempted” (Luke 11:4). That is, after we have sinned, we confess it, ask for forgiveness, believe we are forgiven, and live accordingly, forgiving others.
Mark Vestal
Are sins forgiven only when we ask God for forgiveness, or were sins forgiven when Jesus Christ shed His blood for us on the cross? If God forgives sin only when we ask for forgiveness then why did Jesus Christ have to die? Are we placing some of our hope for salvation in ourselves asking for God's forgiveness? Will we arrive at heaven's gate and hope to be let in because we asked for forgiveness after each of our sins, or because we turned from our sins, or because of anything else that WE did for our salvation? Did WE ever truly DO enough in our lifetime for God to accept us? The answer is NO! God will not forgive us of our sins when we ask Him to. WE never DID enough during our lives to please God for our salvation. There are none righteous, no not one (Rom 3:10)! However, there is some good news! There is a hidden truth regarding salvation that you may have been blinded to throughout your life. You may have never heard the true good news that will actually save your soul for eternity by simply believing it. The truth is that God loves you! He loves you so much that He died on the cross to pay for ALL of your sins! He was buried, but rose the third day, so that you may have a new and eternal life in Him simply by BELIEVING this! Believe that God loves you! Believe that what HE DID out of His love for you paid your sin debt in full! Believe that HE took the punishment that we deserved that day on the cross! Believe that HE died for you, was buried, but defeated both sin and death in His resurrection FOR you! When you believe THAT (1 Cor 15:1-4) you are then sealed by the holy Spirit of Promise (Eph 1:13, Eph 4:30) until Christ returns in the clouds to collect His body of believers (1 Thes 4:17), which is the church (Eph 1:22-23). God is not forgiving sin today because He is not imputing sin today (2 Cor 5:19)! He FORGAVE all of our sins of yesterday, today, and tomorrow through the shed blood of Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago, whether we believe it or not (Rom 3:25)! We will not be judged by our sins because Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, was made to be sin for THE WORLD and then judged FOR US (2 Cor 5:21)! Sin was nailed to the cross and the gate was opened for all to come to Him by having faith alone in this truth! He did all the work, now walk through the door by belief! We accept God's free gift of salvation by placing our faith in Jesus Christ and the work that HE ALONE accomplished and COMPLETED on the cross on our behalf! Eph 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast." Why on earth would we keep asking God to forgive us of our sins, when He hates sin so much that He put it out of His sight that day at Calvary? Christ's shed blood was the requirement for your sins to be forgiven. There is no other way for forgiveness. What is required now is to believe that they were forgiven through Christ's blood for your salvation. For without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin (Hew 9:22)! If you are asking God to forgive you of your sins then you have not accepted the fact that HE ALREADY FORGAVE YOU. You have then not yet placed your faith in Christ alone. You are placing some of your faith in yourself to do the "asking". Not good! Rather than continuing to ask for forgiveness, why not simply thank God for the gift of the forgiveness that He has already purchased for our free taking (1 Cor 1:4, 2 Cor 2:14, Eph 5:20, Col 1:3, 2 Thes 2:13)? Let's NOW work for God because of the love that He desires from us in return. Let's work on removing that sinful nature from our daily walk now that we have been adopted by God's grace through our having faith alone IN HIM and NOTHING of ourselves. We no longer need to fear punishment for not performing to God's standards. We will NEVER perform to His standards, but Jesus Christ DID and then received the punishment for our failures all because of His love FOR US!
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