No I don't have one; rather I have a question regarding confession. I was always told (when I was a practicing Christian) that no matter what I did, as long as I went to confession, all my sins would be forgiven.
Is this still the current teaching of Christianity?
There are different understandings of "confession". So it depends on which one you mean. If you mean "going to a confession" in an orthodox or catholic church - those are the wrong teaching.
In those churches, "confession" is like a license to sin. You can keep living in sin, as long as you come and regularly confess it.
This kind of a confession does not count in God's eyes. It does not save a soul. It does not forgive sins.
In protestant churches, there is a different "confession". They confess their sins to God whenever they sin. And yes, God forgives all their sins.
1JO 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
HEB 10:17 Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."
Although, there are two kinds of sins (those that "slip out" and wilful ones).
Those that slip out are like losing your temper, occasional lying, not being nice in a situation.. and stuff like that (and addictions, since you just can't help yourself). Those sins need to be confessed to God and He will forgive them. They are covered by the blood of Jesus.
But there is another kind of sins: willful sins. Willful sins are the ones that you have a control of. You choose to do the wrong thing although you believe it to be wrong. Those sins are not covered by the blood of Jesus. These 2 verses are talking about them:
HEB 10:26-27 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth,
no sacrifice for sins is left, (
these sins are not covered by the blood of Jesus and therefore not forgiven)
but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.
The people who came to God, were washed by His Word and His Spirit and made clean, and who keep wilfully sinning, are like pigs who like to get back to their dirt right after they have been washed. These are wilful sins and are not forgiven.
2PE 2:20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.
21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
22 Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."
In other words, you can know if you were born of God (born again) or not by whether you keep doing wilful sins.
Because it says in 1John 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, (this is not talking about sins you have no control of, but the wilful sins).
So in other words, confessing our sins and receiving forgiveness for them from God is a part of our Christian life. But also, in the same way, a part of our Christian life is to NOT keep doing wilful sins.
And don't misunderstand me: I did not mean that wilful sins will NEVER be forgiven. I did not mean that. I only meant that when you claim to be a Christian, but keep living in sin as a lifestyle, you need to know that you were never born again. And you need to know that you need to GET born again. That means you need to come to God and ask Him to forgive your wilful sins and to make you His child. AFTER He makes you His child, you need to stop doing wilful sins. If you didn't stop, that means you never became His child. And that means that you need to come to Him again and ask to make you His child. Because you never become His if you keep doing wilful sins. So they are forgiven, but only as an entrance into the relationship. Once you enter the relationship, then you just stop doing those, and you won't need to confess. Of course, if you do it one time, you can still ask for forgiveness and be forgiven. I am talking about a lifestyle of sin (not an occasional sin).
I hope some of it was clear enough. I think it's a difficult subject.
But true Christianity is not a religion and it's not about COUNTING how many sins you did and how many need to be forgiven. It's about getting to know your God, your Creator. He wants to have a relationship with you. It says that God does not remember our sins anymore and that Jesus made us perfect forever. So God is not counting sins (as long as you are HIS child.) And if you are His child, then you need to grow in your knowledge of God himself, and start to love Him. He loves you already. And you two will have a love relationship which will satisfy your soul. Anything short of seeking love relationship with God is simply a religion and it will not get you anywhere. It's a road that leads to nothing. So focus on seeking God, His heart, His feelings, His thoughts. Get to know HIM as a Person. Fall in love with Him. And you will be truly blessed by His love and His fellowship with you. Forget religion. It's not worth pursuing. It's just a bunch of man made rules that give people a feeling of self-righteousness.