Forgiven?

[ChristianPilot]

I've got a question about forgiveness.
Say I commit a sin, it doesn't hurt anybody but me, and I ask for forgiveness.
Now, because it doesn't hurt anyone but me, I don't really feel bad about it. I didn't hurt anyone, nobody but me was effected at all, so I just don't feel bad about it.
Does that mean I'm not forgiven? I've heard people saying both things.
1) If you ask for forgiveness, you're forgiven.
and 2) You have to feel genuinely sorry before you can be forgiven.


The reason I'm asking is because I have a natural inclination to simply not care about other people. I don't know what it is about me, but I just can't feel their pain or walk a mile in their shoes. It's one of those things I'll just have to ask God to work on in me.

 

[Debbie]

Scripture promises you are forgiven if you ask. It also says God knows what is in men's hearts. Therefore, you have to be sincere in your heart for your sin.
I'm not so sure that what you did was a sin, otherwise you would feel more sincere. WHat evidence do you have that it was a sin? Is it in the BIble?

 

[Andrew]

My beliefs about forgiveness are rather radical. I believe that we as Christians ALREADY HAVE forgiveness. ie past, present, future sins have already been forgiven. When I sin, of course, I confess to my Father, but it is not to obtain forgiveness cos I already have it through Christ. I confess to acknowledge my sin, rather than pretend it didnt happen or to blame someone else, and to thank God that I HAVE forgiveness and that Jesus is still my righteousness. In that sense, I never "backslide". I move on.

I did a word search in the NT for forgive/forgiveness and found that it is always "have forgiveness" or "forgiven" after the cross. There's a difference. B4 the cross, you wld of course find things like "ask for forgiveness IN ORDER TO BE forgiven" That to me is OC/conditional and doesnt apply anymore.

Also, speaking of confessing, I dont believe it is necessary to always confess about everything simply cos it's not possible. Everything that is not of faith is sin. Worry, fear are also sins. Not following the prompting of the Holy Spirit is also sin. Doing something in the flesh is also sin. There's no end to it! So if I have to confess and get forgiveness to be right with God, it'll be a 24/7 thing!

So to answer your question, you already HAVE it. Forgiveness does not depend on your feelings or appreciation. God is faithful and just TO HIS SON and his work at calvary to forgive sins, not to us. We didnt do anything. IOW God's forgivness does not hinge on our performance, but on Christ's. Thank God for that!

----------
The reason I'm asking is because I have a natural inclination to simply not care about other people.
------------
Trust me, as long as you are born again, the love of God has been shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit, the Bible says. It's there in you whether you feel it or not! Perhaps, you are trying to hard or think God expects you to be "lovey" with everyone you see (that's not the way it works). Just relax, sit back and let God. It'll come out.

 

[filosofer]

Are you sure this is a sin, or is it a habit (i.e. smoking) that some have labeled as sin and isn't really sin?

But.... if it is a sin that God has specifically addressed (i.e. one of the commandments)....

One other issue to consider - the sin does not just affect you. It affects God. That is, sin violates God's standards - first and foremost. Read in Psalm 51:3-4 where David confesses his sins (adultery and murder), yet David realizes that had no one else been involved it was still "Against You, You only have I sinned."

So also in Isaiah 59:2, "your sin separates you from your God." God can't stand sin.

This is why regret, repentance come out of the realization that the person has offended the pure, holy God. Even one sin does that (James 2:10). Therefore, to "not feel bad about a sin" indicates that "it isn't really a sin" attitude.

 

[ChristianPilot]

Well, first off, I'm not talking abut any specific sin here. Just any random sin you can pull out of your hat. You guessed it, most of the time I just won't feel bad about it. I don't know why, I just don't. I've prayed about it and I'm still waiting for God to work in my life in that area. But that's not why I asked

Because I don't usually feel genuinely sorry, I can only recognise that what I did was a sin and ask for forgiveness for it.

So tell me, do you think you have to feel genuinely sorry to be forgiven, or is forgiveness just given on asking?

 

[Andrew]

Pilot,

If u read my post carefully, my answer wld be NO.
1. ALL your lifetime of sins were paid for on the cross 2000 years ago.
2. When you were born again, this applied to you, since you applied the blood. ie the day you received Christ you were forgiven of all sins you wld ever commit.

So based on this, whether God forgives you or not has nothing to do with your feelings now as you already HAVE foriveness as the Bible says.

 

[LouisBooth]

Piolet? What does discipline mean to you? To me its means doing something even when you don't feel like doing it. You need to stop doing it regardless of how you feel if you believe it to be wrong. I like to drink, but I cannot drink at all in front of certain people because it is a stumbling block to them. Now, if this is only known to yourself as you described, I think it effects 1. your relationship with others and 2. Your relationship with God, so if you think about it its not effecting JUST you now is it?

 

[ChristianPilot]

Hey, guys, I said it before. I'm not talking about doing any specific sin here. I'm just saying any random sin that I happen to do. I realize the consequences of any sin I do and that's why I ask for forgiveness. But it isn't because I feel sorry for the sin. I don't know why, I just don't.

Could someone just please tell me whether or not you think you have to be genuinely sorry to be forgiven.

 

[Tristan]

Hi CP.

I think you have to *be* genuinly sorry. But you won't necessarily *feel* it.

Blessings,

Tris

 

[Messenger]

Sometimes when we sin we do it without realizing it....none of us are perfect. When we ask for forgiveness of sins that are not specific it is difficult to feel remorseful especially if we feel we did our best. Even doing our best sin will occur because we are human. If you sin willfully and do not feel remorse I would recheck my steps in my walk with Christ. You are in Soul control of yourself...to sin and say all I did was hurt myself and nobody else seems ledicrous to me. The only one you are in control of is yourself so the only one you can directly hurt is yourself. Your sin will never take away my salvation. You must first love God/Jesus/Holy Spirit and secondly yourself before you can truely love others. Be strong and take it to God. Work towards improvement in every aspect of your life. Let go of the negative and grab hold of the positive. Give your life to God and let go of impulsive behavior. Think and pray before you act and He will forgive you if you stumble. I'm not one to believe we can wellingly sin and just run for forgiveness and go right back out and sin again...in this case I think we best be remorseful and try with all our might not to let it happen again. Love and God Bless you.