God's forgiveness

[HotRhymez]

I just have a few questions about God and forgiveness...will God forgive you if you sin intentionally? What if you go for months without asking God's forgiveness from sin? What if you know you've sinned, but never ask God's forgiveness, will God hold a grudge until you've specifically asked forgiveness for that one sin? Is there a specific way you should ask forgiveness or can you just say "God forgive me of all my sins" and actually mean it or do you have to name every one you know of? What if you ask forgiveness when you know your gonna do the same sin again intentionally? Sorry, I know it's a ton of questions I just don't understand much of it, lol.

 

[rogsr]

God loves us very much and forgives us all our sins. When you repent, humbly repent from the depths of your soul. Repenting is making an effort to change those things in our lives that tear us away from God, our Father, because we love Him. However, He doesn't expect us to become totally perfect, but He does want us to continue to fight. If these changes do not occur in your heart then they are not real. Once you begin to make your way home the only unforgivable sin, in my opinion, is quiting.

 

[Evangelical Pastor]

You're asking some good questions that are not answered specifically in the Bible but I'll try to give you my best answers based on general Bible information..

One thing we know for certain about Jesus is that He has a next to zero tolerance for hypocrisy which is precisely why most Christians will not receive salvation.So me of the situations you mention will get you or anyone in serious trouble.So,asking forgiveness for a sin you know you will repeat,just won't work.It would be better to not even mention it in prayer until you're ready to give it up.But when you do pray,it's important to mention the specific sins you've engaged in rather than asking God to forgive everything wrong that you've done.By naming your specific sins,God will know your repentence is sincere and by "going on the record",you'll find you have more motivation to not repeat the sins.This holds true even if you intentionally sin.What's important is that you not repeat it.Failure to ask for forgiveness for months will raise questions in God's mind about your true sorrow for what you did.What is the delay for?You can always ask for forgiveness even if you think there's a POSSIBILITY that you might repeat the sin and then couple your prayer for forgiveness with action to separate yourself from the sinful activity.The question you asked about what will happen if we never ask for forgiveness is impossible to answer because Jesus Himself has to make that decision on a case by case basis.But it almost certainly will raise the hypocrisy issue in His mind and there was nothing that made Him more angry than that behavior the last time He was here.If you are taking up your cross daily and following Him as we have been commanded,why are you refusing to accept ALL of His teachings? Contrary to what you may have heard,this is what Jesus said:"MANY WILL BE CALLED BUT FEW CHOSEN" You definitely don't want to play games with Him and try to see how much you can get away with.YOU WON'T!

 

[bliz]

"Evangelical Pastor" -

One thing we know for certain about Jesus is that He has a next to zero tolerance for hypocrisy which is precisely why most Christians will not receive salvation.

Isn't a Christian, by defination, someone who has already received salvation?

So, asking forgiveness for a sin you know you will repeat, just won't work.It would be better to not even mention it in prayer until you're ready to give it up.

How do we know that we will repeat a sin? I'm sure that happens upon ocassion, but most of the time when we confess and repent it is our every intent that we not commit that sin again. How are we to know when we have really "given it up"? You seem to be saying that we should clean up out acts, and then go to God, rather then go to God for His forgivness and help in changing our hearts and minds.

But when you do pray,it's important to mention the specific sins you've engaged in rather than asking God to forgive everything wrong that you've done.By naming your specific sins,God will know your repentence is sincere and by "going on the record",you'll find you have more motivation to not repeat the sins.This holds true even if you intentionally sin.

I can detail all the sins I am aware of committing, but that hardly makes my repentence sincere! Earlier you said that we shouldn't pray about it until we are really ready to give it up. So, if we've already given it up, why do we need motivation to not repeat sins?

Failure to ask for forgiveness for months will raise questions in God's mind about your true sorrow for what you did.

I thought God always knew what was in my heart and mind.

 

[gman]

1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

disect this verse...there are not alot of conditions here...doesn't say what kind of sins...just sins...and also notice the word "all"...everything finito finished...remember when Jesus finished His work on the cross, He said "IT IS FINISHED."...the I John verse doesn't give any time constraint either...just confess.


As far as the specifics...if God brings your sin specifically to your mind...then confess specifically, if He doesn't (keep in mind all of us pretty much miss the mark every day in some way or another) ask Him to bring specifics to your mind if you like...if its really important, the Holy Spirit will do that.

Also a good idea to take a moral inventory of yourself daily and confess...a good time is before bed...then you might sleep better.

Father God, I pray for this person, asking that you bring resolution to their situation and peace to their heart...cause them to understand the simplicity of your grace and forgiveness and don't allow their heart to be weighed down by details, but to simply seek you in these matters...in Jesus name

 

[Rafael]

I just have a few questions about God and forgiveness...will God forgive you if you sin intentionally? What if you go for months without asking God's forgiveness from sin? What if you know you've sinned, but never ask God's forgiveness, will God hold a grudge until you've specifically asked forgiveness for that one sin? Is there a specific way you should ask forgiveness or can you just say "God forgive me of all my sins" and actually mean it or do you have to name every one you know of? What if you ask forgiveness when you know your gonna do the same sin again intentionally? Sorry, I know it's a ton of questions I just don't understand much of it, lol.

The flesh part of us and the old nature always sins on purpose, but the new man of the spirit that we have when we are born again never sins on purpose. It is these two forces within us that battle until the day we go to be with the Lord and are like Him.
Check out this verse in the New Living Translation:

Galatians 5:17 The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.

The apostle Paul rightly complained about this dichotomy of character that lives within us:

Romans 7:15 I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate.
16 I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good.
17 But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things.
18 I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t.
19 When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway.
20 But if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.
21 It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
22 I love God’s law with all my heart.
23 But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?
25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
1 ¶ So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Sin dwells in our flesh and it and the unrenewed mind are always calling out for gratification of the flesh, but the spirit that is born from above thinks upon the things of God and how better to perfect the love that comes from Him in their lives so they can be better servants of God. The greatest job in the universe is the same one that Jesus had - a servant.

 

[HotRhymez]

I don't know if I explained myself enough..there are some things I forgot to add...

I know that it's a continuous struggle and it's very hard..but I think it's too hard for me. See, I don't just sin once or twice on purpose..I'm talking dozens of times a day..I don't count every time I sin but I'm guessing on a very bad day when nothing is going well I swear about 70-100 times a day at the max. The problem is, since I became a Christian I haven't changed my attitude or thinking anyway. I still act like I did before I became a Christian. I WANT to change, and I HAVE tried, but I CAN'T. I mean I know we are supposed to act different when we become Christians..act more holy or whatever..but I don't know how. I read the Bible and pray once every few weeks when I should be doing it every day or every other day at least so I will get out of this slump. But I don't sense a change and whenever I sin accidentally or on purpose I don't feel a Holy Spirit making me feel guilty or sad. Does it take years for us to change from our old selves to our new selves, or should it happen the second you become a Christian? I just don't know what I'm supposed to think or act like. I don't know if I'm a very good Christian role model, I doubt it. I want to change but I don't know how to. I can't control my mind, or my thoughts, or my desires or the way I act or the way I think or what I say or do or go to or anything. It's not like I'm possessed by the devil, it's not that, It's kinda like KNOWING you should change, and trying, but not achieving success. Maybe it's just in my heart whats important. Just believing that Jesus is savior and lord is enough to be saved..and God will help me change someday? I have no idea..I just feel like I got screwed over by God sometimes. I know I might not be making sense, but whatever. It's hard to explain. You gotta be in my shoes to understand my situation. I've tried talking to my friends and teachers and people online about this and I've gotten some help but not totally satisfied yet. So if yall got ANY ideas or suggestions on what I should try next, I'm listening. So please, talk away, even if it's only a sentence long, the tiniest clue could trigger something in my head. I'm not gonna commit suicide or anything though, it's nothing THAT bad. I just don't understand how to change from old to new. Religion is so confusing to me but God does not cause confusion so what the heck is going on?! Enough of my babbling. If you can, please help. Thanks, peace out.

 

[inHisgrip]

You can't change from the old to new, only God can do that in you.
It can take years to see any differences, or they can be very subtle to you, we tend to be overly critical of ourselves.
I used to worry about not becoming the person God wanted me to be, when it became very clear that the changes He was making were subtle, such as my thoughts, self esteem, things like that.
I would ask God to reveal the changes He is making in you.
It also sounds like you want to make yourself change, and we have to remember that we can do nothing without Him. It can be so difficult to wait on Him, but we have to surrender to Him and let Him work in us.
Don't beat yourself up for not being perfect. None of us ever will be.
You will be in my prayers.
In Him

 

[Radagast]

I just have a few questions about God and forgiveness...will God forgive you if you sin intentionally?

Of course. Think about the criminal in Luke 23:40–43. Think about David for that matter---adultery, murder, you name it!

What if you go for months without asking God's forgiveness from sin? What if you know you've sinned, but never ask God's forgiveness, will God hold a grudge until you've specifically asked forgiveness for that one sin?

All your sins are forgiven! Read 1 John 2:

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins... I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

Is there a specific way you should ask forgiveness or can you just say "God forgive me of all my sins" and actually mean it or do you have to name every one you know of?

What did Jesus tell us to pray?

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,
for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen

You might also like to read this post of mine about the Christian journey, which Paul compare to a sports event (like the Olympics). How do you get better? You train, you talk to the coach, you have patience.

-- Radagast

 

[fishstix]

I just have a few questions about God and forgiveness...will God forgive you if you sin intentionally? What if you go for months without asking God's forgiveness from sin? What if you know you've sinned, but never ask God's forgiveness, will God hold a grudge until you've specifically asked forgiveness for that one sin? Is there a specific way you should ask forgiveness or can you just say "God forgive me of all my sins" and actually mean it or do you have to name every one you know of? What if you ask forgiveness when you know your gonna do the same sin again intentionally? Sorry, I know it's a ton of questions I just don't understand much of it, lol.

God will forgive you if you are truly sorry and repentant for what you did. Even if you've done the same thing thousands of times before you can still come back for forgiveness. Even if it's months or even years later. Even if it's something that you know is a habit that you are having a really hard time stopping. It is a good idea to ask forgiveness for specific sins if they come to mind and to actually try to think of what specifically you need forgiveness for. However if you honestly forget something it isn't a huge deal. Praying isn't like entering your email password - you don't have to have every letter exactly correct to get through. That said, you do have to actually be sorry for what you did and not just have the attitude that forgiveness is like some sort of "get out of jail free card" that gives you a license to sin as much as you please. Using forgiveness as an excuse to sin would be a horrible way to treat God.

Not one Christian on Earth is perfect. We *all* mess up sometimes. Each of us has a lot of growing to do to become the person who God wants us to be. For some of us there is a huge and drastic improvement in behavior as soon as we accept Jesus. For others it is a lot slower and more gradual. But in either case it takes a lifetime to complete that improvement 100%. The important thing is to keep striving towards God and towards being the person that He wants us to be. And when we mess up, which we all do, to be truly sorry and humbly come before God for forgiveness. It is comforting to know that God can see not only where we are at now but also what we'll be like at the end of our journey to Him.

Anyway, some advice for you: If you don't already, go to church. Find a good church and force yourself to go regularly - once a week at least, even if you don't feel like it. It may be easier if you find a friend at that church to keep you on track and help you to go regularly. And that's another important thing - surround yourself with Christian friends. And reduce or even eliminate the amount of time you spend with friends who are a bad influence on you. If you always hang around with people who swear a lot you'll find yourself using the same sort of language. Same thing with any other activity - you're friends will rub off on you. The good thing is that includes positive activities. So hang around with Christian friends who will be a good influence on you. Joining a youth group or young adult group can be a really good way to start doing that. Bible reading and prayer are also really important. Start by finding a 5 minute block that you can devote each day to prayer and Bible reading. Either when you first get up or just before you go to sleep would probably be good times - but pick one and stick to it otherwise you'll find yourself saying "I'll do it tonight/tomorrow instead" and it won't get done. And don't do the whole "I'll skip today and do double tomorrow to make up for it" thing. Force yourself to do it every day. Check it off on your calendar, make it a part of your regular routine, get that friend I mentioned earlier to check up on you, or whatever but do something to make sure that you get into the habit of reading your Bible and praying. Of course, if you do mess up in your scheduling, just get back on track from that day forward. I'd suggest starting to read your Bible from the beginning of the New Testament and trying to read maybe 1 chapter a day. Over time, you'll want to increase the 5 minutes to give yourself more time - perhaps to 10, 15, 30 or even more minutes. But start with 5 minutes to get into the habit. You can't be too busy for 5 minutes a day, no matter how much stuff you're involved in. And don't give up even if you don't notice a change in yourself for a while. Eventually it will come.

 

[HotRhymez]

But what if you don't feel sorry or guilty when u ask forgiveness? does he still forgive you if you just ask God forgiveness so that you can sin again? Is this really wrong because I've done this several times...I want to feel sorry for my sin but it's like I can't. Sounds weird, huh?

 

[inHisgrip]

Ask the Lord to open your eyes and heart to see sin through His eyes.
In Him

 

[fishstix]

But what if you don't feel sorry or guilty when u ask forgiveness? does he still forgive you if you just ask God forgiveness so that you can sin again? Is this really wrong because I've done this several times...I want to feel sorry for my sin but it's like I can't. Sounds weird, huh?

That's something you need to pray about. As you draw closer to God and realize what sin looks like from His perspective and all that He did just to make forgiveness possible for you, you will start to be genuinely sorry for your sins. Wanting to feel sorry is a good start, but's it's only that - a start. Also remember that it isn't so much your emotions that are important, but your intentions certainly are. So it's ok if you don't feel extremely guilty. But if you're just asking forgiveness so that you can go ahead and sin without worrying about the consequences then that is a problem, and is itself something you need to take to God. God isn't going to force forgiveness on you if you don't actually want it. If you don't want to get close to Him, He isn't going to force Himself on you. He'll respect your wishes, even if they aren't what He would choose Himself.

 

[TheMainException]

All sins are covered by God's blood...ALL sins. And no...you don't have to confess each one individually, if you are saved, you are already forgiven for past, present and future sins.