How do Protestants Deal With Sin?

[Cary.Melvin]

Hello all,

I am a Catholic and I was wondering how my Non-Cathoic Brothers and Sisters in Christ deal with the forgivness of sin.

If you are not familliar, Catholics deal with this by going to what we call confession (or reconsiliation) in which we confess our sins (with sincere regret, a must) to a Catholic Priest, who is acting in the person of Jesus Christ, hears your sins and forgives you of them. After you have done this he asks that you preform an act of penance for your sin.

Do you have any way similar or dis-similar that you deal with the forgiveness of sins at your church?

Thanks,

Cary M. Melvin

 

[Reformationist]

Hello all,

I am a Catholic and I was wondering how my Non-Cathoic Brothers and Sisters in Christ deal with the forgivness of sin.

If you are not familliar, Catholics deal with this by going to what we call confession (or reconsiliation) in which we confess our sins (with sincere regret, a must) to a Catholic Priest, who is acting in the person of Jesus Christ, hears your sins and forgives you of them. After you have done this he asks that you preform an act of penance for your sin.

Do you have any way similar or dis-similar that you deal with the forgiveness of sins at your church?

Thanks,

Cary M. Melvin

Hello Cary. Well, if I sin against God I go and apologize to those who were affected by my sinfulness and then I pray that the Lord will continue to work in my heart that I may continue to recognize my sinfulness. I ask that He help me to abhor sin as He does. And, I recognize that my Savior has atoned for my sins and I seek to put those sins off.

God bless

 

[1John5:3]

"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." Proverbs 28:13.

The conditions of obtaining mercy of God are simple and just and reasonable. The Lord does not require us to do some grievous thing in order that we may have the forgiveness of sin. We need not make long and wearisome pilgrimages, or perform painful penances, to commend our souls to the God of heaven or to expiate our transgression; but he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy.

The apostle says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed." James 5:16. Confess your sins to God, who only can forgive them, and your faults to one another. If you have given offense to your friend or neighbor, you are to acknowledge your wrong, and it is his duty freely to forgive you. Then you are to seek the forgiveness of God, because the brother you have wounded is the property of God, and in injuring him you sinned against his Creator and Redeemer. The case is brought before the only true Mediator, our great High Priest, who "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin," and who is "touched with the feeling of our infirmities," and is able to cleanse from every stain of iniquity. Hebrews 4:15.

True confession is always of a specific character, and acknowledges particular sins. They may be of such a nature as to be brought before God only; they may be wrongs that should be confessed to individuals who have suffered injury through them; or they may be of a public character, and should then be as publicly confessed. But all confession should be definite and to the point, acknowledging the very sins of which you are guilty.

"And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous."

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

Should Christians allow weak, erring, mortal men to interpose between Christ and the souls for whom He has died, as though invested with the Saviour's attributes, and able to pardon sin?

 

[Phoebe]

The Lutheran church has Corporate Confession and brief order for confession and forgiveness. The latter is used most frequently, usually every Sunday at the beginning of Worship.

We don't have to sit down one- on -one with a pastor. We confess our sins to God in our hearts. Our pastor declares our sins forgiven by Christ's authority.
However, we do have an option of going to our pastor if we feel the need for an individual confession.

 

[Lanakila]

I confess my sin to God personally, I. E. the way it describes in the book of Hebrews. Then if my sin is a sin that hurts others I apologize to the one I have sinned against.

 

[jbarcher]

Very nice 1John5:3

 

[ZiSunka]

Here's how we deal with sin:

Repent--we recognize that God's way is different than what we have done, and that His way is correct and ours is not.

Confess--we confess to God, and sometimes to others, and sometimes to the person we sinned against, that we blew it and did what God says is wrong, hurtful or unloving.

We let it go--we know that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and justified to forgive us. He already paid the whole price, so there is nothing we could do by way of pennance that could make up for what we did, and certainly nothing that could do more than He already did on the cross for us.

We accept God's forgiveness. It's that simple.

 

[Blackhawk]

Hello all,

I am a Catholic and I was wondering how my Non-Cathoic Brothers and Sisters in Christ deal with the forgivness of sin.

If you are not familliar, Catholics deal with this by going to what we call confession (or reconsiliation) in which we confess our sins (with sincere regret, a must) to a Catholic Priest, who is acting in the person of Jesus Christ, hears your sins and forgives you of them. After you have done this he asks that you preform an act of penance for your sin. I also have an accountability partner that I am very honest with. That helps me grow in Christ more and more.

Do you have any way similar or dis-similar that you deal with the forgiveness of sins at your church?

Thanks,

Cary M. Melvin

WEll as others have said I ask for forgiveness from God. He has already forgiven me but I ask anyways because he has told me to do so. I also ask for help not to sin and to resist temptation. And if my sin affects another I try to go to that person and ask for their forgiveness also. The last part is what I forget the most often it seems. I do not know if I am really good at turning away from my sin either. I am very glad that the Lord is gracious and is full of mercy. That He does not revoke my salvation because I am not faithful.

Here are a couple of verses

I Jn 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(NAU)


James 5:16
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
(NAU)

 

[Gamecock]

My confessional is my heart, My priest is Christ...

 

[Andrew]

I simply agree with God and say what He says (true confession) about my sins:
1. All taken away by Christ/all punished and dealt with in the body of Christ on the cross
2. Remembered no more by God
3. Therefore still as righteous as ever by the Blood!