Praying for forgiveness of sins after being saved?

[godenver1]

Do you think it is good for a relationship to let errors fester, rather than seeking reconciliation?

Prayer is not for God, but for us.

Yeah.

Hypothetical:

I wouldn't apologise to my mum for fear of being kicked out the house, but because I love her and have done wrong by her.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Indeed. It's not like we tell God something He doesn't already know.

Right, and it's not like by confessing my sins I'm somehow scoring points upstairs. I mean what servant in doing the bare minimum of his duties should expect reward?

The fact of the matter is that God has given us a promise, that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. That's present tense, not some sort of "Oh, I did that already twenty years ago" thing.

When I confess my sins I know God's word and promises are true, that my sins are in fact forgiven, because God has taken me and united me to Christ in my baptism, because Christ has died and Christ has risen, and He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven. And that all that is Christ's is mine in Him.

Should I not confess my sins, sulking in them or hiding them (as though I could hide them from He who knows even the hairs on my head)? Should I hide them in myself, letting them fester and rot me from the inside? Or should I confess them, repent and cling to the hope and promises of God that are in Christ, clinging to His cross, and cherish the forgiveness I have in Him?

I vote for the latter.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Steeno7]

Right, and it's not like by confessing my sins I'm somehow scoring points upstairs. I mean what servant in doing the bare minimum of his duties should expect reward?

The fact of the matter is that God has given us a promise, that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. That's present tense, not some sort of "Oh, I did that already twenty years ago" thing.

When I confess my sins I know God's word and promises are true, that my sins are in fact forgiven, because God has taken me and united me to Christ in my baptism, because Christ has died and Christ has risen, and He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven. And that all that is Christ's is mine in Him.

Should I not confess my sins, sulking in them or hiding them (as though I could hide them from He who knows even the hairs on my head)? Should I hide them in myself, letting them fester and rot me from the inside? Or should I confess them, repent and cling to the hope and promises of God that are in Christ, clinging to His cross, and cherish the forgiveness I have in Him?

I vote for the latter.

-CryptoLutheran

Which means you do not really believe you have forgiveness, but that you can get forgiveness if you confess your sins.

And what was labeled as "false" by you is proven to be true. Not so good for you after all.

 

[squint]

It's only unfortunate that some sects over time have reverted to systems that make people perform certain rituals to avoid destruction.

It's very nearly the practice of voodoo.

s

 

[A New Day]

It's only unfortunate that some sects over time have reverted to systems that make people perform certain rituals to avoid destruction.

It's very nearly the practice of voodoo.

s

Jesus said:

Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

John 20:23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Luke 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 18:35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Luke 18:14 ‘I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’

What do you mean with the word rituals?

It may become a tradition and all the life yet it is not a ritual like magic if that is what you mean? Verses became a tradition of remembrance like to share the bread when eating in the first christian church Matthew 26:26 or verses became a full life of repentance for other christians too Luke 18:13

 

[Setyoufree]

Think of this

When you are saved, you are saved from sin and death. That is, you have been justified, sealed with the blood of the lamb. What purpose, then, is there in asking for forgiveness for the remission of sins, since your sins are already covered with Jesus shed blood??

What were you saved from?

You say "sin & death".

Let's read this:

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

"In Christ" our humanity was saved from both "the law of sin" (the sin nature) and the 2nd death (the curse).

That's in Christ. Since you have placed your faith in Him you stand perfect in Him.

Confession of sin is because you are acknowledging yourself to be a sinner in need of His righteousness. Refusing to repent is outwardly stating you don't need His righteousness in place of your unrighteousness. It's unbelief, which can lead to apostasy.

 

[GeorgiaGuyinAtlanta]

What were you saved from?

You say "sin & death".

Let's read this:

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

"In Christ" our humanity was saved from both "the law of sin" (the sin nature) and the 2nd death (the curse).

That's in Christ. Since you have placed your faith in Him you stand perfect in Him.

Confession of sin is because you are acknowledging yourself to be a sinner in need of His righteousness. Refusing to repent is outwardly stating you don't need His righteousness in place of your unrighteousness. It's unbelief, which can lead to apostasy.

I believe that at conversion, sure, you need to confess your sin. I also believe that you should admit that you've sinned after conversion for those times when you do sin. However, to say that confessing your sin post-conversion is to prevent you from going to hell is to argue that one must not only have faith, but it appears as faith plus works. It also goes against God holding onto His children, of salvation being eternal, as noted in the Bible. Thus, I ask God for clarity on the above verses as noted by another poster.

When you pass from an unbeliever to a believer, you pass from sin and death to life. You are no longer defined as a sinner, you are now a saint. Therefore, there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. Your sainthood, a result of the blood of Jesus covering one's sins, is payment for the penalty of sin. Therefore, sure, if you did any one of those sins, as noted above, outside of the context of God's saving grace, then you would be condemned, but remember that there is no condemnation, nor can God leave us.

Suppose you were angry at someone and cursed at them right before you were killed in a car accident. Is lack of confession in the mere seconds left of life before death going to keep one out of Heaven?

Are you arguing that the Holy Spirit can leave a child of God?

While I don't believe that God leaves His children, those verses do lead one to ponder of them in the context and how they must fit. There is an explanation.

 

[MoreCoffee]

I've often wondered why many people pray for the forgiveness of their sins even after they've been saved. Admittedly, I've done this because I want to be right with God, even though I've had questions as to whether it was actually needed.

Think of this

When you are saved, you are saved from sin and death. That is, you have been justified, sealed with the blood of the lamb. What purpose, then, is there in asking for forgiveness for the remission of sins, since your sins are already covered with Jesus shed blood?

I can understand it in the following context:

We ask for relational forgiveness from God, but not for the remission of sins, as those have already been taken care of as part of salvation. What do you think?

Seems to me that when one sins and realises it then the proper response is to turn away from the sins one has committed and turn towards God in sorrow for having offended him and with determination not to offend him in that way again. That's what repentance is, right? To feel contrite for having done wrong and to turn to God with determination not to do the same wrongs again is a definition for repentance. So unless one's theology teaches that it is okay to continue in sin and not worry about it because it is already forgiven then one ought to repent, right? And if one's theology does teach that sins are already forgiven and one needn't worry about living in sin then that theology is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ and ought to be repented of.

 

[GeorgiaGuyinAtlanta]

Seems to me that when one sins and realises it then the proper response is to turn away from the sins one has committed and turn towards God in sorrow for having offended him and with determination not to offend him in that way again. That's what repentance is, right? To feel contrite for having done wrong and to turn to God with determination not to do the same wrongs again is a definition for repentance. So unless one's theology teaches that it is okay to continue in sin and not worry about it because it is already forgiven then one ought to repent, right? And if one's theology does teach that sins are already forgiven and one needn't worry about living in sin then that theology is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ and ought to be repented of.

I don't know of anyone's theology that says that it is okay to continue to live in sin, or that we should feel okay to continue in sin.

 

[MoreCoffee]

I don't know of anyone's theology that says that it is okay to continue to live in sin, or that we should feel okay to continue in sin.

Exactly, so repentance for sins is the norm and people pray for forgiveness when they repent because that's what repenting involves.

 

[squint]

What do you mean with the word rituals?

In some systems the process is highly ritualistic.

It may become a tradition and all the life yet it is not a ritual like magic if that is what you mean?

I sincerely do not believe a single confessor becomes sinless for even a nano second by the exercise of such rituals.

I also do not believe the sacrifice of Christ is made insufficient for sin by the failure to exercise such rituals.

Clear enough?

Verses became a tradition of remembrance like to share the bread when eating in the first christian church Matthew 26:26 or verses became a full life of repentance for other christians too Luke 18:13

Yes, some do not believe they are 'clean enough' to engage in communion without the ritual exercise either, which is another matter.

s

 

[Setyoufree]

I also believe that you should admit that you've sinned after conversion for those times when you do sin. However, to say that confessing your sin post-conversion is to prevent you from going to hell is to argue that one must not only have faith, but it appears as faith plus works.

Sorry....repentance of sin is not works. The fact that you are repenting proves that you are a sinner saved by grace.

 

[Setyoufree]

When you pass from an unbeliever to a believer, you pass from sin and death to life.

By faith "in Christ" not in reality. Reality doesn't take place until you are changed at the 2nd coming.

You are no longer defined as a sinner, you are now a saint. Therefore, there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.

You are in Christ by faith.....In Christ your new, glorified, humanity is without sin, but of yourself you are a sinner. In Christ, yes, you have a new creation...but of yourself (as you are in this world) you are still a sinner.

Suppose you were angry at someone and cursed at them right before you were killed in a car accident. Is lack of confession in the mere seconds left of life before death going to keep one out of Heaven?

No, because you aren't under law, but under grace. I'm speaking of practicing known sin as a lifestyle. That infers you aren't repenting....

Are you arguing that the Holy Spirit can leave a child of God?

Not as long as that child is keeping his/her faith in Christ....

 

[GeorgiaGuyinAtlanta]

I wanted to say that I believe that repentance is essential to the Christian faith. I was merely thinking from a viewpoint of eternal security. I'm aware that Christ speaks to repenting. Since I believe that you can't lose your salvation (OSAS), repentance once saved must have something to do with ensuring that we are as close to God as we can be. Of course, I realize that it could also have other reasons for it. It's how the Bible is interpreted from the scriptures.

 

[GratiaCorpusChristi]

I've often wondered why many people pray for the forgiveness of their sins even after they've been saved. Admittedly, I've done this because I want to be right with God, even though I've had questions as to whether it was actually needed.

Think of this

When you are saved, you are saved from sin and death. That is, you have been justified, sealed with the blood of the lamb. What purpose, then, is there in asking for forgiveness for the remission of sins, since your sins are already covered with Jesus shed blood?

I can understand it in the following context:

We ask for relational forgiveness from God, but not for the remission of sins, as those have already been taken care of as part of salvation. What do you think?

I think your conclusion comes close to the heart of the matter. Sin does not fully break the relationship between God and the believer, any more than adultery nullifies a marriage. However, just as being still married doesn't mean adultery is just fine, so too sin within the context of the body of Christ is still a serious matter that must be addressed.

Some people, after adultery, go through counseling and then reaffirm their wedding vows. That is essentially what confession and absolution do. Confession is the admission on the part of the guilty sinner part that we have wronged our Beloved and are in need to forgiveness; absolution is the affirmation on the part of Righteous Judge that we remain justified before him on the basis of grace and are therefore still members of the family of God. We return to our wedding vows, our baptism, and can hold to them and say, "There, there we were received as adopted sons and daughters of God the Father through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit," and on that basis move beyond sin and strive to be better children.