Many of the saints seem to be confused as to what constitutes a "work". So I will ask this rhetorical question. What must we do to receive forgiveness, and if there is something we must do, is it work?
What must we do for the forgiveness of sins?
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We must repent and ask Jesus to forgive us. We must trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord
Romans 10:8-10 King James Version (KJV)
But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
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Albion
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In any discussion of Faith and/or Works relating to salvation, "Works" means voluntary, charitable, deeds that are thought to earn favor with God leading, at least in part, to salvation. They are thought to be meritorious.
Being baptized, confessing one's sins, agreeing to some Creed, or the like, may require movement and might even require some effort, but that is not what "Works" means.
Being baptized, confessing one's sins, agreeing to some Creed, or the like, may require movement and might even require some effort, but that is not what "Works" means.
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ViaCrucis
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Be sinners.
Christ died for the sins of the whole world. Christ died to save sinners.
The only thing we do to is be sinners. It is God who appropriates the work of Christ by the power of the Spirit through Word and Sacrament, He does it for us, we do nothing.
-CryptoLutheran
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~Anastasia~
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What must we do to receive forgiveness?
Ask for it, and receive it. Which includes such things as repenting, confessing, and believing.
No, these are not "works". These are simply the natural living of the Christian life.
Conversely, we can fail to believe, reject forgiveness, refuse to repent. These are not works either, they are simply the actions of rejecting God and His forgiveness.
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1213
Disciple of Jesus
Forgiveness is freely for all, but eternal life is only for righteous.
These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46
That is why Jesus taught that people should repent and be born anew.
… unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.
Luke 13:3
"Most assuredly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can't see the Kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most assuredly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can't enter into the Kingdom of God! That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don't marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew.'
John 3:3-7
He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can't sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn't love his brother.
1 John 3:7-10
Forgiveness is not useful, if person continues in sin. Similarly, as it is not useful to wash your car, if you right after that mess it with mud. Forgiveness gives a new beginning and by words Jesus said you can become righteous, clean of sin (Godless way of life). And if you become righteous, it will be seen also in your works. But the works are only fruits of your mind. If the mind is good, the fruits are also good. This doesn’t mean you have to do good works, it means, if you are righteous, you want to do good works.
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Forgive others of every offense. Care for them. Look out for them. Treat them with respect. Love covers up all sin.
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~Anastasia~
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You do bring up an important point I think we all neglected to mention ....
Forgive and you will be forgiven. If you forgive others their sins, your sins will be forgiven. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your sins be forgiven.
According to Christ, there are indeed things we "must do" in order to be forgiven. But still, not "works" as earlier defined in this thread by @Albion .
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John Preaches to the People
7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
7 Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
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11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. 12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all transgressions.
James 5:20
consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Usually an uncountable number, not limited.
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And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
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Is anyone suggesting that love covers a "multitude" of sins but not enough to save ones soul?
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MJFlores
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What must we do for the forgiveness of sins?
Romans 3:9-20 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)
What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written:
“There is no one who is righteous, not even one;
there is no one who has understanding,
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned aside, together they have become worthless;
there is no one who shows kindness,
there is not even one.”
“Their throats are opened graves;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of vipers is under their lips.”
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery are in their paths,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For “no human being will be justified in his sight” by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
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DamianX
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One of the nice things about being Catholic is having a clear answer to this question. Go to Confession, tell your sins to the priest, be truly sorry for them, and do the assigned penance. This is a normal part of a Catholic's relationship with God, and considering it "work" would be strange.
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