Does God's Forgiveness/Confession remove the consequences of sin?

[JSAD]

If i have committed a mortal sin(habitual) and go to confession with a repentant heart my understanding is that my sin has been forgiven.

However, would there be continuing negative consequences in my life because of that sin?

What I’m asking is this- Are God’s plans and purposes for my life ‘derailed’ because i have now sinned. And that every time i have sinned/repented he now has to work from that fallen state.

Which means that- had i not sinned , i would have had my prayers answered and got a certain job or be healed of a certain impediment. But because i have sinned, my prayers are now ‘less effective’ and i have to keep struggling through life?

In essence, God’s forgiveness of sins only means that on the day of judgement i will not be held accountable, but because of my sins i have complicated my life?That is God’s grace cannot flow through me as ‘powerfully’ as it could.

Does it also mean that unless i confess my sin, my prayers will not be heard by God and that he will not act in my life?

To summarize- my questions are-

1)Does forgiveness by God mean that i do not have the temporal effects of sin?
2)By not confessing , does that mean that any prayer i have will not be answered, till the sin is forgiven? Is there a response based on the type of sin(mortal vs venial)?

 

[TemplarKnight1]

Divine Mercy Sunday.

 

[R_C]

Does it also mean that unless i confess my sin, my prayers will not be heard by God and that he will not act in my life?

To summarize- my questions are-

1)Does forgiveness by God mean that i do not have the temporal effects of sin?
2)By not confessing , does that mean that any prayer i have will not be answered, till the sin is forgiven? Is there a response based on the type of sin(mortal vs venial)?

1. No, He hears prayer and accepts repentance, though the ordinary Sacrament of salvation is Confession.

1)No, it is the eternal punishment that is removed. The penance removes part of the temporal punishment. But some remains.

2)No, all prayers are heard and all prayers are answered. Sin refers to your salvation, and it is up to you whether you repent and are saved, or not. Christ wants to forgive you and fill you with graces and love.

To be clear: if you commit mortal sin and repent with the intention to receive the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation soon, He immediately forgives you and restores your sanctifying grace; but if you don’t repent, or if as a Catholic you repent but chose not to confess a mortal sin, then He won’t impose forgiveness on you.

None of that affects how He responds to prayer. In fact, He pursues those who need Him more…remember the Good Shepherd and the flock?

 

[Bookcat]

To summarize- my questions are-

1)Does forgiveness by God mean that i do not have the temporal effects of sin?
2)By not confessing , does that mean that any prayer i have will not be answered, till the sin is forgiven? Is there a response based on the type of sin(mortal vs venial)?

1. It can happen – but often there remains some temporal effects as you call them (prayer, the Sacraments, penance, indulgences heal such…)
2. God hears our prayers. God can answer the prayer favorably even of one in mortal sin. Though it is also true that the just man avails much…

 

[DexUK]

Depending on the type of sin, there could well be temporal consequences that become apparent after one’s religious absolution for that sin.

One might be absolved of committing adultery but discover later that one had contracted a disease, for example. That’s certainly a temporal consequence.

 

[Zekariya]

We ask the saints to pray for us. We pray for the souls in purgatory. Only those who die in a state of grace are in purgatory.

When you commit a sin after baptism, there is a temporal punishment you must pay.

An example: A lapsed Catholic murders a man. His temporal punishment is life in prison. He confesses the sin (with true repentance) and is absolved. He still must pay the temporal punishment either in prison for life or in purgatory.

We can offer our penance, sufferings, prayers, and indulgences on behalf of our sins to shorten purgatory.

An indulgence pays for our temporal punishments that we earn from sin that we commit. When we die, if we have not paid for all of our temporal punishments, we will pay for them in purgatory.

A partial indulgence remits part of our temporal punishment. A plenary indulgence remits all of our temporal punishment we have earned up to that point.

Note: Baptism remits all sins and temporal punishment. Confession remits only sins.

We can gain indulgences for the poor souls in purgatory and pray for them.

 

[Ad_Orientem]

Yes, sin can change the course of our lives; we can indeed “miss out” on things because of our sin even after it’s forgiven. Moses publicly showed a lack of trust in God, so he didn’t get to see the (physical) promised land (Num. xx, 8-12). God forgave King David for committing adultery and murder, but his wives and his son were taken away (2 Sam. xii, 11).

On the other hand, God sometimes leaves us with faults because he knows it will keep us humble. He also knows that people with terrible faults have to work harder to overcome them, and in the process they become very holy and attain greater merit, than if they were without those faults. Some of the greatest sinners have become the greatest saints. I think of St. Mary Magdalen, St. Mary of Egypt, St. Augustine, St. Charles de Foucauld . . .

So there is hope for you and me. Don’t lose heart. “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Lk. v, 32