I need help understanding the forgiveness of sins.

[JD27076]

I am hoping to Convert this Easter but, Protestants tell me that I dont need to ask for forgiveness…somehow, when Jesus died on the cross, and when I accepted him, all my sins were forgiven and dont need to ask no more…this is what a Protestant said… “JD, if you aren’t saved by jesus when you die, you go to hell. Thats that. If you are saved, you are forgiven, and you are going to heaven. You don’t need to ask anymore. ALL your sins are forgiven.” Well to me, that dont make sense, why dont I need to ask? Apparently, my sin are forgiven if I accept him in the Protestant eye. How would I respond?

 

[Beautiful_Day]

I don’t have a lot of time right now, so I’ll just link to scripture Catholic on confession:
scripturecatholic.com/confession.html

 

[Karenfern]

If you see sin as a global part of your personhood, you are apt to despair and not grow in virtue. Sins are acts of the will. Every time you act to strengthen your will (Mass attendance, Confession, individual prayer), you move toward God and away from your weaknesses. You can’t do it by forming a personal relationship with Jesus. You already have one. The point is to remember who he was and who you are – a child of God.

Only in novels does love mean never having to say you’re sorry. Of course you have to say you’re sorry and you have to act on that contrition. BTW, you are talking to evangelical Protestants in the situation you describe. Mainstream Protestants don’t think that way. I direct attention to John Cassian, who pointed out that God wants everyone saved and will do anything needed to give you opportunities to turn things around.

 

[JD27076]

I don’t have a lot of time right now, so I’ll just link to scripture Catholic on confession:
scripturecatholic.com/confession.html

Thats nice and all…but Im not talking about confession. Is there any scripture that says you have to ask for forgiveness of sins if you commit one? I know you are forgiven when you accept Christ but after that and you commit sins…what about those…do you have to ask for forgiveness or not?

 

[Pax1972]

Here are my thoughts, which I hope are in line with the Church’s teaching. Where they might not be, I welcome correction.

Our Lord has freely forgiven us our sins through the sacrifice of Christ at Calvary. He does not forgive us because we ask, but because He wills to do so in His infinite and perfect mercy.

In the act of asking for forgiveness we accept the forgiveness He has freely given; we acknowledge, with humility, what He has willingly done for us. Our humility is (or should be) bound up with contrition, or sorrow, for our failure to love Him completely, which is the essence of any and all sin. Without humility and contrition, we are unable to grow closer to Him.

Our knowledge of and faith in His redemptive grace does not, in any way, relieve us of our responsibility to confess our sins to Him, ask His forgiveness, and accept it.

The idea that we, who are sinful by our very nature, don’t owe* Him*, our infinitely perfect Father, an expression of sorrow and contrition because He gave all for us is sinful in an of itself.

The CCC defines this as presumption, “an over-confidence in divine mercy,” and identifies it as a sin against the divine virtue of hope. (2092)

 

[Julian0404]

Confession is the exact opposite of sin. One is pride in doing what you want, when you want, how you want, the other is embarassing and humbling.

JESUS is the SON OF GOD, and yet HE humbled HIMSELF to take on flesh and teach us from where we live. The very first act HE did upon returning from the tomb and meeting with HIS apostles was to institute the sacrament of Confession.

We must follow in JESUS foot steps “if” we believe in HIM. We cannot edit or choose what to follow and what not to follow. well we can, but then we are not actually following are we, spinning and shaping so that the message is more comfortable for us ]“If” HE said it, it is true then, today and forever and on our judgement day - it will still be true.

In order to return to HIS grace, we must confess our sins, and turn off our pride and humble ourselves. When HE walked and taught upon this earth, no one forgave sins, except HIM. When HE was preparing to ascend into heaven, HE gave that great grace and sacrament of forgiving sins to HIS apostles, because HE knows, we need it - rather regularly.

I believe it is Acts which describes the meeting of JESUS with HIS apostles wherein HE establishes the Sacrament of Confession. Find it, read it, and ask your protestant friends how they “redefine” HIS words, or how they can change the “time line” of HIS intentions i.e. “just for the apostles, but not for their successors”

 

[eegardner]

Maybe these will help.

“My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted.” (Isaiah 43:25-26)

 

[pablope]

Thats nice and all…but Im not talking about confession. Is there any scripture that says you have to ask for forgiveness of sins if you commit one? I know you are forgiven when you accept Christ but after that and you commit sins…what about those…do you have to ask for forgiveness or not?

Here is a book recommendation to read: Scott hahn’s Lord Have mercy, dealing with this subject.
And here is a Biblical quote:
Job 42:
7 It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is right as My servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will [a]accept him so that I may not do with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD told them; and the LORD **accepted Job.

Or 2Sam 12:

5 Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this [d]deserves to die. 6 He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.”

7 Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul…13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has [h]taken away your sin; you shall not die. 14**

 

[JonNC]

Thats nice and all…but Im not talking about confession. Is there any scripture that says you have to ask for forgiveness of sins if you commit one? I know you are forgiven when you accept Christ but after that and you commit sins…what about those…do you have to ask for forgiveness or not?

“Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed by thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Christ, in His own words here, models for us how to pray, and what to pray for. In the bolded, He tells us to ask forgiveness of our sins, as well as to forgive others.

He also set up as a main function of the Church the power to bind and loose. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession (Lutheran confessions), says the following:

Confession in the churches is not abolished among us; for it is not usual to give the body of the Lord, except to them that have been previously examined and absolved. And 2] the people are most carefully taught concerning faith in the absolution, about which formerly there 3] was profound silence. Our people are taught that they should highly prize the absolution, as being the voice of God, 4] and pronounced by God’s command. The power of the Keys is set forth in its beauty and they are reminded what great consolation it brings to anxious consciences, also, that God requires faith to believe such absolution as a voice sounding from heaven, and that such faith in Christ truly obtains and receives the forgiveness of sins.

Jon

 

[Beautiful_Day]

Thats nice and all…but Im not talking about confession. Is there any scripture that says you have to ask for forgiveness of sins if you commit one? I know you are forgiven when you accept Christ but after that and you commit sins…what about those…do you have to ask for forgiveness or not?

If you read that link you’ll see this verse:

James 5:15-16 - in verse 15 we see that sins are forgiven by the priests in the sacrament of the sick. This is another example of man’s authority to forgive sins on earth. Then in verse 16, James says “Therefore, confess your sins to one another,” in reference to the men referred to in verse 15, the priests of the Church.

It is clear here that Jesus is speaking to Christians that have already been forgiven initially and telling them to continue to ask for forgiveness. Does that help?

 

[Telstar]

[3]
Knowing that the Father had given him all things into his hands, and that he came from God, and goeth to God; [4] He riseth from supper, and layeth aside his garments, and having taken a towel, girded himself. [5] After that, he putteth water into a basin, and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. [6] He cometh therefore to Simon Peter. And Peter saith to him: Lord, dost thou wash my feet? [7] Jesus answered, and said to him: What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. [8] Peter saith to him: Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him: If I wash thee not, thou shalt have no part with me. [9] Simon Peter saith to him: Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head. [10] Jesus saith to him: He that is washed, needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly. And you are clean, but not all.

According to the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich (much of “The Passion of the Christ” was based on her visions), while Jesus was doing this, He spoke to each of them, individually, about their strengths and their weaknesses that they needed to work on (their sins) in order to grow in perfection and holiness. He alluded to them not understanding what He was doing at that point, but they would know, afterward.

“He that is washed, needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean wholly.” In other words, those who are already Baptized don’t need to be Baptized again to remove the sins that are committed after that, but they only need to have their ‘feet’ (souls) washed because they’ve gotten ‘dirty’ by falling back into sin, since then. This is clearly an allusion to our practice of confessing our sins to the Priests, who ‘washes our feet’ by giving us Absolution. Jesus passed on this power to forgive sins to the Apostles, after the Resurrection. He said that Peter was clean, but “not all”, meaning Judas. This is a sign that even those who might go to confession, if they do not make a complete and honest confession with true contrition, they will not receive Absolution. (At that point, Judas already knew that he was going to betray Jesus, but he did not tell Him, so his confession was false.)

Confession (and Absolution) keeps us from falling farther away from Jesus when we commit other sins. If we didn’t have Absolution, we would find it much more difficult to remain close to Him. It keeps us in ‘the state of grace’. I think this was the first sign that was given to us in the Gospels, about confession being used as a means of ‘washing away’ our sins after Baptism, in order to keep us ‘clean wholly’.

 

[SteveVH]

I am hoping to Convert this Easter but, Protestants tell me that I dont need to ask for forgiveness…somehow, when Jesus died on the cross, and when I accepted him, all my sins were forgiven and dont need to ask no more…this is what a Protestant said… “JD, if you aren’t saved by jesus when you die, you go to hell. Thats that. If you are saved, you are forgiven, and you are going to heaven. You don’t need to ask anymore. ALL your sins are forgiven.” Well to me, that dont make sense, why dont I need to ask? Apparently, my sin are forgiven if I accept him in the Protestant eye. How would I respond?

Others have answered your question with biblical evidence that we must ask for forgivenenss. I would also bring to your attention that Paul said that he worked out his salvation “in fear and trembling”. If he believed he were already “saved”, why would he do this? He said we must persevere to the end. Why would he say this? What is there to persevere if we are saved without confessing our sins. This all comes back to the doctrine of “once saved, always saved” and, in my opinion, it is one of the most dangerous man-made doctrines out there. How many people die with unconfessed mortal sin, believing they are saved, no matter how far they have turned away, because they asked Jesus into their heart at some point in their life?

It is easy to rationalize our sins away when not faced with having to confess them. Confessing them means to first examine our lives in relation to the goodness of God. This should bring us to a point of contrition for those sins (sorrow and repentance) and a desire to turn our lives away from sin and back toward the arms of God (conversion).
Probably the least understood aspect of confession for many Protestant denominations is the nature of a sacrament, the real action of God on our souls. When Catholics walk away after confession, we know we have been forgoiven. There is no greater feeling that I have ever experienced than the mercy of God.

 

[Publisher]

I am hoping to Convert this Easter but, Protestants tell me that I dont need to ask for forgiveness…somehow, when Jesus died on the cross, and when I accepted him, all my sins were forgiven and dont need to ask no more…this is what a Protestant said… “JD, if you aren’t saved by jesus when you die, you go to hell. Thats that. If you are saved, you are forgiven, and you are going to heaven. You don’t need to ask anymore. ALL your sins are forgiven.” Well to me, that dont make sense, why dont I need to ask? Apparently, my sin are forgiven if I accept him in the Protestant eye. How would I respond?

You were most likely speaking to a Calvinist…which from what I see is your former persuasion…not all…most Protestants do not believe that…“If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”