If we are saved (christians), why do we need to ask for forgiveness?
537438
This is why...\nI JOHN 1:8-10\n   8    If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.\n   9    If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. \n   10    If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.\n   \n I JOHN 2:1,2\n   1    My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: \n   2    And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.\n\nAlthough these verses seem to contradict with these...\n\n I JOHN 3:6\n   6    Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.\nI JOHN 3:9\n   9    Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.\n\nThey do not.\nSin is unbelief.\nJesus said if you believe not you're condemned already.\nIf we are already a born again Believer, then how can we be an unbeliever?\nTo walk in darkness means to be IN SIN...or, in unbelief.\nBut we are no longer in darkness...if we walk in the Light...\n I JOHN 1:7\n    But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.\n\nBecause all Scripture is given by Revelation...which is Light.\nWe must have an understanding of these things, in order for them to take effect.\nThat's just common sense.\nIf we are no longer IN SIN, but we remain in this flesh, we will still fall and make mistakes.\nBut if the Blood covers us, then God doesn't see it. Therefore, we cannot sin.\nApostle John also says that we should not have a desire to walk in the lusts of the flesh.\n He shows the difference between the believer (child of God/Light), and the unbeliever (child of the devil/darkness).\nIf we are in Christ, then we do not live a carnal life of satisfying this flesh. We serve God and our desire is to please Him.\nBut if we fall (and we will every day), we are easily forgiven by repenting (which we always will), and the Blood is always there for us.\nBut without an understanding of this (thru Revelation), it cannot take effect.\nThe understanding can easily be had by simple obedience and faith (just believe it and do it).\nChrist said His commandments are not greivous...which means, they are easy to do. He gives us the power to follow them, by the infilling of the Holy Ghost.\nIt's us doing it, but thru the power He gives us to do it.\nThis is why He said our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees.\nWithout the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, we could not do that.\nThis is why all the so-called christians trying to please God, thru their own efforts, will not work. They are the same as the Pharisees...and they will never reach the Kingdom that way.\nThe only way to stop sinning, is to start believing (without question). We then must totally surrender to His will. He will then fill you and give you the power to stop sinning.\nFor we are saved FROM our sins...not IN them (ROMANS 6).\n\nThe Word is very simple. The problem is, people complicate it by not having that desire to surrender.\nIf God's Seed remains in them, then we will surrender...but if they are like Cain (who was of that wicked one), then they will remain as those full of dead's mens bones. Lifeless and unable to obey. Of their father, the devil. Servants of unrighteousness. Children of darkness.\nGod bless you.\n\nSee also my previous answer...\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/;_ylt=A9G_fxsqYl9EZikBn0wezKIX?qid=1006050808093
384387
We are still sinning because we are human.  Jesus' death (and resurrection) is still important to Christians because that is how their imperfections can be clean, and we can become spritually worthy to be with God.\n\nRemember, these are things of faith, not reason.  It is not ours to know, but only to believe.  A question for your friend may be - we are sinners, but how can we redeem ourselves before God?  As a Christian, we can accept Christ.  I wonder what your friend believes?\n\nIt may not be yours to convince her that she's wrong (and some people think that's roude, anyways!  But you can show her what you believe, and she can show what she believes.  Then go have a sandwich.
191674
Dear Wejut, There are many questions involving the afterlife. the reason religion was invented was because we all have a natural curiosity to know what is beyond this life. The Bible say's However that No religion can Get us to heaven. Listen to What Jesus said, "unless a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven". In other words he is telling us none of our work based religions are acceptable, But that we must be Saved. But Why? let me explain with a few questions........\n\nHave you ever lied (even once--fibs, white lies, etc.)? Ever stolen (anything--the value is irrelevant)? Jesus said, "Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her, has committed adultery already with her in his heart." Have you ever looked with lust? If you have said "Yes" to these three questions, by your own admission, you are a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart; and we’ve only looked at three of the Ten Commandments. Nothing you’ve ever done is hid from His holy eyes. Will you be innocent or guilty on the Day of Judgment? Listen to your conscience. You know that you will be guilty, and therefore end up in Hell. That’s not God’s will. He provided a way for you and I to be forgiven. \nHe sent His Son to take our punishment: "God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." He was bruised for our iniquities. Jesus then rose from the dead and defeated death. \nYour own so-called “goodness” can’t get you into heaven any more than mine could.  Jesus is the only way to Heaven. He is the "Door," the only "mediator." There is salvation in no other name, so pray something like this: "Dear God, I repent of all of my sins (confess them). This day I put my trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Please forgive me and grant me your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen."
690514
God will forgive if you truly repent for what you've done. True repenence means you agree with God that your sin was wrong and you turn from and forsake that sin. As long as we are in this world we will have a sin nature. Being saved doesn't mean that you won't sin. it just means you are forgiven through the blood of Jesus. But sin does have a consequence. Be sure God is not mocked for whatever a man soweth that he shall also reap. You cannot play around and fool God. He is omnipresent, and omniscient. He knows who is truly sincere and who is not. If you are a true born again Christian and have accepted Jesus as you Savior, then you are adopted into the family of God. You are then His child. Make no mistake...just as sure as an earthly Father corrects his children, even so does you Heavenly Father. You do not want to take God lightly.
906528
Maybe its something supernatural.. Don't know. But you need Jesus. Because he is the only way. We have sinned against almighty God, and deserve eternal punishment. When we turn away from sin, and give our lives to Christ, We will be saved. Also you will be freed from all these things you now face.
677497
Good question!\n\nWhich brings us to the fact that Jesus was a man spreading the Word of God and not being penalized for everyone elses mistakes. They will be held accountable. We are responsable for our own actions. Would that then mean that we can freely sin since we have been saved? i think not.\n\nWell done you for highlighting this!\n\nto the person who said Jesus went to hell for 3 days to get the souls of those who were wrongfully sent there, are you implying that God makes mistakes now??\n\nand i wish people would stop rhetorically quoting the bible as their answer without explanation, like they know what it means anyway, its just rhetoric.\n\nand for the record, if all sins have been cleansed through Jesus and his crucifiction, then will someone please tell me the point of judgement day??!!!
387717
True for the most part, but different people have different definitions of "saved." Also, many of the Christian denominations use this word differently, so I'm not sure what you mean by it here. Essentially, you're right. Just because one knows Jesus and what He did for us doesn't guarantee one's salvation. Both faith and good works are required to be saved. For more on this, read the letters of St. Paul.
728117
Believe that Christ died for your sins, ask for forgiveness and accept him as your savior
481363
This concept comes from the idea that if you don't repent from a sin, that you will go to hell, and that there is no opportunity to repent from commiting suicide. However, most people view repent here as "ask forgiveness." Repent does not mean that. It means change the way you think and act. If we had to ask forgiveness for every sin we ever commit NONE of us would ever go to heaven. Grace is not such a fine line that if you sin, you are lost, if you ask for forgiveness your saved again, sin again and you're lost again, etc. There is another problem with this... There are many ways to commit suicide in which you have time to ask for forgiveness. Jumping off a bridge, for example. While I certainly believe it would be a sin to take your own life, I don't think that one sin would necessarily negate the grace that comes from accepting Jesus as your savior.
82109
it takes more than repenting and asking God for forgiveness.  You have to dedicate yourself to God and do his will and not sin again.  Repenting means regretting the things you have done and not going back to sinning.  If you want your uncle to be saved why dont you work with him and together find out what God expects for us to do in order to have his approval.  Everyone has that opportunity to change, all we have to do is take it!!
105997
I had that problem as well for a while so I sat down and wrote out what I thought on it from what I knew and learned.  It's long so bear with it...\n\nWhat is forgiveness?Each person has their own definition of it. To some it is never talking about it again. For others its pretending whatever it was never happened. Still others think its absolution of guilt and minimizing what happened. Still others it means giving up thoughts of revenge. Finally, some feel it is as simple as giving up the hate. Which is right?\nOK, let’s start somewhere else… Firstly, why SHOULD you forgive? Is it really necessary? That is dependant a lot of you and your school of thought. Most Christians point to the phrases in the bible and say it’s gods plan. Others are more apt to put forth the proposal that is makes you a better person. But does it? Is it truly necessary to forgive someone to grow? My personal belief is this; it depends on what you are forgiving. Some things are small and don’t really mean that much so it’s not a big deal, forgiveness is easy there. But what about bigger things? Things that affect your life and your mental health? That is where it gets more complex… Anger, hatred and rage are there for a reason some times, all of us have felt them at some point in time, they are normal. They are there to tell you something is wrong and you need to work through it. Depending on the offense forgiveness isn’t automatic. It takes time. Sometimes forgiveness is NEVER warranted, EVER. Think about it, why should you forgive someone that isn’t the least repentant for what they did to you? Then there are truly evil acts that should never warrant forgiveness. Yet as mature adults we, mostly from teachings when we were small children, feel that we have to forgive someone no matter how heinous the crime. Step back a bit and think about that… Then ask yourself why? Why are you forgiving them? Is it because that is how you feel or is it because you were once told that is the proper thing to do? Which is it? What we are never taught as a child is that anger is healthy and the expression of such is right, we sometimes have a reason to feel that anger. And to get better that anger is needed. Only after you have worked through that stage should you consider forgiveness. Even then sometimes you don’t need to forgive someone. I hear the gasp from here so bear with me… Why should you have to forgive someone when you don’t feel it is warranted? The answer is you shouldn’t. There is nothing in this world that tells you it’s a requirement. Think about it; aren’t there some things done that don’t ever warrant it? No, forgiveness doesn’t make you better than them, really it doesn’t. Forgiveness will not get you into heaven faster. Forgiveness won’t make what is done to you go away. Forgiveness truly can only come when YOU are ready for it, not before. If that never happens then so be it. Just because you don’t and can’t forgive someone doesn’t mean you are filled with hate and rage, it just means you are unable to make that step because you don’t feel it is warranted, no other reason.\nSay you are ready to forgive someone for something fairly big, OK your ready to tell them all that and shine your halo a bit. But before it goes that far mayhap you should ask what their definition of it is. If it is we will never discuss it again, it never happened or that it’s an absolution of guilt back off! That is not forgiveness, they want you to forget it happened and let them off the hook. That is not forgiveness. Just because you FORGIVE them doesn’t take away their culpability in the matter or make it so it never happened. No way, doesn’t work like that. If they want absolution send them to church, that is the only place they will get it! No one ever said if you forgive them that you can’t ever talk about it, they just don’t want to is all. Forgive and forget is all wrong because as much as you try you will NEVER
35375
There have been some good answers so far but let me add another perspective. When a person becomes a Christian, they become a different person with a new nature-the nature of God. With this new nature comes a whole new set of desires. A Christian wants what God wants. As someone once said, "if it pleases you to please God then you can do what you please." \n\nOf course there are times in the life of a Christian when we let our human desires over-rule what God wants. But when you do something wrong, which the Bible describes as sin, then a true Christian will immediately feel bad about it and repent. Repent means to change your thinking and thus your actions. So a Christian will immediately acknowledge it as sin, reject it, and receive God's forgiveness. Since Christ died for all of our sins, He thus secured God's forgiveness for us. Therefore, as Christians we are forgiven. \n\nHowever, this is NOT an excuse to keep on sinning. And as a true Christian you should not want to continue in a life of sin.  For additional info you might check out the chapter entitled Your Means of Exchange: The Cross-Forgiveness in the book, Introducing The New You.
1173345
i think the begging for forgiveness after a sin is a cop out.people know that killing/cheating/etc are sins yet they do it anyway knowing that they can always ask for forgiveness when they shouldn't even be thinking of sinning,if they're actually "religious"(who are suppose to be loyal&true to their god.)killing/cheating/etc are conscious decisions & deliberate actions.people don't just accidentally cheat on their significant other.i don't buy into the "i'm not perfect.i make mistakes.i'm human." excuses for their evil/sneaky behavior.there should be zero tolerance.you are clear about the rules yet disobey anyway due to temptation/etc.therefore, repeat offending sinners will be denied & punished accordingly:)
216847
Those who repent (Turn from all sin and ask God for forgivness) and have faith in Jesus - That He is the son of God and died that our sins may be forgiven.  Those must follow Jesus' teachings and persevere in doing the right thing while abstaing from sin. People must turn from sin not merely confess it while expecting to do it again.  Their must be a change of heart. "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil"(Prov. 8:13)  Where there is no repentance (turning from sin) their is no forgivness.  Where there is no forgivness there is no salvation from "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:18)\n\nAll have sinned and will be condemed and sent to hell if they do not repent and turn from their sin and trust in Jesus for forgivness of their past sins.  If you deny that you have ever sinned you call God a liar and the truth is not in you (1 John 1).  For everyone at least at one point in their life has lied or stolen or been selfish or lusted or done something evil.  That is why we all are required to repent if we wish to be saved.
860735
Yes...just asked the Lord for forgiveness, and surrender your heart to Him and you will be saved...
39642
Not only do you have ask for forgiveness you have to be willing to forgive yourself.  if you ask for forgiveness and do not forgive yourself you in essence vetoing the forgiveness
1147608
I am saved.  I know this because the Bible tells us how to get to the Father through the Son.  It's as simple as following a manual.\n\nYou are not being saved from hell.  You are being saved from death.  The Bible spells this out very plainly.  If you love Jesus and live like you do, admitting you are a sinner and asking for and receiving God's forgiveness through Jesus' sacrifice, you will have eternal life.