HOW DO WE GAIN FORGIVENESS OF SINS WITH GOD?
By being a good person and doing good works? NO!
Read Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:23, and Isaiah 46:6.
By Asking God for forgiveness? By confessing sins to God? NO!
“God Forgive me” is not in any verse related to Salvation. Actually, it is not even found in the New Testament! The unsaved person is not asked to confess his sins to get forgiven nor saved. the fact is, that we couldn’t remember all our sins anyway! No salvation passage requests either of these. Some say what about 1 John 1:9? Yet by context, that passage is about a believer RENEWING FELLOWSHIP and not about an unsaved person.
By going to confession with a priest? NO!
A priest is just a man and cannot forgive sins. In fact, the word ‘confess’ in the New Testament is defined in the Greek as ‘ to agree’, or ‘profess’ in relation to belief on Christ and His finished work on the cross. (Matthew 10:32, Luke 12:8, John 1:20, John 9:22, Romans 10:9 and so many many more!)
By going to church? NO!
No where in the New Testament does it say to be saved one must attend a formal religious organization nor church building.
By forgiving others. NO!
Some will state Matthew 18 but in Matthew 18 Jesus is addressing the Jews and Pharisees who believed it was their Law of Moses following and good works that saves. Jesus then goes on to show them the extremes of the Law so that they are actually found guilty of breaking the Law. Jesus was preparing them for the soon coming New Covenant which He would bring forth from the event of the Passion of Christ and the Cross, paying for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).
By giving all your money to the poor. By Helping others? By being good? NO!
It is good to give to the poor and those in need. It is good to live right before God. Yes. But doing so does not erase any of your sins. This would be work you EARNED but salvation is not of ourselves nor our good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). And even verse 10 states UNTO good works. So that is AFTER salvation and not about how one gets saved.
Apostle Paul wrote,
“Now to the one who WORKS, his wage is NOT RECKONED on the basis of GRACE, but as what is DUE. But to the one who DOES NOT WORK, but BELIEVES in Him (Jesus) WHO JUSTIFIES the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Romans 4:4-5 KJV)
By giving your heart to Christ? NO!
We do not give our heart to Christ. By belief on Christ God imputes our sin to Jesus on the cross and God imputes Christ’s righteousness to us (2 Cor. 5:17-21). God gives us a new heart. A new creation in the Spirit. We are already risen WITH CHRIST in the Spirit, COMPLETE IN HIM (Colossians 2). This is not done by any of our effort. It happens only by belief on Christ’s finished work paying for the sins of the world. In John 3:3, Jesus is clear that to be forgiven sins and saved, “…Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Jesus then goes on to tell us HOW to be saved in verses 14-18 and it is all about BELIEF on Christ alone. Nothing else is mentioned.
We also read in Scripture how the “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9 KJV).
Some will say ‘but what about Romans 10:10?’ It does say with the heart a man believes on Christ unto righteousness but that is not an unbeliever giving his heart to Christ. It is just that they have come to an end of themselves trying to work to be righteous before God and to obtain salvation and they are crying out to God in belief to save them. This happens at the moment of belief and actually right after a person gains the knowledge of the Gospel of grace and believes it.
By just saying a prayer to God. NO!
No where does the Bible state that a person must pray to God to be saved. It only states to BELIEVE ON CHRIST. Yes, you can pray to God in this belief; absolutely. But going to an alter call and just saying a prayer saves no one and forgives no one. Only by BELIEF on Christ, as God in the flesh, having paid for your sins is a person saved.
By changing our life from sinful deeds to good deeds? NO!
Many believe this because they use the modern dictionary definition of the word REPENT and not the Bible’s definition of the word repent. Repent in the Greek is defined simply as ‘change your mind’. So when Scripture states REPENT, replace that word with ‘change your mind’ and you will see the intended true meaning. REPENT is NOT defined as TURN FROM SIN. IN fact, Scripture shows GOD REPENTING many times. I ask you; Does God Have Any Sin To Repent About? NO! Of course , we should turn from sin, but that does not save us you see. Nor will it forgive us our sins. The desire for outward right living comes from the inside NEW Spirit we were given as believers.
By making God Lord of your life? NO!
“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:11 KJV) Notice how? ‘THROUGH’ Jesus Christ our Lord. This just states that Christ is the Lord and whether we believe it or not it is true. Romans 6:11 is all about a believer and their dedication to Christ. It is not about Salvation and forgiveness of sins. A person who is not yet saved by belief on Christ, cannot make Jesus Lord of their life. By belief on Christ as God and His finished work are we saved. Nothing else is required.
See my article about how the teaching of Lordship Salvation is not Biblically correct.
By surrendering your life to Christ? NO!
The unsaved person giving everything to the Lord when everything is already the Lord’s will not save a person. Isaiah 64:6 states, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; “ to God. We cannot save ourselves! Nothing we DO can erase any sins we have committed! Belief on Christ’s finished work on the cross and His resurrection is what saves a person and makes them righteous having all their sins PAID FOR BY CHRIST.
HOW DOES THE BIBLE SAY WE ARE FORGIVEN OUR SINS THEN?
Belief in the blood shed by Christ (Eph. 1:7) and belief on Christ and HIS FINISHED work (John 3:14-18, John 6:37-40, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, Colossians 2, Romans 5 and 6) on the cross having paid in full the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) as the ONCE FOR ALL FINAL sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). And by belief on the resurrection of Jesus. And ‘…whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16)
“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.” (Romans 10:9 KJV)
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19 KJV)
Again, the word ‘Repent’ simply means ‘change your mind’ – not turn from your sins.
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and BELIEVETH ON HIM, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40 KJV)
“He that BELIEVETH ON HIM is not condemned: but he that BELIEVETH NOT is condemned ALREADY, because he hath NOT BELIEVED in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18 KJV)
Who do you say Jesus is? Will you believe that He paid for your sins on the cross 2000 years ago? If so, you are saved eternally from the very moment of this belief and are SEALED by the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is not about feelings. It is not about our good deeds nor works, or even our self! It is about BELIEF ON CHRIST ALONE.
“In whom ye also TRUSTED, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also AFTER THAT YE BELIEVED, YE WERE SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV)
