The Doctrines That Divide
Doctrine is a vital part of the Christian faith, but certain doctrinal beliefs have divided the church for centuries. Well-known …
Buy this book >Q: Once a person comes to saving faith in Christ, does that person need to confess and ask God for forgiveness when they commit sins in the future?
As believers, how do we go about our relationship with God when we sin? Does a true believer automatically go to heaven no matter what he or she does later in life, good or bad? Is it possible for believers to lose their salvation?
Asked by: Javier, Illinois
A: Well my friend, let's start off by saying that I do believe that a true Christian will make it to heaven and that they can’t lose their salvation en route.
Now that would take a long time to prove, but I’m simply going to put it out there for you to consider, and from it comes the basis for me to answer your other questions.
I believe it is very necessary for Christians to confess their sins as the Holy Spirit brings them to their attention. Now there is a sense in which, legally, when you receive Christ as Savior, you are covered by the righteousness of Christ until you die. But subjectively, we obviously will sin again. First John 1:9 states, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us.” I believe that passages was written for Christians. I certainly have been convicted by the Holy Spirit and had to repent and confess my sins frequently, sometimes daily.
You know, when our children were little, they sometimes disobeyed. And after that disobedience they would come to us and they had to ask forgiveness, and they had to acknowledge their forgiveness, but they were never in any danger of us disowning them. They were still our children. That is the very same way with our relationship with God; we are His children, we belong to Him. We are the sheep of His pasture, and His intention and His strength guarantees that we’ll be taken to the Father. But, yes we do need to confess our sins.
And by the way, a mark of true salvation is the desire to love God and to maintain that kind of fellowship with Him.
Scripture references
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