Expert: Phillip Senn - 7/13/2006

Question
When we ask God to forgive our sins, do we have to remember every sin and confess every sin? I worry there are sins I forget.

Answer
Jane,

This is a question that many have struggled with over the years. It is also a question that many others should ponder.

Can God forgive our sins that we do not ask Him to forgive? or can we just ask God to forgive ALL of our sins?

We must come to an understanding about how our sins are forgiven. Are they forgiven because I ask God to fogive them? or does it require something else? Scripture indicates that our sins were placed upon Christ on the cross of Calvary, and He shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins. We are not forgiven because we ask that they be forgiven, but rather, we are forgiven because of our faith in His shed blood.

The passage in 1 John 1:9 is often taken out of context to teach that in order for us to be forgiven, we must "confess" our sins. The ones that teach this explain that confess means to say aloud. That is an English definition of "confess". But the term "confess" in the Greek text is "homologeo", meaning to say the same thing or to be in agreement. When we are in agreement with God about our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In helping you to understand what I mean by that, let me explain further. Notice the context of 1 John 1:9. John first writes, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." Afterwards he writes, "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 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: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

When we agree with God concerning our sins, we agree that we have sin. We further agree that we have sinned. We further agree that Jesus is the propitiation (that which appeases or makes right) for our sins. When we have this faith that causes us to agree with God that Jesus is the payment for all of our failures to meet God's standards, He counts our faith to us as righteousness, and is just and right to forgive us our sins. It further justifies Him in cleansing us from the guilt of those sins, and places us in a right relationship with the Father.

Then as we agree with Him about those sins, He takes further action to actually begin the cleansing of our lives of the sins that we agree with Him about. As He reveals other sins to us, we are more readily able to confess (agree with Him) about their sinfulness, and then He gives us the strength to turn from them, as we follow His leadership.

The bottom line... Man will never be able to "ask for forgiveness" of everything he/she does wrong. Man fails God in so many ways, it would take an eternity to tell Him everything that they do wrong. Eternal Life is based upon the forgiveness of God, which He gave us when we trusted in Christ Jesus our Lord. Those that are trusting in their ability to "confess" all of their sins to God, so they can be forgiven of them, are only fooling themselves when they think they have them ALL forgiven. Trust in the Lord. He is the One that makes us right before the Father through His sacrificial death on the Cross.

I hope this helps to answer your question, and to give you hope in Christ Jesus, not just for this life, but for Eternity.

With Love In Christ,
Phillip Senn