Question:
“If you commit sin and pray to God for forgiveness, what are some of the things which will show that you are forgiven?”
Ghana
Answer:
First of all, we must believe that God forgives us regardless of what outward signs indicate that He has forgiven us. God has promised that He will accept us if we come to Him. Jesus said,“him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) And John wrote, “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) We have these promises, and we can rely upon them 100%. It is “impossible for God to lie.” (Hebrews 6:18) When we come to Him we must believe that He accepts us because He has promised. When we do this we can never be lost, never.
However, there is a difference between presumption and faith. Faith is dependence upon the Word of God only to do what that Word says. Presumption is expecting that God will do something for us even though we have not met the requirements to receive what we expect to be done for us. One of the requirements for forgiveness is faith. We must “ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”(James 1:6, 7)
Another requirement is acknowledging that we have done wrong. David admitted to God, “I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” (Psalms 51:3) Another requirement is sorrow for sins. David wrote, “For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.” (Psalms 38:18) Another requirement is a determination to stop your sinful practice. Solomon wrote, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13) If you have met these requirements, then you must believe with all your heart that God has heard your prayer and has forgiven your sins. Accept the pronouncement, “thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.” (Isaiah 6:7) ?
