A.  1 John was written to believers.  In 1 John 1:9 John advised them and us to confess our sins in order to be purified from all unrighteousness.  This has nothing to do with our eternal salvation, but rather with our earthly relationship with God.   Unconfessed sin can cause interruptions in that relationship, depriving us of its benefits until we admit that we’ve sinned.  Whether you ask Him to forgive you or thank Him for already having done so is not as important as acknowledging the sin and expressing remorse.

Think of Adam and how different things might have been if he had simply confessed instead of trying to blame somebody else.  God already knew he had sinned and never intended to disown him.  But their relationship was certainly different after it happened.  I find it interesting that the Bible doesn’t mention whether Adam ever confessed.

A. Shame is a sign you’re still angry and haven’t forgiven yourself.  The enemy uses this type of non-forgiveness in the same way he uses the non-forgiveness of others.  Like you’ve said, it steals your joy, but it can also have lasting emotional and physical effects if left unresolved.  You know God is not angry with you, so your anger toward yourself contradicts your knowledge of God. When thoughts of this come up take them captive and make them obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5) by rejecting them.  Ask the Lord to help you.  It is often harder to forgive ourselves than it is to forgive others, but it is the Lord’s will for us and with perseverance it can be done.

You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you hate all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors.

But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies-make straight your way before me.

Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit. Declare them guilty, O God! Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins, for they have rebelled against you.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Years ago I acquired the habit of daily prayer while driving to work. Each morning I thanked the Lord for the blessings of yesterday, asked forgiveness for the sins I had committed and thanked Him for granting it, and prayed for safety for my family and for guidance for the day. The twenty minutes or so it took to get to my office was just long enough and since I went to work early traffic was light and there were few distractions. I arrived at work feeling energized and ready to meet the day. It seemed that my morning prayer time gave me a spiritual cleansing just like my daily shower had made me physically clean.

Then I affiliated with a group whose office was only five minutes from home. Not enough time for prayer. Within a few days I knew something was wrong. I just didn’t feel the same. By getting up a few minutes earlier I was able to take a short walk before going to work and used that time for my prayers. Immediately I felt better.

Sure I know that all my sins, past present and future, were forgiven at the cross. And believing in eternal security I know I can’t lose the salvation that was purchased for me there. But I also know that 1 John 1:9 was written to believers years after the resurrection.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

This verse has been called the Christian’s bar of soap with good reason. Our unconfessed sins can’t make God change His mind about saving us, but it can and does hinder our current relationship with Him. David was right, the Lord is not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with Him the wicked cannot dwell. That has never changed, but here’s what has. David had to go through an elaborate ritual that included slaughtering a lamb every time he sinned. Our Lamb was slain once for all time. And because God is faithful to the promise He made to His Son, forgiveness is ours just for the asking. Once we ask, we’re immediately purified from all unrighteousness; we again become as holy as God is, our relationship is restored to intimacy and we are blessed. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

As it was with our salvation, so it is with our relationship. It’s free for the asking, but we have to ask. David wrote that he chose the mornings to ask. Believe me, it’s a great way to start each day.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for this day.  Thank you for this new opportunity to work and learn, and to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Please forgive me for the sins of yesterday.  Cleanse me and purify me from all my unrighteousness, and grant that I might spend today basking in the warmth of Your presence.  Amen

My question for you is this: after studying Wicca and Satanism, does God still love me and am I still saved? I never denounced God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit when I was studying the preceding, but I’m still unsure as to whether or not I am still saved.  I have asked for forgiveness, stated all of my sins, and gotten rid of everything having to do with Wicca and Satanism, but I still feel unclean.  Does God still love me and am I still His child?

A. God knew every sin of your life long before you were born.  When Jesus went to the cross He took all of them upon Himself and paid your penalty.  (Colossians 2:13-15).  When you asked Him to be your savior He agreed and wiped the slate clean for you. From that point on, There was nothing you or anyone else could do to get you away from Him (Romans 8:38-39, John 10:27-30).  And if you’ve sincerely asked Him to forgive you, it’s as if you’ve never sinned (1 John 1:9).  When you accept His forgiveness and forgive yourself you’ll feel clean, because in His sight you already are.

A. Psychologists say that we can’t recall an event from our past with out experiencing some of the feelings that accompanied it.  That’s why we call some memories pleasant while others are painful.  Some Christians believe that if you haven’t forgotten a painful event, then you haven’t really forgiven the person who caused the pain.

I’m of the opinion that you can forgive without forgetting, and you can tell if that’s happened by the fact that you no longer experience the pain when you recall the event.  If certain memories still bring back the pain that accompanied them, I believe it’s a signal that forgiveness has not taken place.  If that’s the case, then at the very least your relationship with the Lord will not be what it was intended to be until you’ve truly forgiven the one who hurt you.  But you could also be bringing other consequences upon yourself.  Your emotional and physical health could also be affected. In Ephesians 4:26-27 Paul warned us about this.

“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

Stored up resentment, whether justifiable or not, is perhaps the greatest threat to good spiritual, emotional, and physical health most of us will ever face.

A. Not by a long shot. We all do it. And for those of us who derive our self esteem from our performance, it’s especially hard to forgive ourselves. We know better, and yet we still sin. I have to constantly remind myself that it’s part of my nature. It’s a built in flaw I have, a self-defeating mechanism. If I didn’t have it I wouldn’t need a savior. But Satan uses it to work me over, trying to discourage and defeat me.

Like God does with all his children, I have to separate my behavior from who I am in Christ. And who am I? A new creation, as righteous as God Himself (2 Cor 5:17,21) As Paul said, “It’s not I who sins, it’s the sin nature that dwells within me.” (Romans 7:20)

I can’t rescue myself, but I have a Savior, and He has rescued me. Therefore there is now no condemnation from God, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life has set me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2).

A. God is just and righteous and has to punish every sin.  The difference between the Old and New Testaments is the cross where  Jesus died for all our sins.  He reconciled us to God (Colossians 1:19-20) by taking the punishment that was due us.  Now God is at peace with us, and while the Church is in the world judgment will be delayed.  As soon as the Church leaves, God will be like He was in the Old Testament again, because the only people left on Earth will be those who refused His offer of peace.  Some will change their minds and be saved, but many others will be “wiped out” as you say.

A. I too have seen this term bandied about, and like you I don’t understand it.  For the most part I’ve found that people who use it believe we’re saved by grace through faith alone. I guess they look at others and if they don’t see the life changes they think a believer should be demonstrating they doubt his or her sincerity and accuse them of “easy believism”.

The fact is, believing in Jesus should change a person’s life.  But we’re all changed in different ways and we all still sin every day.  I’m very careful about accusing another of insincerity because I know what the Bible says about judging others. (Matt. 7:1-2) And I know from experience how difficult it can be to break a bad habit or be cured of an addiction.  While I can’t help being skeptical about some who claim to be saved but then engage in open and blatant sin, I also know that I don’t have any idea what kind of struggles they’re going through.  I wouldn’t want to be the one who causes them to lose hope.

I think John had some very good advice for all of us.  When we see a brother or sister sinning, our response should be to ask the Lord to forgive him or her (1 John 5:16-17).  How are we to know we won’t fall into sin tomorrow and need a prayer like that for ourselves?

A. The Bible says that without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22). Right from the beginning, God has required the life of an innocent being to pay for the sins of the guilty. At first is was an animal, but that only made things right temporarily.  Eventually it was His Son, the only sinless man ever born, who had to die for us.  No one knows why He requires this.  Some have said it’s the only way He can demonstrate how repulsive sin is to Him.  Others think it’s the only way He could express the true nature of His love for us.  I think it’s both.  His righteousness requires that sins be punished, and His justice requires the death penalty.  But His love requires that sins be forgiven.  His death on our behalf was the only way to reconcile this conflict and make peace with us. (Colossians 1:19-20)  Now all we need to do is ask to receive His forgiveness (Matt. 7:7-8).

A. In Matt. 7:1-5 Jesus said,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Each of us has enough to worry about with our own sins to preclude being so eager to correct others.  Jesus could confront people because He was without sin.  Remember, He also said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” (John 8:7) It’s not our responsibility to approve or disapprove of the behavior of others.  In 1 Cor. 4:5 we’re told to judge nothing until the appointed time, when the Lord will come and expose man’s hidden motives.

When someone sins against us specifically we can confront them (Matt. 18:15)  But even if they don’t apologize we are to forgive them 70 X 7 times if need be (Matt. 18:23).  If their behavior is a public embarrassment to the Lord we’re not to associate with them (1 Cor. 5:11) but nowhere in the Bible are we called to be the “sin police”.