Have you ever wondered what you should do when you sin, even after you’ve been saved?
We were forgiven of all our sins when we first repented to God and accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, and a peace we had never known flooded our hearts. However, we know from personal experience that being saved does not mean we are sinless. We continue to sin despite our best efforts. So, what should we do if we sin after we’ve been saved?
We must repent and confess our sin to the Lord to be saved.
We don’t need to be saved again to receive forgiveness for our sins because our salvation is eternal. That is, in fact, impossible.
But we shouldn’t think it’s okay to sin just because we’re eternally saved. God is both offended and concerned by the sins we commit after we have been saved.
When it comes to what we should do when we sin, the Bible gives us a clear answer. To be forgiven and cleansed of our sins, we must confess them to the Lord.
It is essential for a healthy Christian life to confess our sins to God. Let us now consider why we need to confess our sins, what it means to confess, how to confess, and the consequences of confessing.
Do I have to confess my sin to be saved?
God desires a loving relationship with us, and we desire the same from Him. When we sin, however, we create a barrier between ourselves and God.
Our God is a God of love, but He is also a God of holiness and righteousness. He is incapable of tolerating or ignoring sin. This is why our communion with Him is broken.
We all know that when we offend someone, it creates a barrier between us and that person. For instance, suppose you offend a friend by saying something hurtful and never apologize. You both sense a schism between you, but you can’t be at ease in each other’s company until you clear the air by apologizing.
This is especially true in our relationship with the Lord. We have peace in Him even before we sin. We have open and unrestricted fellowship with Him. When we sin, however, our conscience informs us that we have offended the Lord. Our relationship has lost its ease and sweetness. We have sinned against Him, and our sin has become a barrier between us and God. We can’t have the same kind of fellowship with Him that we used to.
The only way to reestablish our fellowship with the Lord is to confess our sins to Him.
What does it mean to confess our sins?
Confession involves admitting and acknowledging our sin. We don’t try to hide it or pretend we didn’t do anything wrong.
So, how can we tell if we’ve sinned?
In 1 John 1:5, the Bible says, “God is light.” When God shines on us, He reveals our weaknesses and sins, and we become aware of them. The resulting sense of guilt in our conscience is unyielding and unassailable by any reasoning or excuse on our part.
Rather than trying to justify ourselves, rationalize our sin, or cover it up, we should acknowledge the sins God exposes by agreeing with His light. This is what it means to confess.
How to confess sins to God
We must confess as soon as we realize we have sinned and offended the Lord. So, how do we go about doing this?
In prayer, we confess our sins to God. Whether it’s a minor transgression or a major one, when the Lord brings it to our attention through our conscience, we must immediately confess our sin to Him and ask for His forgiveness.
We do not need to go to a specific location, tell a specific person, or wait for a specific time to confess our sins. No matter where we are, as soon as we become aware of our sins, we can confess them to the Lord through prayer. We can confess our sins anywhere and at any time because He lives in our spirit.
The result of confession forgiveness and cleansing
In 1 John 1:9, a verse written by the apostle John to believers, we see the result of confessing our sins:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
If we confess, the result is that we are forgiven and cleansed.
“To forgive us is to be free of the offense of our sins, whereas to cleanse us is to be cleansed of the stain of our unrighteousness.”
We gain so much by confessing our sins: we are set free and washed, and our fellowship with the Lord is completely restored.
Are you ready to take your confession on another level ?
“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
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