We are forgiven only when we trust Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour. For those who haven’t made that decision yet, their past sins can keep them from heaven. Being born again changes your character and you begin to love God. You go from being indifferent to God to becoming a saint. Salvation describes an inner change from being spiritually dead, to spiritually alive. When you accept Christ all your sins are forgiven, past, present and future sins. It’s a one time deal with eternal consequences.
Our responsibility is to believe and have faith. When we commit a sin as christians, our first responsibility is to confess it to God, but what recourse does a sinner have when they sin gravely? They must first come to Jesus in repentance and faith, in order to receive a full pardon for all their sins. There is no individual pardon, unless a person fully commits their lives to Jesus.
It might seem unfair that some are pardoned and others are not, but the bible teaches that God’s gift of salvation is for everybody! When someone is converted there is a change in their affections towards God. God offers salvation to all, but the ones who truly receive God’s grace are the ones who are truly forgiven. There must be both outward conformity to God’s grace, and an inward conformity also. You can’t fake this! Only God truly knows the condition of your heart, so if you have accepted Jesus you will want others to do the same. Faith only becomes real when it is personal and in the right object. The cross is the object of your faith, what Jesus did there.
You can’t go to Heaven without personally putting your faith in Jesus Christ on the cross. Why? Because it was his death that satisfied the wrath of God for sinners, and he paid my penalty for my sins there. I must trust this only for forgiveness. Past sins can keep you out of heaven only if you remove your faith from Jesus Christ crucified. This is Mike.
If you have not received the free Gift of salvation you can pray a prayer like this: Dear Jesus, I come to you today as a lost sinner. I recognize my need for a Saviour and I am asking you to forgive all my sins, past, present and future. I believe you died for the payment of my sins, and I believe in my heart that you rose from the dead. I confess you as Lord, and I receive you now as my personal Lord and Saviour. Come into my heart, I receive you now and will follow you the rest of my life. In Jesus name. Amen.
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