Dear friend, just maybe your sins are not forgiven as you have thought! In love, I want to shake the foundation of your faith, with the view to ensure that you are not building your faith on a false foundation. There are 'Christans' who believe that they will be allowed in heaven one day in spite of their sin. You have also probably heard that if you are a child of God, all your sins of the past, present, as well as the future are forgiven -- for we are saved only by grace -- you only have to believe it. However, this is only one half of the truth. The other half of the truth is that the Bible clearly teaches that certain conditions exist for the forgiveness of sin and grace.

The grace of God is free -- but not cheap!

In 1 Cor 6:19,20 we read: "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

The grace of God is undeserved -- but it does not leave you unchanged!

In 2 Cor 5:17 we read: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

If there were no conditions for grace and forgiveness, all people would have been saved, irrespective of whether they have come to repentance or not. Then it would be unnecessary to repent from sin to be saved! Then it also was unnecessary for Jesus Christ to die on a cross for sin. However, the fact is that no person will enter into heaven with unforgiven sin! No sin will enter into heaven! If anyone proclaims another gospel to you, it is a false gospel!

What are the conditions for forgiveness of sin? Are there any sins which God does not forgive?

No sin will enter into heaven!

Firstly, let us make this absolutely clear -- the Bible teaches that no sin will enter into heaven! (Gal 5:19-21; Eph 5:3-7; Phil 3:17-19; Heb 10:26-31.) Heaven is a sinless place. Jesus Christ came to this world to deal with the problem of sin. (Read 1 Joh 3:1-9.) Sin must be dealt with here on earth -- and the only way one can get rid of sin is through repentance and the forgiveness of God by Jesus Christ's redemptive work on the Cross. Nobody can enter into heaven with unforgiven sin! For this reason every person on earth must answer the question: 'Are all my sins forgiven?' If your answer to this question is affirmative, how do you know that? What sins, and whose sins are forgiven?

In the first instance, everyone must come to a point of repentance in their lives, where you confess your sins of the past, turning your back on sin, receiving forgiveness and cleansing through the blood of the Lamb, and are born again by the Holy Spirit of God. Have you been to such a place in your life? Do you know of a day in your life when you received forgiveness of sin and were born again by the Spirit of God? If not, I invite you to read the article, 'Help Me Find God'. From that moment on you must walk in God's forgiveness. You daily have to confess any conscious sin and appropriate the atoning work of Christ on the Cross for yourself in prayer.

According to the Bible, there are sins that are not forgiven!

There are certain sins in the Bible that are not forgiven -- the unforgivable sin and the unforgiven sins. The unforgivable sin in the Bible is the sin against the Holy Spirit, but this is not what we are talking about in this article. In this article we are talking about unforgiven sins. These are sins that can and must be forgiven, but are not forgiven for some or other reason. Why not? There are two categories of sin in the Bible that are not forgiven:

1. Unconfessed and continuous, deliberate sin.
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2. The sin of unforgivingness and irreconcilability.

Unconfessed and continuous, deliberate sin

No unconfessed and continuous, deliberate sins are forgiven. The Bible is indisputably clear on this issue. For sin to be forgiven it must be confessed and repented from! No sin is forgiven automatically! The message of Jesus on earth was one of repentance: "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."" Matt 4:17. In 1 Joh 1:9 we read: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." In Act 3:19 it is written: "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, ..." In 1 Joh 3:3-6 we read: "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. ... And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him." 1 Joh 2:4 says: "He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

Unforgivingness and irreconcilability

Jesus says in Matt 6:14,15: "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." In 1 Joh 2:9-11 we read: "He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." The "hate" the apostle John is talking about here, among other, means to stand in a broken relationship with someone of which you are the cause.

The fundamental message of the Gospel is reconciliation -- reconciliation with God and reconciliation with my neighbour

In Matt 2:37-40 Jesus gave us the great commandment which says that we must love God with all our heart and our neighbour as ourselves. In 2 Cor 5:18 we read: "... who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ..." If there is someone in your life towards whom you are cherishing unforgiveness and have not forgiven from your heart, the Lord has neither forgiven your sins -- even though you may be a born again Christian. If you are living in a broken relationship with someone and you are doing nothing to be reconciled with that person, your sins are also not forgiven! Then there is unforgiven sin in your life and you are standing in a broken relationship with God -- even though you are born again. Do you believe you will be allowed in heaven in this condition?

Is there unforgiveness in your heart towards someone? Are you living in a broken relationship with someone with whom you refuse to be reconciled? Then your sins are also not forgiven!

Jesus Christ is calling you to repentance: ""Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool."" Isa 1:18. Do you want to restore your relationship with God? Begin by confessing your sins to God, repenting from all known sin in prayer. Then go and be reconciled with the person with whom you are living in a broken relationship! Perhaps this is your husband or your wife, your child, parent, brother or sister, friend or colleague. Restore the relationship in as far as it depends on you and live in Christ's forgiveness! Visit this link if you wish to read deeper.

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