Do you have to have a church ceremony to be forgiven or could you just repent and confess your sins to God in your mind and never do them again if you really mean it...?
2006-08-15 03:16:29 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Thank you for all the wonderful answers. I appreciate the support! =)
2006-08-15 03:31:13 · update #1
The Bible says, that God sent his son for all sinners and that Jesus died for all our sins. If we believe (and confess our sins and ask for forgiveness and accept Jesus as our savior), He will forgive us of all unrighteousness. We must believe and be baptized (Mark 16:16). We are to have a relationship with Jesus by studying the Word (Bible) and having fellowship with other believers.
2006-08-15 05:00:30 · answer #1 · answered by vrjb57 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God's word says that there is one mediator between Him and mankind, that is Christ Jesus. And that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and Savior then you shall be saved. A formal ceremony in a church is not necessary. The bible does not really go into detail about ceremony, other than to say that ceremony should not become the focus of our relationship with God. So to answer your question, accept Christ as Lord and Savior and let Him do the rest. Tell Him what's in your heart and the Holy Spirit will guide you. I find that most people who do this have a strong desire to go a step further and experience water baptism. Because Christ baptized new believers, it is a good thing to do to show your devotion to your new life. There are lots of churches out there that will do this for you. Most of the time you will be given a certificate of baptism to keep in your personal records. This does not mean that you have to join a specific denomination. God did not command us to go and make denominations, but He did command us to go into the world making deciples. As far as confessing sins and never doing them again, we're only human. Even the Apostle Paul sinned and admitted his weaknesses as a sinner. Everyone sins everyday. If we did not, we'd be on the same level as God. But as you grow in your walk with Christ you will learn to overcome certain weaknesses and to avoid certain situations that lead to sin. Read your bible every day. You can begin anywhere, but a good place to start as a new Christian is in Romans. Also read the Psalms each day, as many or few as you can. And read them out loud. These are perfect prayers to God. And remember, King David was the apple of God's eye and he didn't always get it right either. I will pray for you in your new relationship with God. Accepting Christ as Lord and Savior means you are a new creature; old things have passed away. Let Him lead you and don't despair.
2006-08-15 03:41:33 · answer #2 · answered by bobsmom 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Confess it in your mind. The church is not the one to forgive. God forgives and handles His own business. People used to pay for their sins with killing chickens and goats. Was not good enough so Jesus was sent to die instead of a goat. When a person sins, they usually have some sort of inner feeling that tells them that it was a bad thing and they feel some sort of twinge of remorse. silently, in their mind. That is good. You are forgiven. It doesn't mean you can never do that again but it doesn't mean that you can just continue the same things also.
2006-08-15 03:24:22 · answer #3 · answered by Tony T 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is nothing to forgive, because God does not judge our actions in any way.
To be a follower of Jesus which is a very different thing than being a christian you simply need to follow the teachings of Jesus. Something that most Christians don't do.
Just follow his teachings and example and everything will be fine. That is all that is expected of you.
Many say that accepting Jesus as your lord and Savior is the way. This is silly. Jesus wants us to accept his teachings, not mindlessly mouth some nonsense about accepting him.
Think about it, what makes the most sense.
Love and blessings
don
2006-08-15 03:28:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no formula for it. If you call yourself a Christian, then you are one.
There are different styles of Christians for this reason, all of which can be supported Biblically.
Style 1. Be faithful to the teachings attributed to Jesus
Style 2. Believe Jesus died for your sins and be thankful for it.
Style 3. Give all you have to the poor, castrate yourself, and follow Jesus
Most pick style 2 because it's easiest.
2006-08-15 03:34:42 · answer #5 · answered by lenny 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am happy for you. Are you a part of a church? If not find a good church. Make a public profession of your faith and belief in God. That means you get baptized. Try your best to follow Gods rules and live life the way you think He wants you to. God Bless you!
2006-08-15 03:26:17 · answer #6 · answered by cranky_gut 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Repent and ask God to forgive you in Jesus' name. Except Jesus as the savior. That's all. God does the saving. Talk to him.
2006-08-15 03:29:13 · answer #7 · answered by LP S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There's an excellent video on YouTube that answers your question, but the site is not coming up.
There are 8 steps, accepting Jesus as your saviour is only one of them.
I'll edit my answer as soon as YouTube comes up so I can give you a reference.
Ignacio
2006-08-15 03:53:00 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go to church pray for forgiveness become buptised & stop making sins.
2006-08-15 03:22:59 · answer #9 · answered by PHATMAX 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
being saved is as easy ABC.
Admit you have wronged GOD.
Beleave that Jesus Died to pay for those wrongs
Confess that you need Jesus in your Life and that you want to live right.
2006-08-15 03:26:24 · answer #10 · answered by Kenneth G 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋