Anonymous wrote:Don't you think it's really about personal responsibility? Why do you need God to forgive you for something you did that you know is wrong? Why don't you accept that you did something wrong, and work to be better? Why not forgive yourself and move forward to being a better person?
What exactly do you need God's forgiveness for?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Catholic raised turned Agnostic here:
the idea of God's forgiveness is that if you are truly sorry for your sins and ask God's forgiveness, he will grant it. Yes it is quite convenient but it only works if you are truly sorry. That is the big question. Is Sam sorry that he did it or sorry that he was caught. Only Sam (and God) know.
I guess that means you can get off the hook for virtually anything.
Yes and no. I don't believe God ever views any of us as truly irredeemable, no matter what kinds of terrible things you've done, if you come to truly regret them and repent, God will forgive you. The trick is that you have to genuinely repent, though. You can go through the motions of praying on it and asking God for forgiveness, but if, in your heart, you don't truly regret what you did (and not just regret that there were consequences, but regret the actions regardless of what flowed from them), God will know that and you won't be forgiven.
This is right, and people forget that there is a second requirement. Jesus said "go and SIN NO MORE." That means, obviously, that in addition to being sorry, the action must stop immediately. And forgiveness does not absolve one of dealing with the consequences of the action.
that's a suggestion, not an order. Jesus knows that the flesh is weak. If people were only forgiven for sin once, heaven would be empty - and for Catholics -- so would the confessionals.
I read it more about intent. Striving to sin no more, or at least striving to stop the particular sins with which you are struggiling. But of course no of us is, or ever could be sinless.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Catholic raised turned Agnostic here:
the idea of God's forgiveness is that if you are truly sorry for your sins and ask God's forgiveness, he will grant it. Yes it is quite convenient but it only works if you are truly sorry. That is the big question. Is Sam sorry that he did it or sorry that he was caught. Only Sam (and God) know.
I guess that means you can get off the hook for virtually anything.
Yes and no. I don't believe God ever views any of us as truly irredeemable, no matter what kinds of terrible things you've done, if you come to truly regret them and repent, God will forgive you. The trick is that you have to genuinely repent, though. You can go through the motions of praying on it and asking God for forgiveness, but if, in your heart, you don't truly regret what you did (and not just regret that there were consequences, but regret the actions regardless of what flowed from them), God will know that and you won't be forgiven.
This is right, and people forget that there is a second requirement. Jesus said "go and SIN NO MORE." That means, obviously, that in addition to being sorry, the action must stop immediately. And forgiveness does not absolve one of dealing with the consequences of the action.
that's a suggestion, not an order. Jesus knows that the flesh is weak. If people were only forgiven for sin once, heaven would be empty - and for Catholics -- so would the confessionals.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Catholic raised turned Agnostic here:
the idea of God's forgiveness is that if you are truly sorry for your sins and ask God's forgiveness, he will grant it. Yes it is quite convenient but it only works if you are truly sorry. That is the big question. Is Sam sorry that he did it or sorry that he was caught. Only Sam (and God) know.
I guess that means you can get off the hook for virtually anything.
Yes and no. I don't believe God ever views any of us as truly irredeemable, no matter what kinds of terrible things you've done, if you come to truly regret them and repent, God will forgive you. The trick is that you have to genuinely repent, though. You can go through the motions of praying on it and asking God for forgiveness, but if, in your heart, you don't truly regret what you did (and not just regret that there were consequences, but regret the actions regardless of what flowed from them), God will know that and you won't be forgiven.
This is right, and people forget that there is a second requirement. Jesus said "go and SIN NO MORE." That means, obviously, that in addition to being sorry, the action must stop immediately. And forgiveness does not absolve one of dealing with the consequences of the action.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Catholic raised turned Agnostic here:
the idea of God's forgiveness is that if you are truly sorry for your sins and ask God's forgiveness, he will grant it. Yes it is quite convenient but it only works if you are truly sorry. That is the big question. Is Sam sorry that he did it or sorry that he was caught. Only Sam (and God) know.
I guess that means you can get off the hook for virtually anything.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Catholic raised turned Agnostic here:
the idea of God's forgiveness is that if you are truly sorry for your sins and ask God's forgiveness, he will grant it. Yes it is quite convenient but it only works if you are truly sorry. That is the big question. Is Sam sorry that he did it or sorry that he was caught. Only Sam (and God) know.
I guess that means you can get off the hook for virtually anything.
Yes and no. I don't believe God ever views any of us as truly irredeemable, no matter what kinds of terrible things you've done, if you come to truly regret them and repent, God will forgive you. The trick is that you have to genuinely repent, though. You can go through the motions of praying on it and asking God for forgiveness, but if, in your heart, you don't truly regret what you did (and not just regret that there were consequences, but regret the actions regardless of what flowed from them), God will know that and you won't be forgiven.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Catholic raised turned Agnostic here:
the idea of God's forgiveness is that if you are truly sorry for your sins and ask God's forgiveness, he will grant it. Yes it is quite convenient but it only works if you are truly sorry. That is the big question. Is Sam sorry that he did it or sorry that he was caught. Only Sam (and God) know.
I guess that means you can get off the hook for virtually anything.
Anonymous wrote:Catholic raised turned Agnostic here:
the idea of God's forgiveness is that if you are truly sorry for your sins and ask God's forgiveness, he will grant it. Yes it is quite convenient but it only works if you are truly sorry. That is the big question. Is Sam sorry that he did it or sorry that he was caught. Only Sam (and God) know.