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Transcript 112A — God Forgives Completely
HC: Good evening. Welcome to Open Forum.
CALLER: Can I just ask you one question? When you have committed a sin, maybe years ago, and you've prayed about it and asked God to forgive you, should you pray for that same sin to be forgiven years later?
HC: There's no reason to, if we believe in God and take Him at His Word We read in I John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Now that's a faithful promise, you see.
CALLER: I really believe. But then years after it seems to haunt me again. What is that? Is that just natural, or . . . ?
HC: Well it can be. It can be. One of the questions that has to arise is: "Do I really trust in Christ? Do I really take Him at His word, when He says that He'll forgive all my sins?"
CALLER: I heard a party make a statement to a Sunday School teacher who said that we should ask forgiveness from a person if we've harmed him. And this party asked? "Well, what if the person that we harmed is dead?"
HC: Yes. Well, you see, our sin is against God. And we admit our sin to God and resolve not to sin again. That is, we repent of our sin. And that's the end of the matter. We don't have to worry about it anymore.
CALLER: Well, if the party died before you made up your mind to ask for forgiveness . . .
HC: It doesn't make any difference. The sin has all been taken care of by the blood of Christ, if we have trusted n Him.
CALLER: Thank you very much.
HC: You're welcome. Good night.