Do Christians Need To Repent?

Some people ask, “Since Jesus paid for our sins, do we still need to ask for forgiveness when we sin?” The answer is yes!

1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

It’s clear from the preceding verses and the following verses that this Bible verse is referring to Christians. Yes, Christians must repent.

In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus told five of the seven Churches to repent. He was speaking to the Church, and told them they needed to repent.

A truly humble Christian would be eager to clear their conscience, repent and ask God for forgiveness. We feel conviction and have sorrow when we offend God.  

Some pastors may teach that we do not need to ask for forgiveness after we are saved, because Jesus already paid for our sins…past, present, and future. However, having that kind of attitude would require us to deny our conscience.

A humble heart is sorrowful for sinning against God by wrong choices or hurting others. A humble heart seeks forgiveness from God. To teach that there is no need to ask for forgiveness is not biblical, lacks humility, and violates our conscience.

Our lives as believers should be marked by self-examination, sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, and a desire to live Holy before God.

Copyright 2007-2022 Soul Choice Ministries – All Rights Reserved
By Bill Wiese, author of 
23 Minutes in Hell