SHOULD CHRISTIANS PRAY FOR THE

FORGIVENESS OF THEIR SINS?

The title of this article is the same title as an interesting article by our brother Wayne Jackson which I read on the website “Christian Courier.” His article was written several years ago. It begins by saying:

Whether or not this brother (or anyone else) still believes and teaches this, I do not know. But perhaps it is something that still needs to be addressed. Without printing all of Wayne Jackson’s article, I’d like to draw your attention to some good points he made in response to this brother’s strange teaching:

“If” we walk in the light

Wayne Jackson pointed out, “First John 1:7 teaches that we have on-going forgiveness only so long as we ‘walk in the light.’” Notice the word “if” in the verse: “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 ESV). And part of that “walking in the light,” as we’ll see, is praying for forgiveness.

The Model Prayer

Walking in the Light means following Jesus. Jesus Himself said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12 NASB). Now, do you think that you could be a follower of Jesus but not obey His teachings? Of course not. Well, Jesus taught us to pray for forgiveness, when He taught the Model Prayer. In the Sermon on the Mount (and also in Luke 11:1-4), Jesus taught us to pray in this way:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:9-13 ESV).

Wayne Jackson noted, “The model prayer contains principles which are timeless; it is not restricted to circumstances which obtained exclusively before the cross. Have we no need to pray for our ‘daily bread’ now? And what of a petition for deliverance from temptation? Was that merely a pre-cross need? Even the request ‘may your kingdom come,’ can have a post-cross application (cf. 2 Tim. 4:18; Rev. 22:20).”

Simon the magician

There is the case of Simon the magician to consider. You remember Simon, “who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great” (Acts 8:9 ESV). Simon believed and was baptized (Acts 8:13). Then Simon witnessed the apostles Peter and John lay their hands on people and impart the Holy Spirit. Simon wanted to purchase this ability. And Peter told him: “your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:21-22 ESV). Wayne Jackson observed, “One might as well argue that no Christian ever needs to repent, since the blood of Jesus ‘continuously cleanses’ him of his sin. ‘Repent’ and ‘pray’ are coordinate conditions in Acts 8:22.”

Conclusion

Wayne Jackson concludes his article saying: