Lee writes in to ask this, Pastor John, as a Christian, I'm often confused on how to respond

to God when I sin.

On one hand, I believe that Jesus paid all my debts once for all past, present, and future

so that I don't need to ask for forgiveness when I ask God to restore me and help me to

walk with him.

On the other hand, I feel the need to ask for forgiveness that I might be forgiven once

again, so my question is should a Christian ask for God's forgiveness every time he sins

or not?

Excellent question.

I've wrestled with it over and over again over the years, trying to not only think, what

does the Bible say about it, but what's the best way to talk about it?

So let's establish first that the death of Jesus in our place as a substitute is the cancellation

of all our sins, not just the past ones when we get converted, and the best way to show

it would be start with the definition and then go into the New Testament.

Here's the definition from Psalm 32.

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, what does that mean?

Whose sin is covered?

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts, no iniquity.

So to be forgiven is to have sin covered, that is God's not attending to it as a ground

of condemnation, and he's not counting it.

He's letting it go, that's forgiveness.

Now Paul quotes that in Romans 4, 4 through 8, like this.

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