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Q: Did Jesus really die for all my sins?
A: Yes.
1 John 1:7, the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin
Psalms 25:18, Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins
Q: What's the difference between confessing and asking forgiveness?
A: Though often mistakenly used interchangeably, these terms have very different meanings.
Confess = to admit
Ask forgiveness = ask to be excused for a fault or an offense
Q: Does the Bible really teach for us to keep "short accounts" with God?
A: No - not that my handy Logos search can find!
Q: If I forget about a particular sin and I forget to confess it, how can God forgive me of that sin?
A: I clearly remember a former pastor say, "Don't worry about the sins you can't remember. God will take care of those. You just take care of asking forgiveness of the ones you can remember." God is not inconsistent when it comes to forgiveness of sin. The answer is, if you have been saved, you are already forgiven of all your sin - past, present and future.
Q: How can I know for certain that I have truly been forgiven of my sins?
A: He says so in His Word.
1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Q: What does it mean for me to be out of fellowship with God?
A: According to Scripture, only those who "walk in the darkness" (1 John 1:6) are out of fellowship with Him. Consistently throughout Scripture "darkness" refers to hell. Therefore, it is only those who are unsaved (unrighteous) who are out of fellowship.
Q: What happens to a "backslidden" Christian if he/she dies?
A: First of all, "backslidden" is not found in Scripture. People use this term to describe someone who is "caught up in sin" or "not right with God" or separated from God - and whatever that can mean. The truth is that once God saves you, nothing can separate you from Him (Romans 8:39, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord). So, someone truly saved can always know that they are to spend eternity with their Heavenly Father. Our salvation is not dependent on us, thankfully, but it is totally secured by our Heavenly Father.
Although, if someone does not exhibit spiritual fruit but instead has a character of exhibiting worldly fruit, that person's life manifests not righteousness, but unrighteousness. Remember, even the demons confessed who Jesus Christ was (Matthew 8:29, What do you want with us, Son of God?). But, since they "confessed Christ," does that mean they were righteous? No! Be careful of anyone who calls himself a Christian but whose identity is not in Christ but in the world.
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