Justification results in the forgiveness of sins. This obviously applies to past sins. But what about future sins? Christians retain their sinful nature and will always fall short of sinless perfection. John writes, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:8-9). Roman Catholics treat ongoing sins through the sacrament of Eucharist, which results in the forgiveness of venial sins, and through the sacrament of penance, which results in the forgiveness of mortal sins. Furthermore, Roman Catholics believe that unrepented venial sins at death are cleansed in Purgatory. The remainder of this section will address the Protestant perspective of sins after justification.
Protestant Christians believe that they are saved by faith in Christ and reject the idea that church-administered sacraments are necessary for the confession and forgiveness of sins. This is because a Christian’s positional justification before God does not change with ongoing sins. Still, the Bible in numerous places instructs believers to confess their sins. The verse from 1 Jn above says that God will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we confess to them. James instructs us to confess our sins to other believers, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another” (Jam 5:16). Jesus is even stronger on this point, “For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses” (Mt 6 14:15). Jesus is presumably referring to God’s active forgiving of ongoing sins after justification.
And so theologically one must conclude from a Protestant perspective that the confessing of ongoing sins is important but not in the sense of being salvific. One can think of God treating sin in a non-believer as a judge and sin in a believer as a loving Father. A non-believer is guilty, unrighteous, and in need of punishment. A believer has experienced a moral weakness, has distanced himself relationally from God, and is in need of loving discipline. Confession of sins, like prayer, is therefore an essential component of spiritual formation through the broader process of sanctification.
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