Studying God’s Word ping
All pardon for sins ultimately comes from Christ’s finished work on Calvary, but how is this pardon received by individuals? Did Christ leave us any means within the Church to take away sin? The Bible says he gave us two means.
Baptism was given to take away the sin inherited from Adam (original sin) and any sins we personally committed before baptism—sins we personally commit are called actual sins, because they come from our own acts.
Thus on the day of Pentecost, Peter told the crowds, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38), and when Paul was baptized he was told, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name” (Acts 22:16). And so Peter later wrote, “Baptism . . . now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 3:21).
For sins committed after baptism, a different sacrament is needed. It has been called penance, confession, and reconciliation, each word emphasizing one of its.aspects. During his life, Christ forgave sins, as in the case of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1–11) and the woman who anointed his feet (Luke 7:48). He exercised this power in his human capacity as the Messiah or Son of man, telling us, “the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Matt. 9:6), which is why the Gospel writer himself explains that God “had given such authority to men” (Matt. 9:8).
Since he would not always be with the Church visibly, Christ gave this power to other men so the Church, which is the continuation of his presence throughout time (Matt. 28:20), would be able to offer forgiveness to future generations. He gave his power to the apostles, and it was a power that could be passed on to their successors and agents, since the apostles wouldn’t always be on earth either, but people would still be sinning.
https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-forgiveness-of-sins
Being in the state of mortal sin denies one access to the graces of God until the sins are forgiven.
Mortal sin is defined by St. Augustine (Contra Faustum, XXII, xxvii) as “Dictum vel factum vel concupitum contra legem aeternam”, i.e. something said, done or desired contrary to the eternal law, or a thought, word, or deed contrary to the eternal law. This is a definition of sin as it is a voluntary act. As it is a defect or privation it may be defined as an aversion from God, our true last end, by reason of the preference given to some mutable good.
Grace is probably the most misunderstood word in the English language and the most misunderstood concept in the Christian world.
The Grace of God is not a free get out of jail ticket that so many Christians profess it to be. Grace simply means that despite our imperfections, our sinning state that God accepts us because of the Love that The Lord Jesus Christ has for us, but that is IF and only IF we accept Him as Lord and Savior and try to do his will, repent of those sins that would separate us from Him.
People often associate FREE with Grace. Grace is not free. Christ paid for the ability to offer Grace, He paid a huge price by bearing our pains and sorrows and accepting our punishment for our sins. He paid a horrible price for the ability to offer us Grace. He however requires a price from us before we are offered Grace. First we must accept Him as Lord and Savior, Second we must leave our sins on the alter and beg forgiveness of them. Some say it is a simple matter of confessing Christ Jesus as Lord, it is not that simple. There will be a rude awakening for many people who believe that on Resurrection morning.
The Lord loves us and wants us to be His, but He also wants us to love and serve Him and we can’t serve Him in sin.
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That we don't get the condemnation that our sins deserve is mercy. That we DO get what we don't deserve is grace.