How can we know Jesus forgives mortal sins we are traumatized over?

Answer:

The Roman Catholic church uses the term "mortal sins," instead of just saying "sins." Even though the Roman Catholic religion makes a distinction between sins, God does not. Sin is breaking God's law. "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness" (I John 3:4).

The Christian who wishes to have his sins forgiven must repent, which means to change his mind about the sin he did (II Corinthians 7:10-11), and ask for forgiveness (I John 1:8-10).

That being said, people, who choose to keep on sinning and do not care to repent, are following the world and their sins will not be forgiven. "For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries" (Hebrews 10:26-27). Willful sinning is the idea of someone who chooses to sin and does not try to change his ways.

There are sins we each struggle with more than others. We might sin in one area more often than in another area we struggle with less, but this is not what willful sinning is. For example, a person who struggles with homosexuality could slip up. To be forgiven he must repent (decide he will try his best no longer to do it) and ask forgiveness. Jesus is there to help us if we slip and fall. "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (I John 2:1).

To know we are forgiven is to do what Jesus has asked us to do: repent (turning from our sinful ways) and ask Jesus to forgive us. Amazing how simple it is! Many false religions have made the idea of forgiveness harder than it really is.  To know you are forgiven of traumatizing sins, you must believe what Jesus has said about how one is forgiven. The question then is, do you believe Jesus will forgive you if you repent and ask Him forgiveness?

It doesn't matter if our sins have traumatized us, or how we feel about them in the end because God is the one who forgives them, not us. Forgiveness is not dependent on how I feel. David had committed adultery, got Bathsheba pregnant, murdered her husband, and still was forgiven because he repented and asked for forgiveness (II Samuel 12:13).

I would encourage you to look at what the Bible says, as addressed in What Must I do to be Saved? If we want forgiveness from God, we must first be saved from our sins, which means we must do what God asks of us in His word, the Bible.

Alan Feaster