ARE SINS FORGIVEN BEFORE BELIEVING?  by steve finnell

 Is it possible to have sins forgiven before believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that He is the Christ, that God raised Him from the grave? The answer is no, no, and no.

John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins."(NKJV)

Jesus said if you do not believe that He is the Son of God you will die in your sins. Does that mean that unbelieving infants and young children who die without believing will die in their sins? Of course not, infants and young children have no concept of sin nor have they committed sin. They are not guilty of Adam's sin nor any of their ancestors sins. Guilt from so-called original sin is a man-made doctrine.

 Men do not inherit sin from others.

Acts 16:30-34 And he brought them out and said, "Sirs , what must I do to be saved?" 31 So they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.".......34....having believed in God with all his household.(NKJV)

The jailer and "all" of his household had to believed in order to be saved. There were no unbelievers, including infants, who were baptized for their sin so they could be saved. No unbelievers were saved that night.

Acts 2:36-38 .... God made this Jesus, whom you crucified both Lord and Christ......38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.(NKJV)

The three thousand on the Day of Pentecost had to first believe, then repent and be immersed in water in order to have their sin forgiven. There were no unbelieving infants baptized for their sins nor for the sin Adam committed. 

Unbelievers cannot be forgiven of sins.

Infants do not need forgiveness. Adults who cannot understand the concept of sin, due to no fault of their own, do not need forgiveness.

Even if the doctrine of original sin was true, unbelievers could not be forgiven by being baptized at birth.

Sins are not forgiven before believing, nor are sins forgiven before being baptized. Belief precedes immersion in water.

Mark 16:16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.(NKJV)

Can unrepentant atheists have their sins forgiven by being immersed in water? Of course not

Can can men be baptized by proxy for their unbelieving relatives? Of course not.

Are unbelieving infants sins forgiven because they are baptized? No, because they have no sins that need to be forgiven. Even if babies were guilty of Adam's sins, they could not be forgiven without believing.

Men will not go to hell because of Adam's sin. If men spend eternity in hell, it will be because of their "own" unforgiven sin.