A person must be born-again to receive God’s forgiveness since forgiveness and salvation go hand-in-hand. If someone confesses their sins to God without genuine repentance and does not trust Jesus for their salvation, their confession accomplishes nothing. However, when a person agrees with God that their sin is wrong (repents) and puts their faith in Jesus for what He accomplished on the cross for them, they are forgiven and born-again simultaneously. This reborn state means they are justified before God—having been cleansed from all unrighteousness—and are positionally righteous before Him. In other words, God renders them innocent.
Practically speaking, a born-again believer still sins, although not habitually like before they were saved. In other words, they commit sin but do not practice sin as a lifestyle. They do not lose their salvation or righteous standing before God when they sin but break their intimate fellowship with God, which needs to be restored. This reinstatement occurs when they confess their sins to Jesus, agree with Him that their actions were wrong, and ask Him for forgiveness. In response, Jesus forgives and cleanses them from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9-10).
(See the Scripture References link at the top of the page.)
