No, it is not necessary to beg the Lord for forgiveness; God’s mercy and forgiveness were already fully poured out at the cross.
Les Feldick teaches that Christ’s death and resurrection were a finished transaction, so nothing remains to be accomplished by repeated requests. Asking God to ‘be merciful to me’ implies that He needs to do again what He has already done. The biblical response is to appropriate by faith the forgiveness and mercy that are already ours in Christ.
Ephesians 1:7 — Declares that redemption and the forgiveness of sins come through Christ’s blood.
2 Corinthians 5:19 — States that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses.
Hebrews 9:22 — Shows that without the shedding of blood there is no remission, and that blood was shed once at the cross.
Scripture ties forgiveness to the shed blood of Christ rather than to repeated human pleas. Hebrews 9:22 says, ‘And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.’ Ephesians 1:7 says, ‘In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.’ Romans 5:9 adds, ‘Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.’ And 2 Corinthians 5:19 declares, ‘To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.’
Les Feldick says that after the cross it is a finished transaction: Christ did everything that needed to be done, and we cannot add to it. He teaches that God has already poured out all of His mercy at the cross, so believers are ‘amiss’ when they say, ‘God be merciful to me.’ Rather than begging, a person should appropriate the mercy already provided by faith: ‘Lord, I believe it. I appropriate it. It’s mine.’
Les says God has already poured out all His mercy at the cross. When someone asks, ‘God be merciful to me,’ they are in effect asking God to do again what He has already done. The correct response, he teaches, is to appropriate that mercy by saying, ‘Lord, I believe it. I appropriate it. It’s mine.’ Because the work is finished, begging for mercy is unnecessary.
Les says the common phrase ‘you have to ask God to forgive you of your sins’ is not something he can find in Scripture. Instead, he points to the cross: Christ took on Himself every human being’s sin, and when He died He could say those sins are forgiven. The gospel is not ‘ask for forgiveness’; it is believing that forgiveness was already paid for in full.
Les emphasizes the finished work of the cross. He says without the shedding of blood there is no remission, and Christ shed His blood so that believers are justified ‘by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.’ God has done everything that needs to be done; nothing can be added. This is why begging for forgiveness is not the biblical response — the required payment has already been made.
What Does "Only Begotten Son of God" Really Mean?
under God's leadership, when they were still the covenant people, and America today. I can't help but draw that analogy. And it's the same thing with us. America has had so much opportunity to have the truth of the Word of God, but what are they doing with it? They're throwing it out. They're rejecting it.
Mercy Already Accomplished
Les says the door of the sheepfold is at ground level and God’s mercy has already been accomplished, so we don’t have to beg for it.
Christ Paid for Every Human Being’s Sins
Les says Christ took the sin of every human being and could say at the cross that those sins are forgiven; he cannot find a biblical plan of salvation that says you have to ask God to forgive your sins.
Don’t Ask for Mercy Again
Les says God has already poured out all His mercy at the cross, so asking ‘God be merciful to me’ implies God must do it again; we appropriate that mercy by faith.
The Sinner’s Prayer Is Not Required
Les explains that the publican’s prayer — ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner’ — is out of place after the cross because the mercy transaction is finished.
Justified by His Blood
Les says without the shedding of blood there is no remission, and believers are saved from wrath not by what they have done but by believing in the finished work of the cross.
Appropriate, Don’t Beg
Les says God has done everything that needs to be done; we don’t cry out for mercy because all of God’s mercy is already poured out — we merely appropriate it.
Forgiveness Through Christ’s Blood
Les says forgiveness comes through redemption by Christ’s blood according to God’s grace, not according to what we deserve.
Ephesians 1:7: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
This verse grounds forgiveness in Christ’s sacrificial blood, which Les says is the finished transaction.
Romans 5:9: Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Was used by Les to show that salvation from wrath is through Christ’s blood, not human effort.
2 Corinthians 5:19: To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Les says this chapter uses reconciliation and shows the same truth: forgiveness was accomplished at the cross.
Hebrews 9:22: And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Supports Les’s teaching that remission of sin required the shedding of blood, which Christ did once for all.
Les says we don’t have to beg for mercy, because mercy has already been poured out at the cross. He describes the sinner’s prayer — ‘God be merciful to me, a sinner’ — as not appropriate after the finished work of Christ. The proper response is to believe and appropriate by faith what God has already accomplished.
Les says we should appropriate God’s mercy by faith: ‘Lord, I believe it. I appropriate it. It’s mine.’ Since all sin has already been paid for, the only missing ingredient is faith in what Christ did on the cross.
Les says he cannot find the teaching that you have to ask God to forgive your sins in order to be saved. He points out that Christ already paid for every human being’s sin and that God has already poured out His mercy; Scripture says all have been reconciled through Christ’s finished work.
Watch the Teaching: What Does "Only Begotten Son of God" Really Mean?