Since Jesus Christ lived in the flesh and was "tempted like as we are" (Hebrews 4:15), we have a God who can understand and who desires to be merciful to us. Hebrews 4:16 tells us we can "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy." We may approach God directly through Jesus Christ, without an intermediary; and trusting in His mercy, we may "boldly" come to Him in Jesus' name (John 14:14). 1 Timothy 2:5 reads: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

Everyone is in a sinful state. Don’t think that you are not worthy of forgiveness. Change your life make restitution; repent and never return. You can do it and the Lord will help you through.

According to most Protestant Churches, especially evangelical ones, although ministers can help an individual acheive salvation, it is up to the individual him- or herself to accept Jesus Christ as one's personal savior. Furthermore, most of these religions hold that God is willing to forgive anyone of their sins as long as they sincerely repent. Other Christian churches, notably the Orthodox and Catholic traditions, hold that an individual must partake in certain sacraments, like baptism or the confession of sins, performed by priests with "apostolic succession" in order to be saved. These churches, although stressing the importance of a legitimate priest in the process of acheiving salvation, also hold that individual prayer is an equally important part of being saved. Off hand, I can't think of any religions that hold an individual can be saved by the prayers of another person -- even a priest or minister. Certainly most Christians do pray for the salvation of the "unrepentent", but that prayer is asking God to show people the way to salvation. It is still up to each individual to sincerely repent and ask God for salvation through Jesus Christ. Note: "Apostolic succession" to an Orthodox or Catholic means that a priest must have been ordained by a bishop who can trace his line of ordaination (the bishop who ordained him, and the bishop who ordained that bishop, and so on) back to one of the Twelve original apostoles. Judas, for obvious reasons, is not counted as a apostle in this sense. These religions hold that priest or ministers operating with this quality are illegitimate.

Hebrews 4:12-16 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (The Holy Spirit is convicting you of your sins, as is evident from your question. Causing you much pain.) Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (God already knows what you have done) Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. (Jesus was tempted from all points just as we are, and although He never sinned, He knows perfectly well the power of the enticements. He understands how we lesser beings can fall to the temptations, and also knows we will, even after we are saved.) Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (you MUST approach God, to obtain forgiveness. there is no other way. Because Jesus knows about our weaknesses and knows we will fall, He will always pick us back up. The how to approach God? Through prayer. That's how we talk to God these days. How do you pray? Tell God what you want,need,wish,or any other thing. The best first prayer I've ever heard is "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner. " That's a very good start.)Get yourself saved and you will learn better ways.Come boldly my friend. Ministers can always pray for you. It is always good to have others pray for you. However if order for God to forgive you, you must go to Him yourself.

Your path to the Father (GOD) is through the Son of God, Jesus Christ. You must take the steps yourself. You must be 'born again' [John 3.3]. A minister can assist you in this process by teaching you about Jesus. You must believe in Jesus the Son of God. You then must speak a loud (confess) and say 'Jesus is Lord and I believed God has resurrected him from the Dead' [Romans 10.9] this is the required statement to be saved. You then must pray 'Father, I receive your Spirit in the name of Christ' This statement will permit the Holy Spirit to enter you and your spirit to grow close to GOD. At this point you are a born again, a Child of God. You must begin studying the bible; begin by reading the New Testament, followed by the old. When you read, read aloud [Romans 10.17]. Look for an organization/ministry to assist you in learning the word of God (a Word Church) and find a believer to perform the Baptism. Here is the basic 411 on Jesus. When you understand the following you will believe the above statements when you say them. Jesus, the redeemer, is a man sent by God with the expressed purpose to return all who believe in God, and lost in sin to the Father [John 3.17]. God filled him with the Holy Spirit making him the first Son of God (born of the Spirit). Jesus submitted his will to the Father, permitting the father to speak and perform great acts through him by way of the Spirit [John14.10]. Jesus spirit became one with the Father's spirit. Since the punishment for sin is death, Jesus, the sacrificial lamb, when he was crucified he took on himself our sins, sicknesses, inabilities, and discontent. He separated from the father, and died, paying the price for our sins. Three days latter God resurrected him from the dead, after ascending to the father he returned to commission all who believe to do the works that he did and greater works. He also promised the believers the filling of the Holy Spirit. He returned to heaven to sit on the right hand of the father. He will return soon (Last days) as head of the believers, which are called the body of Christ, the Church of God. What God has done here is provided a way for him to bless you through Jesus. It is written that when you confess and believe in Jesus, God counts you as dieing, and being resurrected with Jesus. Therefore Jesus has paid your price for sin and you are entitled to Jesus's benefits. The big one for now is that you are sin free, washed clean. If you should sin again, you must be sure to repent. There is much much more start your reading. Don't just believe me or anyone check out what you hear and read with the bible. Welcome to the family.

Jesus came to earth not to condemn the world but to save it. He came for the sick, not the healthy. He knows everything there is to know about you and yet he still loves you. Tell Him you are sorry for the sins you have committed and invite Him into your life to be Lord and Master. He is waiting for you to ask. You see, Our Lord is not pushy. He is a gentleman. He won't come in unless He is invited in. So go ahead, invite Him in and watch the changes He will make. He said, "The only way to the Father is through The Son". He didn't say to go through anyone but Himself so go directly to the One who has the power to forgive your sins. You aren't alone. We have all sinned. Don't fear, He is waiting for you to ask Him. He loves us and He wants to be part of our lives. We are His babies and He wants to take care of us. Don't hesitate. Run into His arms today.

I understand this question very well. I had this same question before I became a Christian. You asked two questions, so I will give you two answers (this is assuming a Christian perspective): 1. How can I approach God in my sinful condition? As others have stated, Jesus came for sinners, not for the sinless. Those who are sick need the doctor, not those who are healthy. This was actually one of the Pharisees biggest criticisms of Jesus, that he hung out w/ sinners, prostitutes, and tax collectors. Read Luke 7:36-50 (or visit http://biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%207:36-50;&version=31;). This passage alone should answer your first question. 2. Wouldn't it be better for me to have a priest or minister pray for me? The answer to this is "no" in a couple of different ways. As others have said, you must go to God, ask His forgiveness, humbly admit your sins to Him, and accept Jesus' sacrifice on your behalf. You must do this yourself; no one can do this on your behalf. The second reason the answer is "no" is that the priest or minister is really no more "qualified" to approach God than you are. What I mean by this is that your first question implies that you wonder if you really "deserve" to approach God and speak w/ Him. To clearly address this, we have to define what it would take to "deserve" to approach God. The answer to this is quite simple: you would have to be absolutely blameless (i.e. sinless), perfectly living w/in God's will and commandments for us. According to the Bible, only one "person" has ever done this, and that was Jesus. No one else. The Bible also says that "no one is good, not even one." That means that, in God's eyes, no priest or minister you could find would be "good enough" to make that prayer for you. We are all sinners, and it is through God's mercy and Jesus' sacrifice that we can still approach God, and live w/ Him through eternity.

You ask a very good question concerning priesthood. Many Christians today do not understand that the priesthood is still functional today. It has been changed somewhat. To be brief, my understanding is based upon this scripture from the Bible: "Seeing we have such a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, a High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses (being tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin), let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:14-16). The purpose of the High Priest was to make atonement for the sins of Israel (See Lev 16). The preisthood has passed from the tribe of Levi to the tribe of Judah and now Jesus (the only intecessor between God and man) makes intercession for us providing the only offering acceptable for the sin we have committed (His blood shed for our remission of sins). Believers are also priest but not on the same level as Jesus. According to Rev 1:6, Jesus is building a "kingdom of priest". When a person becomes a believer He or She becomes a priest in the kingdom. There were priest in the Old Testament which only function was to gather wood and bring it to the Brazen Altar (Tabernacle of Moses decribed in Exodus). Wood is typically recognized as symbolic for people. So if you will, Evangelist are the equivalent in the New testament Church. What I am aluding too is yes, there is a priesthood in the New Testament Church. Does the Church's priesthood interceed for you? In prayer yes but in sacrifice no! Our job as priest is to lead you to the Great High Priest (Jesus) who will make atonement for you. Since it is you who personally have sinned against God, it is you who must approach God personally to seek reconciliation. You must through repentance and prayer ask Jesus to save you and receive his payment for your sins. He in turn forgives you and acts as your legal advocate before God (1 John) and righteousness is imputed to you as a result. If you are a sinner, you must approach God through Jesus Christ! Thats the way it works. Hope this is helpful Chris

You do have a priest who prays for you. His name is Jesus Christ. The bible says that he is the Great High Priest, and that he sits at the right hand of God, forever making intercession (prayer) for us. It is through Jesus Christ that we approach God. Do you understand what Jesus did when he died on the cross? For some really awesome information on what happened to the priesthoods when Christ was on earth, I recommend "The Great High Priest" by Dick Reuben. Dick is a Messianic Jew - he studied the ways of the Rabbis before he became Christian. He has an awesome knowledge of the Old Testament, and how the New Testament fulfills it. Anyway, back on the ranch: Jesus died and took the sins of the world upon himself - one sacrifice for all sin. The price for your sin has been paid. The bible says that if we accept that sacrifice and come to God, we will be saved. The bible says that we have been made clean in the blood of the Lamb. The bible also says that Christ took our unrighteousness and gave us his righteousness. All of this is ours in Christ. God sent Jesus to draw us back to him - to make it possible for us to come to him, and that's exactly what he did. At the time of Jesus' death, the veil that separated the outer court of the temple from the Holy of Holies [where God's presence was said to dwell] was torn in half, giving free access. We can come to God anytime in the Name of Jesus, and he will receive us. As long as we acknowledge that it is by Jesus' sacrifice that we come, then we are welcome in his throne room. God *wants* you to approach him in your sinful condition. He wants you to come to him in your brokenness - because that's when he can heal you and make you clean. I encourage you, if you are seeking the Lord, do not be afraid. He is waiting for you, and is only too willing to make you a child of Heaven if you will accept the gift that he has offered you. God bless you.

God will have mercy on you if you humble yourself before Him. We are all sinful. We, myself included, are sinners from birth, but Jesus died for our sins. Jesus is risen and alive today at the right hand of His Father. He understands you and He knows your heart. He hates sin, but He is loving and tender towards sinners. If you have never been saved from your sins and you do not know for a fact that if you died today you would go to heaven, then just believe in Him, believe what He did for you on the cross, believe that He rose from the dead, and call upon Him to save you (Romans 10:9-13). The Bible says in Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved". Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eternal life and salvation is Jesus Christ is a free gift. All you have to do is believe and receive it. Just ask Him for it and He will give it to you. I hope that this is helpful. -In the Master's service. Thank you and God bless you!

The scriptures appear to offer great hope to sinners who are genuinely repentant. In Luke 15:10 the great “Son of Man” as Jesus preferred to be known, tells us, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” In Matthew 6:6 the Son of Man does not say we should ask a priest to pray for us “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” The Holy Qur’an (HQ) revealed to the Son of Man’s cousin says in HQ 39:53, according to Mr Pickthall’s translation, “Say: My slaves who have been prodigal to their own hurt! (= have greatly sinned against their souls) Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgiveth all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful” while HQ 2:186 indicates that the relationship between man and God is direct and one to one, “And when My servant question thee concerning Me, then surely I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he crieth unto Me. So let them bear My call and let them trust in Me, in order that they may be led aright.”

Jesus is your priest. Ministers and other believers (All Christians are priests and ministers) like me can help you understand that, can give you assurance, and can walk with you to the throne of grace, but we are not necessary and, in the long run, we cannot stand in your place. We can encourage you and I will. You are loved. God highly values you and cherishes you. He is inviting you to come to Him through His Son. He has made the way and your sins are no match for His grace and mercy. All the best to you.

First of all there is nothing like a "Sinful" Condition. It is just this thing they fed into your mind. YOu are not a sinner. You are only guilty to yourself. No Priest or minister can pray for you. They are no different than you. They just doing this business for their survival. God is present everywhere. And try to understand the God. All your guilt will go away.