Does God forgive a sin if we have not repented?

Question: Does God forgive a sin if we have not repented for it?

Scriptures tell us that we are to forgive only the repentant (Luke 17:3-4 and 2 Cor 2:5-11). This appears to cross the dispensations. God forgives of all sins when we believe (Eph 4:32). This would mean we could have sin in our lives we haven't repented for at our moment of belief. Does this then make God's forgiveness to us different than how we are to forgive others?

Answer:

God desires that we in this dispensation have a total change of mind. That’s what the Greek word metanoia means. The passages where God requires this in Paul are as follows:

Acts 17:30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

Acts 20:21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 26:20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.

Rom 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

2 Co 7:9,10 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.

10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

2 Ti 2:25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

However, this does not mean that we have to confess and/or repent of each sin as they do in 1 Jo 1:9, in the dispensation when the tribulation will be going on. Repentance is a quality of the heart. We are saved as soon as we sincerely believe.

Further, I don’t think we can dogmatically say that 2 Co 2:5-11 demands repentance for each sin. This example has more to do with fellowship in the church. This guy should be purged out of the church until he has a better attitude. And in this case it seemed to work.

2 Co 2:5-11 But if anyone has caused grief, he has not grieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe.
6 This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man,

7 so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.

8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.

9 For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things.

10 Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,

11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.