Admitting you are a sinner is what PUTS you in his grace, denying it does not...
the salvific act of atonement is followed by translation at the final trump, when we shall shed the corruptible, and put on the incorruptible.
But once saved, its a lifelong act of continous grace and faith (with lapses...) to be prepared "for we know not the hour"
Forgiveness is not all there is to it. Yes, grace and mercy were requisite, for prior to the christ no man (could have) lived a pure sinless life. And in so doing, he offended the religious Sanhedrin Hebrew leaders by associating with the rifraff, common unwashed masses and unclean. He upset the staus quo, commonly held beliefs. Most people then missed the truth, and were deluded by the "common majority wisdom", as now.
But once forgiven, the other side of the coin is gratitude....and adherence to what the forgiver stands for..
Analogy: you are caught speeding, you go to court and throw yourself at the judges feet. You admit guilt, you plead mercy, and judge says you are forgiven:GO AND SIN NO MORE.
DOES THAT MEAN NEXT DAY YOU DRIVE TWICE AS FAST< because the law keeper and judge gave you mercy under the law?
NO!!! You keep the law....that is the greatest deception there is....Tthe LAW was not nailed to the cross...ONLY THE PUNISHMENT THAT THE LAW DEMANDED: DEATH. And secondly, if you go to the judge, are arrogant, denying any guilt of breaking law, do you think they will commute sentence or extend any mercy??
And not just death of the body, it was COMPLETE AND TOTAL SEPARATION FROM GOD THE FATHER that elucidated tears and sweat of blood from the christ in the garden. He truly felt his becoming sin for us would completely and irrevocably separate him....for an understanding of death, read the scriptures. Its not that the body dies, and the spirit lives consciously....BUT there are a number of elements involved. Even Shakespeare understood the concept " to die, to sleep, to sleep to dream, oh what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil:" quoted from hamlets seventh soliloquoy. Face it or not, if you believe in the creative fiat, the bible remains the only enduring source of information on our origins, nature, and disposition....the fact it has lasted despite unwarranted negative sanctions for millenia, (and if it were just fables, WHY THE UPROAR? It could not have persisted, been as coherent and accurate, or so many millions willing to die at the hands of roman inquisitors by fire, hanging, drawn and quartered, in the colliseum, etc as heretics for refusing to renounce it and proclaim a man their moral authority) indicates by itself that it must be more than that. The forces of evil would not attack something that was meaningless, nor dilute it, deceive, counterfeit, confuse, and otherwise obfuscate the plain truth, plain anyway to "those who have ears, let them hear", anyone with spiritual quest WILL glean the message of salvific grace, atonement, truth, and hope open to all who wanted it.
No, we do not become God, but we are heirs to the kingdom, sons and daughters of the one true living God, who hopes to have us relate to him face to face, as Adam and Eve did in the original sinless garden, until ( and against Gods command not to go to that tree) tempted by that great deceiver, Lucifer, once the right hand angel covering Cherub of God, accused God of being capricious and arbitrary, and denying free moral agency, and was hence cast to this earth with one third of the angels who went with him, BECAUSE LUCIFER COVETED and wanted to BE GOD. Did Lucifer not say that to eve too? Here, eat this, know good and evil, and be like God? Any religion that ascribes to that has lost the truth...
but to defend His honor and character (his NAME) God had to himself become human, live as he hoped humans could by their own free will, NOT FROM FEAR, not from the desire of the "immortal life" cookie, but because we chose to follow the law and do what's right SIMPLY BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. SO Jesus became man, walked 33 years among us, lived as an example, PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE on that roman tree. The way of truth is not the "moral majority" history has time and again shown. He was reviled, rejected, even his 12 closest compadres were fearful, and hiding behind locked doors, when he reappeared after Golgotha. Time and time again, despite His wanting to "save evryone, and that none would be lost", most people are too caught up in fitting in, being cool, like everyone else, to risk seeking the truth, and following it, EVEN IF IT REQUIRED WE DO WHAT JESUS DID, and that was to buck the "moral majority" and be different, all inclusive, nonjudgemental, showing kindness and mercy to all, loving even those who hated you.
Thats the problem with christianity today. Not like christ himself...but actually like those money-changers he chased from the temple instead...
so, do you really know Him? Will he know you at judgement? He asks did you do this in my name, feed, clothe, etc? But I knew you not....get thee hence. SO its apparent that what we do is not as important as WHY we do it....