Thankful for Being Born Again

We must be thankful to God we are born again or "born of God" as the apostle John puts it (1 John 3:9). But let's also have a heart for people who are being robbed of a relationship with God by being led astray. Be aware of the practice of the sinner's prayer which many are led to say to be born again. But if one's heart isn't in the right place before God that won't happen. Repentance for the forgiveness of sins is what Jesus commanded to be preached to all nations. And an invitation to pray the sinner's prayer is not a substitute for preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins by the power of the Holy Spirit who works to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement (John 16:8). That "sound" preaching isn't too politically correct for many these days. But that's what can put people's hearts in the right place before God, to "receive Jesus." True preaching of repentance makes people turn to God (Acts 26:20) or run away from God; consider the case of the apostle Paul who preached to governor Felix (Acts 24:24-25). If that preaching to the lost is done God's way, people won't stay in a limbo state and having doubts (if a relationship with God was in fact sincerely desired), or just having religion with lifestyle changes and all, but still not having Jesus or being truly born again according to the word of God.

The 3 quotes below are taken from this page: http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=34629&forum=36
It shows the issue we should be aware of as we care for each other in the church and for the lost.

Example:
“If you want to be born again, say these words to the Lord in sincerity from your heart, right now:

Lord Jesus, I believe that You are the Son of God. I am a sinner who deserves hell. Thank You for loving me and dying for my sins on the cross. I believe You rose from the dead and are living today. I want to turn from my sinful life right now. Please forgive me all my sins and give me a hatred for sin. I forgive everyone who has harmed me in any way. Come into my life Lord Jesus, and be the Lord of my life from today onwards. Make me a child of God right now.”

---

Comment 1:
"Prayers like the one you mentioned have been said by millions and led millions like myself into a false security. When God does a genuine work its is lasting. But when we try to do Gods work with psychosomatic induced emotionalism and mind control we produce believers with no real root within themselves that will only wither away."

---

Comment 2:
"Living this prayer is more biblical than the actual prayer, my only problem with the sinner's prayer is it doesn't necessarily lead to repentance or relationship with Christ Jesus which is really what saves us not this prayer. I would also be leary of putting it on a website because discipleship or making sure people understand what a relationship with the Lord is all about is near impossible. Many will pray this prayer and it all ends there, the person tries a live a good life for Jesus in their own strength and power and then are placed under heavy condemnation when it doesn't work because they aren't quite sure what a relationship with the Lord is about."

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See also:
Powerful Testimonies From Former False Converts
https://youtu.be/Tcqu2WjSOJo

Angela's Powerful Testimony - From A False Convert To The Scales Falling Off Her Eyes!
https://youtu.be/XBKifqne4kY

By the word of their testimony... (Revelation 12:11)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQKBVZh0-tlLsSebgl9THMeiOpsvCvZeS

Grace and peace to you!

Problem in the Church: 1 John 1:8

#SoulHealingTime

Luke 5:31-32
31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Isaiah 53:3
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

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Problem in the Church: 1 John 1:8
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"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us."

Does it mean a Christian, a new creature in Christ, is by definition a sinner? Does it mean a saved person always sins and never stops sinning willfully (in agreement with the devil and in disagreement with God)? Salvation in Jesus Christ is salvation from sin. It's coming out of bondage to sin and being set free indeed to serve God in righteousness (John 8:36; Romans 6:18).

Challenge yourself today to think upon Jesus' great work of salvation that He shed his blood for. He came into the world to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

If you call being set free from bondage to sin "sinless perfection" as some do, and won't let go of an understanding of 1 John 1:8 that encourages you to go on sinning, this post is for you. You don't want to argue against Jesus' work or deny that He has the power to break the yoke of sin over someone's life. If you speak of struggling with sin with the understanding that "we all struggle with sin" and "we will always be struggling with sin," you are believing lies that keep you defeated (on the losing side of the struggle) and bound in sin. Jesus said to believers, “If you remain in my word, you are truly my disciples. And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (John 8:31-32). You do not want to turn the grace of God into a lie and miss the Good News of salvation from sin (Matthew 1:21; Acts 3:26; Titus 2:11-14).

What believers believe about who Jesus is and about sin will determine whether they get saved/set free from sin indeed or whether they will die in their sins as unbelievers (John 8:24; Matthew 7:21-23).

Matthew 16:15
He (Jesus) said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

We who have purposed to follow Jesus and have Bibles, let's take Jesus' warning at heart to be careful to not be deceived by anyone coming in his name (Matthew 24:4-5). And may we choose how we want to be standing when He returns to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31) and let's be standing that way now:

Revelation 22:11
He that is unrighteous, let him be unrighteous still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

And this:

1 John 2:3-6
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: 6 whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.

 


See also:

If I Say I have No Sin!   WHO is the Liar?

 

 "Are we are all sinners"? (Repent and be converted)

Sinning Willfully and Sinning Repetitively

How Do We Know That We Love God?

Struggle with sin and double-mindedness

Problem in the Church: Romans 7

Problem in the Church: Isaiah 64:6

Jesus vs False Teachers

The Church that Jesus Built (Upon this Rock)

Addressing the 1 John 1:8 Stronghold

Total Dedication To God

Versus

The Sinless Perfection Straw Man Argument

Problem in the Church: Romans 7

#SoulHealingTime

Luke 5:31-32
31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Isaiah 53:3
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

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Problem in the Church: Romans 7
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***Identifying the one who is speaking***
Romans 7:14b
* (KJV) "I am carnal, sold under sin."
* (NIV) "I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin."

***Identifying the struggle of the one who is speaking***
Romans 7:19-20
* (KJV) 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
* (NIV) 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

That makes sense, for someone who is "carnal/unspiritual" and (still) a slave to sin. But that is the bad news, not the Good News of Jesus Christ (aka the Gospel)!

Romans 7:23-24
* (KJV) 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
* (NIV) 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?

Is this passage (Romans 7) talking about a born again Christian or "new creature in Christ"? Does it mean a saved person always sins and never stops sinning willfully (in agreement with the devil and in disagreement with God)? Salvation in Jesus Christ is salvation from sin. It's coming out of bondage to sin and being set free indeed to serve God in righteousness (John 8:36; Romans 6:18).

Challenge yourself today to think upon Jesus' great work of salvation that He shed his blood for. He came into the world to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

Emphatically, Romans 7 is not talking about the new creature in Christ being in a struggle with sin. Jesus saves from that. The struggle of the apostle Paul ended when he came to be "in Christ Jesus" and under no condemnation, walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh (Romans 8:1). The Romans 7 experience has a conclusion in Romans 8 and it's not the way a new creature in Christ walks.

Romans 8:1-4
* (KJV) 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
* (NIV) 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:2 destroys the reality of Romans 7:23. That law of sin working within is rendered powerless by God's grace through the Holy Spirit, no longer controlling the person in Christ and driving him/her to sin in obliviousness or blatant disregard for God and his ways. The Spirit rules the person in Christ who is saved from sin (Galatians 5:16). The (sinful) flesh is put to death in Christ (Galatians 5:24; Romans 6:6). Sin shall not have power over the person in Christ (Romans 6:14). So, the "us" in Romans 8:4 is precisely we who are in Christ, not the defeated but still honest "wretched man" of Romans 7:24 who is kept in bondage to sin and wanting a way out. That way out was Jesus for Paul (Romans 7:25a) and it is Jesus for us today that call upon his name. The foundation for being in Christ and walking "under grace" is laid out earlier in Romans 6 (the whole chapter). And the relationship a believer has with sin vs righteousness is clearly highlighted.

What believers believe about who Jesus is and about sin will determine whether they get saved/set free from sin indeed or whether they will die in their sins as unbelievers (John 8:24; Matthew 7:21-23).

Matthew 16:15
He (Jesus) said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

We who have purposed to follow Jesus and have Bibles, let's take Jesus' warning at heart to be careful to not be deceived by anyone coming in his name (Matthew 24:4-5). And may we choose how we want to be standing when He returns to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31), and let's be standing that way now:

Revelation 22:11
He that is unrighteous, let him be unrighteous still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.


See also:
Are we all sinners? (Repent and be converted)

Crucify The Flesh (YouTube playlist)

Who is the man struggling in Romans 7?

Struggle with sin and double-mindedness 

Romans 10:9 Salvation

Considerations on the Romans Road to Salvation

Problem in the Church: 1 John 1:8

Problem in the Church: Isaiah 64:6

Jesus vs False Teachers

The Church that Jesus Built (Upon this Rock)

Problem in the Church: Isaiah 64:6

#SoulHealingTime

Luke 5:31-32
31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Isaiah 53:3
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

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Problem in the Church: Isaiah 64:6
============================
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

Is this scripture talking about born again Christians or "new creatures in Christ"? Does it mean saved persons always sin and never stop sinning willfully (in agreement with the devil and in disagreement with God)? Salvation in Jesus Christ is salvation from sin. It's coming out of bondage to sin and being set free indeed to serve God in righteousness (John 8:36; Romans 6:18).

Challenge yourself today to think upon Jesus' great work of salvation that He shed his blood for. He came into the world to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), e.g. sin, darkness, uncleanness, unrighteousness.

1 Thessalonians 4:7
* (KJV) For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
* (NIV) For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.

We are called by the Gospel to repent and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus (Acts 3:19, 26).

"What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean" (Acts 10:15). Yet the devil will have the child of God calling himself/herself "an unclean thing" according to Isaiah 64:6. That's identity theft. That is not who the child of God is!

Isaiah 64:6 is not talking about people who are new creatures in Christ, walking in the light and the love of God. While the passage is applicable to unbelievers/sinners who have never received the Gospel, because their good deeds would be as filthy rags to God because they themselves are not right with Him, the context of that passage tells us that it is referring to God's chosen people Israel who have gone astray from Him in disobedience. In other words, people who knew the right way but went another way. In the context of the church today, that would mean backsliders (e.g. Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:38). So, applying the "we" in Isaiah 64:6 to everyone is saying that everyone is a backslider.

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The righteous do what is right in God's sight and please Him:

1 John 3:7
Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.

Matthew 25:37-40
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’

Christians who are walking in the light and love of Jesus do not offer filthy rags to God. They are maintaining their relationship with Him, being faithful to Him and doing his will: good works done in faith.

Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Titus 3:8
This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

Revelation 19:7-8
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.  8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. 

John 15:10
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 2:5
But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

What believers believe about who Jesus is and about sin will determine whether they get saved/set free from sin indeed or whether they will die in their sins as unbelievers (John 8:24; Matthew 7:21-23).

Matthew 16:15
He (Jesus) said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

We who have purposed to follow Jesus and have Bibles, let's take Jesus' warning at heart to be careful to not be deceived by anyone coming in his name (Matthew 24:4-5). And may we choose how we want to be standing when He returns to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31) and let's be standing that way now:

Revelation 22:11
He that is unrighteous, let him be unrighteous still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.


See also:
Our (own) righteousness is as filthy rags

"Are we are all sinners"? (Repent and be converted)

Struggle with sin and double-mindedness 

The Bible speaks about the wicked (sinners) and the righteous (saints)

Problem in the Church: Romans 7

Problem in the Church: 1 John 1:8

Jesus vs False Teachers

The Church that Jesus Built (Upon this Rock)

RE: Christians, Discuss: Is Unrepentant Porn Addiction Grounds For Divorce?

This is a response to a post on Captain Bud Sturguess' blog titled 
Christians, Discuss: Is Unrepentant Porn Addiction Grounds For Divorce?

"I would feel safe to say that if a married person indulges in pornographic material, they're committing adultery." - Captain Bud Sturguess

I agree with that statement.

Fornication on the other hand is a word synonymous with 'whoredom' (in the Old Testament in particular), and the phrase 'committing fornication' can be substituted with 'whoring' (applicable to both men and women). The perpetrator is called a whore (woman) or a fornicator/whoremonger (man).

It's a sin, a transgression of God's law. And when it involves a married person, adultery is also committed.

Now back to lusting after a woman in one's heart in Jesus' teaching (Matthew 5:28). I understand that that is referring to a man coveting his neighbor's wife (a married woman). Hence, this results in adultery.

On a side note, I also understand that all sins essentially flow out of the heart, including fornication (Mark 7:21), so one can be guilty of that, too, without any sexual contact. That's my personal conviction and maybe something for unmarried people to ponder on as pornography addiction does not spare them.

Your discussion question now: Is unrepentant porn addiction grounds for divorce in Christian marriages?

(Prayer time-out...)

OK, I am back.

I believe the right entry point for me here is to echo your reminder of the place of mercy and forgiveness in a marriage. And I will make it official also that we are discussing an adultery case. So, I will refer to the married person who indulges in pornographic material as adulterer. Mercy should be extended to that person as such.

We are also assuming two people who have married each other believing they are both Christians. The reason I say that is that these sins of the flesh like adultery and fornication point to someone who is caught in Satan's snare and not walking with God, in the light (1 John 1:5-7). The apostle Paul said such persons will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 5:19). That is the "present" status of that person with God.


So, that's a sister having issue with an adulterous brother or vice-versa. Jesus tells us what I believe should be happening in that case:

Matthew 18:15-17
15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

Therefore if there is still no repentance after these merciful efforts are exhausted, Jesus calls for disfellowship from the person who is to be regarded as "a heathen and a tax collector". That's an unbeliever, an unrepentant sinner. The church is to have no fellowship with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14-17). That's one strong guiding principle.

And in the marriage context, this takes us to consider the case of a brother or sister being married to an unbeliever. The fact that all these attempts to restore the marriage would have failed, resulting in an unrepentant adulterer still, I believe the offender has expressed his/her unequivocal unwillingness to remain married to the sister or brother. And guiding principles are given to us in 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 for a brother or sister married to an unbeliever.

So, while the Scriptures give us clarity on many things to consider, your question is not a yes or no question to me. I personally believe a brother or sister should exercise long-suffering and not initiate legal separation (divorce) from his/her spouse. But prayer and fasting have their place in each person's seeking of direction in such a situation, and God's ways and thoughts and purposes must be sought diligently by the servant of God and submitted to. His direction is always available!

Lastly, a note on 1 Corinthians 7:15. It reads, "But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases." It's interesting to remark that the word translated "departs" in that verse is the same word (G5563*) translated "put asunder" (KJV) or "separate" in Jesus' teaching:

Matthew 19:6
So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.

Another rendering of 1 Corinthians 7:15 could then be: "But if the unbeliever separates himself, let him separate himself; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases."

And since we have assumed that the adulterer was once a saint, I want to highlight also that I hold the position that such unrepentant sinner is also a spiritual adulterer and has effectively turned to unbelief as demonstrated in his/her ongoing disobedience/rebellion against God's ways (Hebrews 3:12, 6:4-6).

I appreciate the exchange, brother, and likewise your spirit. You've ended with many questions but I think walking in the Spirit, we might arrive at all answers. We should not attempt to legislate these situations with do's and don't as God is perfectly capable of doing that as He had done under the Old Covenant but has left that out of the New Covenant, leaving us with these questions also. But for sure He has not left us in the dark!

May we always remember these:
Romans 13:8
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

1 John 3:14-15
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

I pray these reflections may serve others dealing with a case of hatred (absence of love) in a marriage.

Peace to you!

_______


* See Strong's Concordance entry for G5563: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G5563&t=KJV

The Sin of Gluttony

You have bowed to the burger king and worshiped him... says the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.

#IDOLATRYWARNING

That is a warning that I received a couple of years ago. As I had become more aware of the temptations that I faced in the world, after some time my eyes were opened to what was triggering in me some bad eating habits that led me on some occasions to commit the sin of gluttony.

Gluttony: excessive eating and drinking.

Synonyms: gormandizing, intemperance, voracity.

Gluttony is due to a lack of self-control. It's obeying to a desire for a certain taste of food or beverage that leads to eat beyond the need of the body. The mere pursuit of the sensuality involved in eating/drinking can be a powerful driver apart from any actual need of the body for food, and then things can get really dangerous really fast.

Fullness:

The condition of being filled to capacity.

That is a control mechanism.

An undue affection for food can become a form of idolatry of the food and/or of your belly. Be especially cautious when thoughts like "I've got to have it" (said of a particular food), possibly triggered by the memory of the look/smell/taste/texture of some food, come before any actual need for food, and drive you to seek that food and shun/refuse other food, even waste other good food that you may have, in an act of pure vanity. That same temptation, when you give in to it, is an open door that can lead you to eat excessively, and therefore to commit the sin of gluttony.

Notice that your self-control could be up against up to 4 of your 5 senses, or all 5 if the sound of handling or chewing on something is stimulating you to eat (more of) it. It's a choice, it's always a choice to resist the temptation and avoid the sin. God commands it (James 4:7). Take note also that the simplest trigger for seeking food is the feeling of hunger. Though it is not sin to seek some particular food, you should check your motives always and watch your behavior also. As with all things, strive to have an eating "order," a discipline. Differentiate between that internal natural signal and other artificial stimuli in your environment, like seeing a restaurant advertisement, or simply recalling from your memory an "experience" that may be driving your eating habits outside of a healthy established order.

_____

Proverbs 23:1-2

1 When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before you: 2 And put a knife to your throat, if you be a man given to appetite.

Ecclesiastes 10:17

Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

1 Corinthians 10:31

Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Matthew 4:4

...“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’

You may use these links to search bible verses about gluttony:

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Bible-Verses-About-Gluttony

http://www.openbible.info/topics/gluttony

Self-control is from God (Galatians 5:23). Seek Him. Seek his Holy Spirit to guide you. It's a gift of God to those who obey Him (Acts 5:30-32).

Luke 11:9-13

9 “I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won’t give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, he won’t give him a scorpion, will he? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

Galatians 5:19-23

19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, 21 envyings, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

12/07/2014




See also:
Suffer The Cross To Overcome Addictions

 

How many sins or what sin do you have to commit to lose your salvation?

A person's life is in God's hands. Because Jesus loves those who are his, He is merciful with them. He will give correction as needed.

Revelation 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

Only Jesus knows what time frame He will allow from the moment a person commits sin and that person repenting to get right with Him again (if possible - it may not be.) "Be zealous," to me, means "Get on this right away. Clean up your act fast and don't go back to that way of sin that leads to death."

One deliberate sin is enough to tell God our heart is not 100% with Him. Remember the greatest commandment: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). For instance, how many times a married person can be unfaithful until his/her spouse sees a problem in that? I think just once and that one time can be devastatingly serious, especially if for any reason there is no window open to forgiveness. It means "the end." Again, there may not be forgiveness available. It's not for a man to provide comfort to anyone who has committed or may be contemplating to commit any sin presumptuously. God is merciful but He can't be mocked. I don't think someone who has been saved and becomes a serial sinner stands a chance, but I speak as a man. Depending on God's disposition toward what He sees in someone's heart, mercy may not be granted. It's foolish to play with a point of no return, however close or far it may appear to someone's mind.

Hebrews 6:4-6
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.

So, I would fear for anyone who got saved and then would fail to be sober and vigilant, get deceived by the devil and get caught in his trap. Hence the Bible is full of warnings to believers:  

1 Peter 5:8 
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

We are indeed talking about willful sins that lead to death (1 John 5:16).

Hebrews 10:26-27
26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

God will look at someone as an adversary when it is a case of willful sin. Because the Gospel is a path given to sinners who are enemies of God (Romans 5:6-11) to be reconciled to Him and be his friends who do his will on earth. So, presumptuously sinning is standing against what God stands for (righteousness).

There are other unintentional sins a person can commit that still need repentance and forgiveness but that do not lead to death (1 John 5:16). They don't come out of a rebellious heart but  highlight things that need to be ironed out as the person grows in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). For instance, mistakes in judgment happen, thoughts must be guarded, attitudes must be checked, especially with pride that is a blinding agent masking one's flaws and abundant need of God's grace to be transformed according to his will.


See also:

Can You Lose Your Salvation?

Struggle with Sin and Double-Mindedness

Are You an Ex-Sinner Calling yourself a Sinner?

Once Saved Always Saved is a Lie

Sin is what we get saved from
 

Sinning Willfully and Sinning Repetitively

Willful Sins and Unintentional Sins

Call to Repentance