A study of Bible passages dealing with: past sins and being forgiven now.
The very clear message of Christ is that sinners can be changed when they repent in sincerity and truth, choosing to become God’s true followers. You can have all your sinful past forgiven by God, and be totally accepted into His Forever Family immediately, both here on earth now – and in heaven where we are declared forgiven in His Courts.
When you turn from your sinfulness
(true “repentance“),
and turn to Christ for His forgiveness
(“accept Christ” and His ways),
He then recreates you in that instant
– and you become “born again“.
Regarding the sinning in your past, you may struggle and fail from time to time in your weakness, but the truly born again will not accept that sinfulness as okay anymore. What is happening, really a lot today, is – so called Christians think they can keep their sin AND get God’s holiness also. That’s not happening. Never has, never will. God’s grace is limited.
The Bible makes it very clear to us what is or what is not an acceptable practice – with Him. Don’t be fooled into hell by thinking your sin is legitimate before God.
For instance, in 1 Corinthians 6…(verses 9-10) the Apostle Paul is very explicit as he lists specific sinners and their way of life. These practices, or lifestyles of your past – separated you from God.
Those who continue to practice such… continue to show to God a lack of true repentance. Accepting these as “okay” – continue to keep you from having “any share in the kingdom of God“. 1
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; [a]neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [by perversion], nor [b]those who participate in homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
The term “the unrighteous” (verse 9) refers to all peoples who, in their heart, accept the practice of these as a way of life acceptable to God. God does not work that way! The key words here are in the past tense: “and such were….”
Each of those specific “sins” are forgiveable in Christ. Glory hallelujah for that! Or we’d all be lost forever. It is the continued heart attitude of rebellion and rejection of God’s revealed will – that is not forgiven… until we truly repent of that “unrighteous” heart attitude.
There must be a heart change – accepting Christ and His ways. If it’s vile to Jesus, we must repent of that.
1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you
11 And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior].
According to 1 Peter 4:1-8, we were into…
- [intentional] sin […pleasing the world] (v1)
- [spending] the rest of his natural life living for human appetites and desires (v2)
- living for human appetites and desires (v2)
- doing what the [unsaved] Gentiles like to do (v3)
- living [unrestrained as you have done] in a course of… (v3)
- [shameless] sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries (v3)
- you …[think like them, value their values (v4)
- “resentful and surprised” that [true believers] do not [think like them, value their values…] (v4)
- and] run [hand in hand] with them into the same excesses of dissipation and immoral freedom (v4)
What is our life now to be like? We have “turned-around” (repented) after having been lost into sinning. Are we more than conquerors in Christ? We must arm ourselves for spiritual battle, and be constantly filled by His Spirit.
Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh [and died for us], arm yourselves [like warriors] with the same purpose [being willing to suffer for doing what is right and pleasing God],
because whoever has suffered in the flesh [being like-minded with Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [having stopped pleasing the world],
2 so that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living for human appetites and desires, but [lives] for the will and purpose of God.
1 Peter 4:see verses 5-8
Live… according to [the will and purpose of] God
5 But they will [have to] give an account to Him who is ready to judge and pass sentence on the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the good news [of salvation] was preached [in their lifetimes] even to those who are dead, that though they were judged in the flesh as men are, they may live in the spirit according to [the will and purpose of] God.
7 The end and culmination of all things is near. Therefore, be sound-minded and self-controlled for the purpose of prayer [staying balanced and focused on the things of God so that your communication will be clear, reasonable, specific and pleasing to Him.] 8 Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins
What is happening,
really a lot today, is –
so called Christians
think they can
keep their sin
AND
get God’s holiness also.
That’s not happening.
Never has, never will.
God’s grace is limited.
FOR MORE:
Titus on: What the Word of God Teaches
God is able to keep you from stumbling
Our perfect God and our response to Him
Footnotes
- Footnotes:1 Corinthians 6:9 This list of sinners, which continues into v 10, is used by Paul to describe various sinful lifestyles. All such lifestyles are impossible for true believers, who continue to sin but not to live lives of sin.
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