Jeffrey Kranz Believer, blogger, founder of the Overview Bible Project

Yes, because your forgiveness is not a result of asking for it. 

Before Jesus, the people of Israel sought forgiveness time and time again through sacrifices. They were under an older agreement (a covenant) with God that required these sacrifices year after year.

But Jesus' perfect sacrifice changed all this: "by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified" (Heb 10:14).

You might wonder, "OK, but how am I sanctified?" Good question, and the writer of Hebrews answers: "we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb 10:10).

Jesus died once for all time (Heb 10:12)—our eternal forgiveness is not contingent upon yet another future act of repentance.

And even if a Christian does sin, John tells us that Jesus advocates for us before God the Father (1 Jn 2:1–2). He has satisfied God's need to punish our sin, and so although we may die before we get the chance to remember and confess every last sin we commit, Jesus Christ is our guarantee of God's forgiveness.

November 08 2013 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Glenn Harrell Bi-vocational Minister, writer

Bob has the idea. When we received Christ, we were made to be his child. We did not quit sinning to earn it. After we were saved, however, we hear a lot of "work to stay his child" rhetoric.

The question was..."If I am saved and I sin..." Trust and know that the word is not IF but WHEN.

Here is what I will tell you. I am just as sorry and sinful a man as when I came to trust Christ. Since that day, over 30 years ago, I have grown and come to know just how that happens.

I know that He did not love me and save me because I decided to become a good little boy and quit my bad ways.

I know that His love for me today is not because I try harder and never "mess-up". Never sin. 

I know that I am kept by His power not my attempts at sinning less.

I know that being a Christian is about Faith, Trust and Love.
I know that remaining a Christian is about belonging to Him 

Jeremiah Kaaya said, "We are not going to heaven because we are simply God’s friends; we are going to heaven because of holiness and righteousness." He is exactly correct. But it is not Glenn's or Jeremiahs holiness. Otherwise Christ holiness is not necessary.

We were not saved because of behavior--good or bad; we are not kept because of behavior-- good or bad.

My son goofs up all the time but he is in no danger of loosing his son-ship. He will always be a Harrell because of Physical birth. He didn't earn this right.
God's children are born into a relationship in which the Father knows these children will be growing until they are called home to be with Him.

So---Pick a sin---ANY sin. Ready? Tell your child or a friend that if they will quit that sin, God will love them, BUT if they do it again, He will quit loving them. Now, multiply that process times a bunch of sins. Hey, we don't stand a chance. If we are honest we should give up on such a God and he is right to give up on us!

Are you ready to work for the purpose of earning or keeping your salvation?

"Money paid to workers isn't a gift. It is something they earn by working. But you cannot make God accept you because of something you do. God accepts sinners only because they have faith in Him." Romans 4:4.
Are you worried that you can't "do it"? Good! Just go ahead and settle it in your heart and soul. YOU CAN'T.
But the good news is that God can; and he will; and he does. 

"God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him." (Philippians 2:13) Your job and mine is to cooperate with God in this process. So go ahead child of God. Sin all you want because he changes the want to of all his children. 

If you and I insist on being lazy in our battle against sin, we need to read Hebrews Chapter 12. We can expect correction--not threats of abandonment by God. 

Quitting sin is about starting: No old habit goes away without an acceptable substitute…
1-Start exercising your faith in prayer and dependence upon God.
2-Start reading the bible as an act of worship
3-Start doing your faith. Deeds of good works, not to become or remain a Christian--rather because you ARE a Christian.
4-Start agreeing with God about who you are. You are his child with all its benefits. (I Peter CHAPTER 2)
5-Start running the race before you. "I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me.
So I keep running and struggling to take hold of the prize. (Philippians 3:12-15)
6-Start separating yourselves from this world. Keep yourself in a church fellowship with like-minded, equally imperfect believers.
"Since the people of this world did not know who Christ is, they don't know who we are." (I John 3:1; 2:15-17)
7-Start sharing your faith. "As you go, make disciples"

Prayer
"Dear Lord. So far today, I've done alright. I haven't gossiped, haven't lost my temper, haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or over-indulgent. I'm very thankful for that. But in just a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed.
And from then on, I'm going to need a lot more help."--unknown

June 28 2014 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

rogers ward

Again this prophet writes with permission from the Word and the Holy Spirit. Jesus said "If any man believe in me though he were dead, yet shall he live." It is not Gods will that any should perish but all should have eternal life. He who has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will repent immediately. I am so glad that our God is a God of another chance. He created time and space. He judges the heart as well as the intentions. Grace and mercy are always greater than sin and death. Be Blessed.

November 09 2013 • 2 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeremiah Kaaya Pastor at Springs of Power Church, Teacher by professional

1Corinthians 9:27; "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself may be disqualified" said the Apostle Paul. 

We should never nurse a belief that anyone can get to or even smell heaven with any type of sin. Why did Jesus come? He came to put right what went wrong. Will He then allow any wrong doing after having given us a second chance to transform through His redemptive sacrifice on the cross for the remission of sin? NO? He (Jesus) shouldn’t have come if it was so (Hebrews 9, 6:4-6). 

Yes, it is true that Jesus came with grace, much of it. But what is its purpose? The purpose of grace is to enable us to do what we wouldn’t have managed hadn’t it been for the redemptive grace of God through His Son Jesus the CHRIST. If then we continue to dwell in our former sinful nature, then the grace of God through His Son Jesus the CHRIST has not benefited us. Grace only benefits us if we get transformed by it (Romans 6:1-2).

 But it is a little sin, just before I repent then die. All sin is sin. Jesus came to put a stop to the spread of sin, if it fails to stop, who has failed? We have failed, not Jesus. In that, we should have nobody to blame. Jesus did His part by going to the cross for us. Our part is to follow in His steps. Did He sin so that since we are looking to Him we have space for it? NO He didn’t, neither should we (John 8:46). Had He sinned and went on to go to heaven to meet the Father; we would have followed Him in that way. But He never did; we should therefore have no excuse. Jesus easily went back to heaven because He was compatible with the Father; He (Jesus) was/is holy just as the Father is holy. We should therefore also be compatible with the Father by virtue of holiness and righteousness Leviticus 11:44-45.

To be God’s friend is based on obeying His commands (John 15:14) (James 2:10). It is not by right; it is by virtue of holiness and righteousness. We are not going to heaven because we are simply God’s friends; we are going to heaven because of holiness and righteousness. Even rapture will only be by that method. With that, we can’t be sure that we will go to heaven even with a “little” sin. For example, if we were to go to state house and no arms should be allowed in, would they willingly let in a pistol because it is a “little” weapon? 

If a person goes on to nurse such a belief, then he is putting all of his/her Christian journey into jeopardy because you may not be able to sense death when it comes so that you can repent before you die. With such a mind, believe me you, you will always have space for sin, and with such a fertile ground, it can only grow into maturity up to a stage when you can’t manage it. No one began/begins to sin with no hope of being able to manage whatever sin they may have gotten into. Everybody begins while they have a feeling that things will never get out of hand. The devil is a liar.

I would never advise a Christian to nurse such a belief because this would only be fertile ground for more sin. The Bible does confirm that we can be perfect; (Mathew 5:48) (1Peter 1:15). Jesus came to take us back into God’s picture, like it was before Adam and Eve sinned. He wants us to be like Him, that is how we can be compatible with Him. God detests sin. He can tolerate the sinner, not the sin. His mission is to separate the two, if you refuse to leave sin through the loving grace of His Son Jesus the CHRIST and die with it, you will suffer with it because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). 

You are only forgiven when you repent and while you live, here on earth, not anywhere else. All the work of redemption was done here; the forgiveness too is only to be done from here. Otherwise, Jesus wouldn’t have come; He would have waited for and forgiven us in heaven. It is all to be done here and here. No other chance once you have died, that is only a religious belief with no scriptural back up.

God bless

November 13 2013 • 13 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report