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Say a person has been saved, but they are faced with having a sexual relationship with someone, but they choose to do it anyway, and say, well I'll be forgiven, and yes they will.....but do you think this is right? Should a person keep on doing this.

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ORIGINAL: GraceBro

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Say a person has been saved, but they are faced with having a sexual relationship with someone, but they choose to do it anyway, and say, well I'll be forgiven, and yes they will.....but do you think this is right? Should a person keep on doing this.

Of course a person should not continue in that sin. But, they need to understand the truth about their sin before their behavior will change. If you are in Christ (has been saved), you are forgiven already, even before you sin. All of our sins are willful, regardless of how we rationalize them. You are still forgiven, but the question that needs to be asked of the person involved in the sin of your example is, "What is it that you expect to receive from that sin that you don't already have in Christ?" An even better question would be, "Is that behavior consistent with who you are as a child of God?" The Christian life is not about living from sin to sin and then wondering about the heart of those that seem to rationalize it. How we feel about forgiveness does not change our right standing before God. Our sin is simply a lack of faith in the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us through our lives.

Instead of trying to repent from all our sins, only to fall right back in to many of them, we need respond to the truth that has already been revealed to us. It is the grace of God that teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness. The Holy Spirit is not going to lead us into sin. But, when we fail to listen to Him, and we do sin, He leads us back to the truth of what God did with that sin. And that truth is that "God remembers it no more." Knowing that, we are free to "approach the throne of grace in our time of need" and let God reveal to us why we weren't trusting. That is grace; the presence of God's love in the midst of, and despite of, our sin. The Christian life is not about trying to stop sinning. The Christian life is about learning to trust the Lord. And as we trust Him, we will see a diminishing of the sin in our life. He is constantly renewing our mind so that we learn to trust Him with every aspect of our life. Wondering about the intent of somebody when they sin is not as important as restoring them to who they are in Christ. Our forgiveness is not dependent on our attitude about forgiveness when we sin. Our forgiveness is dependent on the once and for all sacrifce of Christ whose death purchased "eternal redemption." When we believe we must seek more forgiveness we are wilfully "sinning against the knowledge of truth."

"The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds."Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin." Hebrews 10:15-18

Grace and Peace

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ORIGINAL: misty35

Taking God's forgiveness for granted....has really been on my mind. And Im wanting some advice from everyone here. I have heard it said before, "Well I know its wrong, but God will forgive me." I hate that statement, and I myself, often wonder, do I do this very same thing, but just dont speak it as others do. I strive everyday, to live according to the Word of God, but I know, Im not perfect and Im not without sin, I repent daily and try my hardest to turn from sin. But, I know there are many Christians, who are faced with difficult situations, and they clearly know, without being told, that what they are doing is sin, but continue to do it anyway....and claim, I know God will forgive me. How do you view this...and how do you talk to people about this?

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ORIGINAL: Dancre

Well, Misty, Pastor RC hit it on the nail when he quoted Romans 6. It seems folks have been trying to find a loophole for many years now and can't seem to find it. God will give us mercy, but as Paul said, How can we who died to sin live any longer to it? In other words, If Jesus took that sin away and broke the power of sin over us, (we chose to sin), then why in the world would you want to do it? Folks want to sin b/c they enjoy it and enjoy it way too much. They have to decide who do they love more, sin or Jesus.

And Misty, you seem like someone who really truely loves God and He knows and understands you are trying to do what He wants. He is well pleased with you. It's one thing to stumble, it's another to flip off God and say, I'll do what I want, He'll forgive me. So don't beat yourself up so much so much, capise? He knows you stumble and you hate it and want to change and that please Him.

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ORIGINAL: misty35

Taking God's forgiveness for granted....has really been on my mind. And Im wanting some advice from everyone here. I have heard it said before, "Well I know its wrong, but God will forgive me." I hate that statement, and I myself, often wonder, do I do this very same thing, but just dont speak it as others do. I strive everyday, to live according to the Word of God, but I know, Im not perfect and Im not without sin, I repent daily and try my hardest to turn from sin. But, I know there are many Christians, who are faced with difficult situations, and they clearly know, without being told, that what they are doing is sin, but continue to do it anyway....and claim, I know God will forgive me. How do you view this...and how do you talk to people about this?

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I really needed to hear that tonight Dancre, I have been beating myself up for 2 days now, and just cant seem to shake it, but by you saying that, I know you're right. And I do love Him, He has transformed me into a person that I never thought I could be. But to see my friend struggling the way she is...is very painful, I only want to advise her the way the Lord would want me too, and I guess thats why I started this thread, to get opinions and facts, Im very careful with what I say to her, but I always refer to the Bible when I speak to her about her situation, and I assure her that she has to trust in God and not in flesh.

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I have heard this said before as well, not only by you, but Im not sure I really understand. You said, if we are in Christ (we are saved), then our sins are forgiven before we ever sin....now wouldnt alot of people think by that statement, that they can continue to sin? I know I dont feel that way, but I can see some seeing it like that. I hope you understand what Im saying by that statement.

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ORIGINAL: GraceBro

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I have heard this said before as well, not only by you, but Im not sure I really understand. You said, if we are in Christ (we are saved), then our sins are forgiven before we ever sin....now wouldnt alot of people think by that statement, that they can continue to sin? I know I dont feel that way, but I can see some seeing it like that. I hope you understand what Im saying by that statement.

Hi misty35. Excellent question. Yes, I am sure their are plenty of people who take the grace of God for a license to sin. What those individuals choose to do with the forgiveness we have in Christ, however, does not take away from the fact of His forgiveness. Remember one thing. Whether one believes they can continue to sin or not hasn't stopped anybody from sinning. Personally, I would question the salvation of a person who thinks God's forgiveness is encouraging them to continue in sin. I would ask you to ponder a question about forgiveness.

How many of your sins were in the future when Christ died on the cross?

As Christians, we must decide what is our motivation for living the Christian life. Is it ourselves, or is it the Holy Spirit? Jesus Christ is the only one who ever lived a sinless and holy life. Now, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, He wants to live that life in and through us now. When we are trusting in Him to live that life in and through us He is not going to lead us into sin. Unfortunately, we are still in these sinful bodies and will continue to sin on occassion despite our best efforts. The best way to understand what I am trying to say to you is by going back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When God created Adam, He breathed His life into Adam and he became a living being. That life was the very life of God; His Spirit. When Adam sinned, God removed His life, and Adam died spiritually. Subsequently, all mankind (you and me) are born in the image and likeness of Adam; spiritually dead to God, but alive to the world. God desired to once again indwell mankind like He did prior to Adam's sin. But, God had to deal with the sin that caused His life to be removed. That is why Jesus, the only man born with a life worthy enough to satisfy God as payment for our sins, came into this world. Now, because of the death of Christ, God is now able to offer His life, as a free gift, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to all who receive Christ by faith. And because of Christ's death, there is now no sin that can cause that life to ever leave again. That is why it is called an eternal life. A life that will carry you through this life and on into eternity. Therefore, the sin issue that once separated us from God no longer exists. Regardless of the attitude we take toward that forgiveness, it is still there. We live a life trusting in that life of God to lead us. And when we are trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us from within, He will lead us back to the truth of what God did with that sin so that we can continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Him.

Some verses to ponder about forgiveness and the Christian life are: Hebrews 10:1-4, Hebrews 9:23-28, Hebrews 10:11-14, Hebrews 10:17-18, Hebrews 6:4-6, Hebrews 10:26-29, 1 Peter 3:18, Colossians 2:13-14, Acts 26:17-18, Acts 10:43, 1 John 2:12, John 1:29, 1 John 3:5, 1 John 2:1-2, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21, Colossians 1:19-22, Colossians 1:13-14, Ephesians 1:7, Romans 5:11; Ephesians 1:13, Philippians 1:21, Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:29.

I hope I have made sense and answered your question. Please ask more questions if you need clarification or have something else you need help with. You can also IM me with your questions or if you want resources. i.e. websites, ministries, study aids, online fellowships, etc. This subject can be a touchy one with many Christians. I worry this thead could devolve into a useless back and forth that doesn't help you or anybody else. But, thanks for the opportunity to clarify my position.

Grace and Peace

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Thank you Gracebro for taking the time to go into such detail, and I may pass those verses on to her. I strive my best to stay away from sin, and to turn from it, but as you have stated, only Jesus lived a sinless life.......my friend though, seems to be a bit reckless with it, and as I have said, she ues, "God will forgive me." I know she is trying so hard, and means well, but I feel that I have said all I can say to her, so maybe the verses you have posted will help her out.....again thank you for your help, and I might just IM you if she is interested with more information.

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Taking God's forgiveness for granted....has really been on my mind. And Im wanting some advice from everyone here. I have heard it said before, "Well I know its wrong, but God will forgive me." I hate that statement, and I myself, often wonder, do I do this very same thing, but just dont speak it as others do. I strive everyday, to live according to the Word of God, but I know, Im not perfect and Im not without sin, I repent daily and try my hardest to turn from sin. But, I know there are many Christians, who are faced with difficult situations, and they clearly know, without being told, that what they are doing is sin, but continue to do it anyway....and claim, I know God will forgive me. How do you view this...and how do you talk to people about this?

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ORIGINAL: GraceBro

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Thank you Gracebro for taking the time to go into such detail, and I may pass those verses on to her. I strive my best to stay away from sin, and to turn from it, but as you have stated, only Jesus lived a sinless life.......my friend though, seems to be a bit reckless with it, and as I have said, she ues, "God will forgive me." I know she is trying so hard, and means well, but I feel that I have said all I can say to her, so maybe the verses you have posted will help her out.....again thank you for your help, and I might just IM you if she is interested with more information.

You are very welcome, misty35. I appreciate the opportunity. It helps me as well. I need to make sure what I am saying makes sense and lines up with scripture. We all should do our best to avoid sin. As I said earlier, we need to be certain what our motivation is. Our we trying to live a sinless life or live a life responding to the Holy Spirit's guidance and the truth He has revealed to us? Your friend needs to realize God has forgiven her. She needs not only to understand that, but also how it is God sees her as a child of God. And respond accordingly. Plus, you must also face the real possibility that she is not in Christ. Ask her what her understanding of the Gospel is. If she can't tell you then she might have not put her faith in Christ at all. Remember, it is not our job to convince anyone of the truth. That is the Holy Spirit's responsibility. We are only to convey the truth God has revealed to us to those in our lives. Talk to you soon.

Grace and Peace

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ORIGINAL: GraceBro

Thanks misty35..

God has already blessed me. I just hope to be able to pass on to others that which I have already received from Him

Grace and Peace