[jimlas]

I received JESUS CHRIST as my lord and savior in 1987. Since then I have seen my life change for the better putting aside the continueous sinning,attending a church each week and involved in some things of the church. I have turned away from some past sins forever never returning to them but some I find myself doing here and there and this bothers me greatly after I commit the sin and I fear GODs rejection even to the point of not allowing me into heaven. I fully trust JESUS for my salvation. So why do I feel that GOD may reject me at his gate to heaven?

[Taylor168716]

NO! No one is EVER dead to sin. Iv"e sinned a lot too. If you ask for forgiveness after any sin you feel bad for, you will be refreshed! Praying is like an instant refresh button, every time you pray, I GARONTEE you will feel better!

[nike 1]

We are all sinners and we all continue to sin. Even though we try to avoid it, we are simply not perfect meaning we will make mistakes. God knows this and that is why he sent his son to be sacrificed, hence, taking upon him the sin of the world. Before him sacrifices were made with slaughtering animals, which became ritualistic and meaningless. But the death of Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice which was more important than anything we could offer, it was from God as a gift to us which will endure forever. No need to kill an animal every time we need forgiveness. We can always go back to Jesus and pray for forgiveness. He understands that no one is perfect. Otherwise he would never had to give his life for us. It's an amazing love that shall always be unparalleled. Pray, ask forgiveness and wisdom, and try not to sin again. I think it's very admirable for you to ask such a question, it shows how much you care, and if I, an imperfect being can see where your heart is, I think God can too. May grace be upon you!

[cozyk]

God will NEVER reject you. Relax Just keep striving to do your best, learn when you fall, but just get right back up and keep fighting the good fight.

[jakester]

jimlas -

no doubt you've been taught the doctrine of being dead to sin, quoted from Romans 6. I refrain from even quoting the passage because to even do that would be unhelpful for understanding the context of Paul's argument. Romans is a book that has been used for proof-texting and many have used proof-texts of the bible to build a philosophy of Christianity that is similar to Eastern mysticism and forms of transcendentalism. Let me explain.

First off, the idea of being dead to sin but alive to God is often misrepresented in my opinion. I was told early on in my Christian life that if I simply prayed each day, read my bible regularly, meditated on scripture, went to church, and shared my faith, that I would be living the victorious Christian life: a life free of trouble and sin. If I failed to practice those things as a discipline in my life, I wouldn't get all of God's blessing... only some. Well, I went on my way trying to do all of those things but time and time again I failed in one or more of those disciplines. I became concerned that maybe because I wasn't willing to do these things each day that I wasn't even a believer in God... that I stood condemned. After all, people were telling me that these things were evidences of real spirituality—the real marks of a Christian. Looking back, I can see how wrong that view of God and of the Christian life really was. In some respects, it's not much different from the Pharisees in the sense that under that model I am looking to earn favor with God by observing man-made laws. In other respects, this view of Christianity is not very different from ancient Greek mythology and Paganism—that if I did everything right, the Gods would be pleased with me. This view, quite honestly, is not very different from the way many Christians (including myself) have viewed God at one time. We see God as one who sits on his throne and is ready to pounce at the drop of a hat; if I sin and succumb to my flesh, I am in danger of condemnation.

My understanding of Paul's argument in Chapter 6, is that he is answering objections to his gospel from those who saw Paul's teaching as promoting sin and unrighteousness. The detractors of Paul believed him to be saying that we should sin a lot that God would have a lot to forgive. Paul asks many rhetorical questions to emphasize the absurdity of their claims. His argument is that one who is committed to the gospel cannot serve sin as a manner of practice in his life because to be a servant of righteousness is to be committed to righteousness. One cannot say he is a servant of righteousness when he is actually committed to pursuing a lifestyle of sin—there would be a betrayal of my real commitment and what I say I am committed to. A real child of God is committed to doing good because through his rebirth, doing good is an internal commitment of the heart—God has changed his heart. Even if the believer were to pursue sin, eventually his conscience would bring about remorse and a desire to serve that which he has committed himself to.

Here is Paul's admonition: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” It sure sounds as if he saying to not let sin rule over you because it cannot have power over you in an absolute kind of way, but I don't think that is what he's thinking. Again, he's answering objections to his gospel. The implication is that “Paul, your gospel encourages people to sin because God wants to forgive people for a lot of sin, and that can't be right.” Also, his detractors are saying, “Paul your gospel doesn't promote a life of service to God; I can live like hell and in the end, God will forgive me anyway.” Paul's admonition that I quoted above is his way of snubbing his detractors. In actuality, his gospel is so radical that to believe it requires that I become a slave to righteousness. Paul is basically saying, “so you think I'm promoting unrighteousness; you think I'm saying that it doesn't matter how I live or what I serve because in the end, God will forgive me anyway.” His answer is striking if we interpret it that way. His response is profound: Not only are we not to pursue sin but if I am a child of God, I must make a commitment to doing good as a manner of life. To be able to say I believe the gospel with true understanding entails a decision to utterly forsake a life of unrighteousness and ungodliness as a manner of life. Secondly, “you don't think it matters whether I serve God or not, think again. Not only should you serve God, but you should offer your life as a sacrifice of righteousness to God because this is only what God will accept.” These statements are not given to provide proof of some kind of power to overcome every sin in my life; it is a statement of rebuttal directed at absurd claims against the gospel of Paul and he is simply taking the time to answer the objections here.

Here's what I understand the Christian life to be about as it relates to sin and striving to do good. Fundamentally, Christians are still sinners and still sin but what has been changed in them by the Spirit of God is the inner-man, as Paul calls it. Our inner-man is where our true heart commitments reside. Before a person is born-again, he or she is fundamentally committed to pursuing a lifestyle of sin and hostility towards God. This is what is taught in Romans 1. But after God begins to work in a person, he/she begins to desire to know God and love God and abide in his ways. It's through the process of sanctification that one grows in his/her love for God and desire to do his will. But as we live this life of futility and evil, we will still find ourselves to be sinners because that is who we are. The promises of a future glory and redemption are promises that we learn to desire as we go through this life because we are not the kind of creatures that we ought to be. We are just not going to get it right all of the time…it's not possible and the bible is not promising that I can live a sinless life in this world. We are to strive to be good and when we fail, we respond sober-mindedly to our failures and agree with God about them. We have to be brutally honest with ourselves when we fail and learn from it. But we may not ever ultimately overcome certain sins in this life; there's no way we can. But we can be committed to not practicing them. To me, that's what being a child of God is.

Lastly, we have come to understand that God is merciful and is committed to sanctifying those who he loves. He is the one who is performing his work in his elect (his masterpiece). He is the one who will finish what it is he is accomplishing in his people. When we have the eyes to see that “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure”, there is a great freedom in that.

Sincerely.

[simoneaugie]

Jakester, wow, thanks for the explanantion. In college I wrote an A+ essay on the writings of Paul. I just shut off what I really thought and wrote what the professor wanted to hear. Until I read your explanation I hated Paul. Now I will re-read it.

You also said that we must be brutally honest with ourselves. If Christians did that, every minute, and admitted that truth, the truth of their own lives, repeated sins and mistakes, many more would follow them, give up fearing and hating Christians and the way some of them represent God.

[cozyk]

Jakester, wow, thanks for the explanantion. In college I wrote an A+ essay on the writings of Paul. I just shut off what I really thought and wrote what the professor wanted to hear. Until I read your explanation I hated Paul. Now I will re-read it.

You also said that we must be brutally honest with ourselves. If Christians did that, every minute, and admitted that truth, the truth of their own lives, repeated sins and mistakes, many more would follow them, give up fearing and hating Christians and the way some of them represent God.

I believe this whole heartedly. Maybe this is what is meant by "to thine ownself be TRUE".
We KNOW what we should be doing, or not.

[Fr_Chuck]

Well what types of sins do you still do have bad thoughts about someone else, speed in your car.

As a Christian we are not perfect but we do need to work at living our life as a example to others.

If you are out here using drugs or stealing I may have some issues

[jimlas]

Thanks everyone. Jakester your post was a great help. It seems clear to me now.
Thanks. I couldn't click on rate this answer or I would have. May GOD bless you all.

[N0help4u]

Yes Jakester explained it really well.
Realize your heart is for God and you keep sinning.
You realize it is something you need to overcome as you grow in your spiritual walk. It is when we blatantly sin and make excuses and harden our heart that it becomes a danger. The Bible says that our freedom in Christ is not a license to sin. When we sin we either see our weaknesses and it grows us closer to God in repentance or else it hardens our hearts.

Bible Study - Grace Into Licentiousness

[cozyk]

Yes Jakester explained it really well.
Realize your heart is for God and you keep sinning.
You realize it is something you need to overcome as you grow in your spiritual walk. It is when we blatantly sin and make excuses and harden our heart that it becomes a danger. The Bible says that our freedom in Christ is not a license to sin. When we sin we either see our weaknesses and it grows us closer to God in repentance or else it hardens our hearts.

Bible Study - Grace Into Licentiousness

When you are right with God, you do not want to sin. You want to respect and honor and please Him. So "having a license to sin" is not even something you consider. If you do think it is a license to sin, you have totally missed the point.

[N0help4u]

When you are right with God, you do not want to sin. You want to respect and honor and please Him. So "having a license to sin" is not even something you consider. If you do think it is a license to sin, you have totally missed the point.

Yes exactly. We still can fall into sin but we are not looking to do it or making excuses for it.
Like if we know we have a problem with gluttony and we go to an all you can eat buffet and we keep going for 'one more plate' we need to learn that we need to avoid the buffet.

[cozyk]

Yes exactly. We still can fall into sin but we are not looking to do it or making excuses for it.
Like if we know we have a problem with gluttony and we go to an all you can eat buffet and we keep going for 'one more plate' we need to learn that we need to avoid the buffet.

Have you been watching me at The Golden Coral?:eek:

[Wondergirl]

I received JESUS CHRIST as my lord and savior in 1987. Since then I have seen my life change for the better putting aside the continueous sinning,attending a church each week and involved in some things of the church. I have turned away from some past sins forever never returning to them but some I find myself doing here and there and this bothers me greatly after I commit the sin and I fear GODs rejection even to the point of not alowing me into heaven. I fully trust JESUS for my salvation. So why do I feel that GOD may reject me at his gate to heaven?

I like how Martin Luther explained it --

On this earth, at the same time we are both saint and sinner.

You can't stop sinning as long as you live in this temporal world. Repent of your sins daily and look forward to the glory that is to come.

[Wondergirl]

Have you been watching me at The Golden Coral?:eek:

I thought I recognized you! Really! THREE desserts?? Wasn't the apple pie and ice cream enough??

[N0help4u]

The baked Cheesecake, the bread pudding, the cobbler... and oh now the soft serve ice cream! :eek:

[Wondergirl]

The baked Cheesecake, the bread pudding, the cobbler.....and oh now the soft serve ice cream!!:eek:

The Kahlua cheesecake or the raspberry swirled one or the plain? Sin boldly, Luther said.