Friday, July 9, 2021
Pretending is a Serious Matter
It is my personal opinion based on what I know to be the heart of God that we are not forgiven by God if we ask forgiveness over and over again for the same sin. Here's why I believe this:
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The passage that says "if he comes to you and says, 'I repent', seventy times seven," God is speaking about different sins, not the same one over and over again. The reason I believe this is because God will cleanse someone of sin they are authentically sorry for, He will not leave them helpless to keep trying in their flesh. Those who do not stop sin after saying they are sorry are not sorry, they are only saying words to appear so.
I am convinced God forgives those who desire to be cleansed. If someone continues the same sin without any movement toward removing it from their lives they want to be forgiven but have no intention of forsaking their sin. God will not cleanse someone who does not want to be freed from their sin.
Proverbs 28:13
"He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion."
It is possible to struggle with a sin going back to it but until we have confessed our disgust with it and desire to be cleansed from it, God will not remove from us that which we do not want to be removed.
When I became born again I acquired a disdain for the sin I used to love. Christ in me made me feel ugly and dirty at the thought of returning to the sin that He removed from me.
When our heart is changed we are no longer the same person. Someone who continues in sin and says they are "trying" is not really trying or they are depending on themselves without much effort. Even more egregious are those who defend their sin claiming it doesn't matter, that God is not offended by our sin because we are under the blood.
I worry about "Christians" who have never changed in 60 years but think they are fine.
Those who say sin does not matter because we are under the blood have denied Christ Who said this;
John 14:15-16 "15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever."
There are many "Christians" who defend sin, rage at those who expose it, and even malign others to weaken their witness for Christ.
Did Christ lie when He told us if we were born again we would obey Him? NO, He meant what He said and expects the Holy Spirit in us to guide us into righteousness.
Sadly many people who think they are going to heaven, even declaring they love Jesus, refuse to obey His word and reject those who follow it.
Matthew 7:21-23 "I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
Just because someone can quote scripture and claim to be a Christian does not mean they were born again.
Matthew 7:15-20
"You Will Know Them by Their Fruits
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Galatians 5:22-23
"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
When someone defends their sin this is the time to make it clear that they are not sorry or they would forsake it to be cleansed by Christ. Then i would give them the gospel message all over again to have a chance to be born again, this time for real.
Brokenness is a Good Thing When God is in Control
In Japan when a vase or vessel breaks they repair it with gold filling, it ends up being more valuable and beautiful than originally.
2 Corinthians 4:7 "But we have this treasure in earthen containers so that the extraordinary greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;"
Never look at brokenness as a weakness, see it as a strengthening of character. We weep when we fail, then we pray and God makes us better and stronger than we were before the brokenness.
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