Question from a Site Viewer
I’m living a life of sin . . .
I have had a terrible past for twenty years. I told many lies and gave many false testimonies in God’s name. I tried to earn His love because I thought he abandoned me. I also once said that it was a lie that the Holy Spirit comforts people because I was in such pain. I am terrified of hell! I have many more sins than I have mentioned. I have lived a life of sin. I wonder if I was ever truly saved. I long for God but am afraid that I am beyond all hope and forever rejected. If I could only know that I am forgiven. I have repented of all sins I know of in utter brokenness but I feel hardened and unfit for God’s kingdom.
Tim’s Answer
Faith is counting God to be true to His promises. Our sins may pile up to the skies, but He has promised forgiveness to those who confess and forsake their sins. Either He is true or He is a liar. God cannot lie, which leaves the only option left being that He is true. Therefore, this leaves us with the decision either to believe or not to believe in truth.
I understand that having repented of a life of sin, it is hard to accept that one would forgive us so freely. We often struggle with such lavish grace, and we keep looking to our sins and thinking that they are too much for even God to forgive. But we diminish God in doing so. God’s desire is that none should perish. He wants us to turn and follow Him fully.
My encouragement to you is twofold. First, simply account God to be true to His word. Having repented, leave your sins behind at the cross and do not take them up again. Second, turn and follow Christ. Life is too short to waste any more time being concerned about our confessed sin or whether God will forgive. We must spend the rest of our lives loving God, loving others, and serving Christ by serving others. We must give ourselves to the worship of Him. Those around us need a great deal of love, compassion, care, and God has placed us in this world to do good works for others (Ephesians 2:10). We should train our minds to think about those things that are good and lovely (Philippians 4:8) and set our life’s goal to live out the remainder of our days to the praise of God. If we do these things, if we do what is righteous before Him, He will forget all of our sin and reward us richly with His love and presence. I am always encouraged by Ezekiel 18 where God says that if the wicked ones turn from their wickedness and do righteousness, they will live and not die. Righteousness is found in Jesus who is our righteousness. Once we are grounded in Him, we live out His life in us through the righteous acts we do to one another.
May the Lord Jesus make these truths real to you and may you please Him well in the days ahead, as you leave behind your life of sin.
A fellow pilgrim,
I just want to say that THAT is EXACTLY my story except for the having repented part. I have made attempts at repeating but what I have learned during this horrible time of my life is that God IS NOT MOCKED!!! Oh how I long for gracious repentance.
Don I may not be the right guy to comment on your post as I too have craved for a “gracious ” repentance, but I think sometimes we ( as humans )put too much emphasis on a feeling. I also believe your right about God not being mocked, but if you are trying repeatedly to repent and return to God I have to believe he looks at you with a heart of compassion as appossed to one of condemnation. When I look at 1 John 1:9 it says if we confess ours sins he is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. I don’t know where you have been on your journey but backslidden , fallen away, grossly repeated sin, prodigal has to fall under ALL unrighteousness. God knew us before he made us and Jesus paid for it ALL! Praying for you
Yes, exactly. We reap what we sow when as a sow we act, And dont turn away from pour sins, but Côme back to them. I myself am reflecting on m’y life’s journey And it’s been entirely lamentable. But there was a certain Kong who cried out to God when hé was taken to captivity after hé had his children go through thé fire And God saved Him. Cry out to God now you’ve l’ost pride And Knox you can’t fond security un trying to hide Him thé truth about tour misérable condition.
I honestly believe that there is no more hope for me. I am so depleted,so distraught and so drunk without wine. So lost because of continual sin. I also honestly believe I am cursed. My mind is a fog, probably reprobate.
Hey Don-
I understand what you are saying. But JESUS is bigger than whatever power sin might hold over you. Just as from the the Gospel of John, we know that nothing that was made was made without JESUS, by his Holiness, we can overcome these problems. If we believe in Him, are truly sorry for what we’ve done and confess our sins, as Rob said, 1 John 1:9 says it all. Get your Bible and read this passage, mediate upon it and the awesome glory of Christ. Think about the suffering he underwent, this wil be a deterrent against sin. He did this so that he could take up his life again in the Resurrection and make a place for us in his Heavenly kingdom because he loves us, his own creation. Don’t ever stop asking JESUS to be your Lord.
Hi Don, I don’t know if you’re still on here but I’d like to say, I understand where you are coming from!! I have done some terrible things against God & his spirit to which I deeply regret! I’ve spent a decade & a half begging for forgiveness but I went through so many different feelings & emotions at that time! I believed & was persuaded for so very long that there was no hope left for me & that id never be forgiven because I had crossed the line! I would like to enourage you by saying while you have breathe, seek God pursue him! One of the scriptures that came to me some years ago was lamentations 3. Read this! This declares Gods mercies are new every morning great is his faithfulness! My Pastor also preached a message on Sunday…
Speaking about God as our father. Don I don’t know if you have children of your own but I do & I know that I love my children. They have put me through some awful trying times, they have gone behind my back & hurt me both will fully & ignorantly but yet I know I love them so much, I may be hurt by some of the behaviours & actions they have done (when I’ve felt I didn’t deserve it) also, when they have displayed such unthankfulness.. yet I love them because they are my children. How much more God who created us, made us &planted us in our mothers womb. He’s been there for us all our life&kept us till now!! He is an awesome&wonderful father! I’m still here working on my relationship with him. Don’t give up! While we have breathe…