God will forgive me anyway....??

I was reading and it was talked about doing things as a Christian that we know would offend God because we feel we "have to" I was thinking about this mentality and it just seems so wrong. The idea that I know GOD does not want me to steal but my children are starving so HE will understand why I have to steal and forgive me later. The idea that I know this thing I do is sin but I have no choice but to do it because__________________ and later I will repent and GOD will forgive me.

I guess it goes back to the idea of black/white/gray areas and yet JESUS says the way is narrow and the road is straight.

God bless
mj

Edited to be more clear.

Mary,

Something that I love about the Lord is that His will is perfect. I do not have to violate a part of His will to satisfy another part.

That being said, I will quote David, in Psalm 37:5 "I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread."

Also, Jesus said that we ought not to worry about what we will eat or wear.

This may seem like the easier answer, but if we really believe all those things the Bible said, then we have to believer we don't need to sin in order to serve God.

havok20x This may seem like the easier answer, but if we really believe all those things the Bible said, then we have to believer we don't need to sin in order to serve God.

_______________

That was exactly my thought when I read through this article. There are those who just seem to have this attitude that GOD will just have to understand and they go about doing what ever they wish.

God bless
maryjane

Mary Jane,

I have had females who planned to have abortions tell me they will go ahead with the procedure and then later ask God to forgive them - "because He does know how hard I have it and he will understand!" Really! I have heard it so often that I began warning these people that God just may not forgive you BECAUSE you will justify what you have done, you will not be sorry/repentant at all and this is a requirement for forgiveness. Sister, this is an extremely hard situation to deal with - this act of defying God and expecting God to forgive her?!!!!!

Paul writes in Heb.10:26: "For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." I have asked preachers from many different churches - Presbyterian, Southern Baptist, Mennonite for an interpretation for this verse and they all shrug their shoulders - get the idea they wish I had not asked! So....I was left on my own to work to understand it.

What I learned was that there were sins in the OT for which there was no sacrifice to be offered to atone for the sin. Among them was adultery, homosexuality, beasility - the offenders were to be killed. They could not take a bull to the temple for a sacrifice to atone for their sin. Since this was the case, what does Paul mean when he says that if one deliberately goes against better knowledge and in defiance disobey - what sacrifice is there for him? Paul says there is none! If this is true, sinning is terribly serious. Moderns have developed such a reckless attitude towards it that I fear for many...and it should put some holy fear in us. Hard saying, I know - makes me tremble.

What are you thinking, Mary Jane?

ginnyrose

In continuing this discussion a bit more...

I have a nephew who had a remarkable conversion experience. He was delivered from drug abuse, sexual immorality. He discarded all his worldly music. Very remarkable.

Before too many months he fell back - hard. People would talk to him and he readily would admit he was wrong. The day came when he so wanted to come back to the LORD but, OH! the problem to do so! It is as though he cannot accomplish it. I have no idea where he is going to end up at, but all I can say is that you do NOT do as he did and think you can play with sin and come back to the LORD at your will once you weary of it. This is mocking God! Ya hear?!

ginnyrose wrote: Before too many months he fell back - hard. People would talk to him and he readily would admit he was wrong. The day came when he so wanted to come back to the LORD but, OH! the problem to do so! It is as though he cannot accomplish it. I have no idea where he is going to end up at, but all I can say is that you do NOT do as he did and think you can play with sin and come back to the LORD at your will once you weary of it. This is mocking God! Ya hear?!
_________________________________

I am sorry to hear about your nephew. I feel like my original post might have been misunderstood. I was not advocating this attitude in any way. I do not believe that we can play with sin and do things our own way and still expect GOD to just be ok with it. I was commenting on this article I read and the attitude I have seen from others about sin as if it is nothing. I was just thinking so many seem to have no understanding how serious it is to sin against a HOLY and RIGHTEOUS GOD. They go about doing whatever they want with little regard to the consequence.

God bless
maryjane

Ginnyrose,
I appreciate your comments and many answers that I have read on sermonindex: very wise and biblical. Thank you for yours thoughts.

Let's look at the attitude of the woman in Luke 7:36-50. Her attitude toward forgiveness and sin is clear--she was willing to absolutely humiliate herself in the presence of all because of her gratefulness and love for Christ. She was radically saved, radically forgiven and she loved Christ much.

I feel like a hypocrite for typing this, but from what I have seen in scripture, those who truly understand the grace that have been given to them act this way. Those who do not understand grace, they will often jump at the chance to grab it up and use it as a weapon to defend their lifestyle. I have certainly been guilty of that.

A person who claims to be a Christian, having the attitude that God will forgive them if they commit a sin, thereby giving them permission to do so--they walk a dangerous road. Here is what Paul said, "And why not say, just as some people slanderously claim we say, 'Let us do what is evil so that good may come'? Their condemnation is deserved!"

MaryJane bless you dear sister for starting this thread!!! It is true that some
believers willfully choose sin! Paul did allude such conversion in the New Testament saying these believers in the last days will turn the Grace of God into lasciviousness. That willingness to sin is evident by the life they choose to live.

Ginnyrose got it right sister if we are indeed children of God we cannot willfully sin against Our God and Saviour. One mark of true conversion is a growing loathing for sin in our own lives and of those around us. Indeed 1 John is fulfilled by this feeling of hating sin because of the Spirit of Christ in us therefore we can not continue to be comfortable with sin of any form because His seed remains in us.

Sometimes those who are babes in Christ may not understand the importance of repentance which is why we ought to encourage, exhort and pray for those struggling with sin taking heed of ourselves also lest we fall too as sin so easily ensnares us! But when we wash ourselves in the water of The Word of God we will be kept from sin. If you stop reading the Word of God you will fall into sin and its deceptiveness which will then lead to spiritual death, which I believe is one of the worst conditions to find yourself in. Make no mistake God will not be mocked and you will reap what you sow! If you sow to your flesh you will reap death, if you sow to your spirit you reap eternal life!

To those who willfully chose to continue in sin Be sure your sin will find you out and to him who knows to do good but chooses not to that is sin! Let us not trample the death of Christ under our feet by embracing sin in our own lives and those believers but rather perfect holiness in love and fear of our Creator who is able to destroy both our body and soul in hell!! Hell is real and the way to eternal life is narrow and very few will find it! Christ is calling all of us to repentance there is no compromise! Repent ye therefore for the Kingdom of God is hand.

Humble yourselves in the sight of God and He will lift you up! Look to Him for the strength to do so because the power to abhor sin and resist temptation comes from Him! Love the Truth and the truth shall set you free indeed!!

Love in Christ!!

Mary Jane,

I understood your concern...I just shared some real life experiences I have had with people who embraced this belief and how it works where the rubber meets the road. This mindset drives many people today.

Talking about stealing food to feed your children - if the situation becomes this desperate I would believe God knows about it. It is unwise to assume how you will respond when faced with such a dilemma. Trust God now, keep on doing it and you will have nothing to fear.

God bless, Mary Jane.

ginnyrose

MaryJane,the attitude you describe would be a clear sign of not trusting God's Word over our own knowledge, in other words, it is a sign that we're still in control and not in submission. Jesus addressed this very issue by saying: "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and don't do as I say?"

God is honoured when we do as He says despite the urge to do what seems best to us. It really blows the enemy's mind!

Several years ago I have come to the conclusion that if it is true that Christ died for all my sins, past, present and future, then I add to His suffering on the cross whenever I choose to sin and likewise, I prevent more suffering as I resist sin. Nothing keeps me on the narrow path better than to remind myself that His love is so great that He has actually made Himself vulnerable to this point. It makes me want to do everything I can to show that I love Him by not sinning, and cry when I fail to do so.

By amrkelly:Not sure why you have been misunderstood MaryJane but what you said was clear enough.

What a lot of self righteous prigs we are really!
___________________________

Perhaps after thinking on this more and reading some of the responses I have just realized I did a very poor job of conveying what was on my heart at the time I wrote the original post. Still don't think I have it quite right but that is my own fault and not anyone else. Poor writing, wrong words chosen on my part.

Sorry for the confusion.
God bless
maryjane

For me, I know perfectly well the reality of committing sin with an eye to working out forgiveness later. And I have paid a price to also know the shame of insulting both the Father's love and Jesus' painful sacrifice. As the saying goes, "Ain't nobody gonna get away with nothin!"

When Jesus instructed Peter in the principle of forgiving seventy times seven, He was passing along the heart of the Father, and His eagerness to forgive to the uttermost. But this has to be balanced with "Ye shall reap what you sow" and the painful reality is that those who regularly slide back into sin rarely make a clean break. God will not be mocked.

Those who stay in the grace of God have repentance built into their character, are quick to see their missteps, eager to be a pleasing aroma to God among the people they know watch their life. They are zealous for God's reputation, grateful for their salvation, and loath to offend either God or man.