i got confused with repentance and accepting christ as your lord and savior. Since you cannot lose your salvation, what if you dont repent then? what if u accept christ as your lord and savior and you repent once but then a year later you start having sex all the time whith gfs or bfs or getting drunk.............so do you only have to repent once? and if you have salvation is there no way to lose it? even if u arent doing anything?
You are asking some of the most important questions that exist - because they have to do with your relationship with God, and your eternal destiny. It is importnat that you try to undersand the meaning of the words you use: repent, "accept Christ",salvation,savior...With sloppy use, we often lose their intended meaning. Why not study these words in the Bible, and see how they are used. You may discover that we tend to use the phrase "accept Christ" in a rather loosely way. To make a decision to follow Christ is not just something we do after the church service when we "walk forward." It is a very costly and radical decision that we make, enabled by the Spirit. It means turning away from our trust in the things of this world, and instead trusting Christ.Jesus made it quite clear that if there is no change in life, there is no true repentance (which is a radical turn around, not just a good intention) Does this make any sense?Of course we slip up after we have committed our lives to Christ, but if we feel no conviction for our sin, and we justify it - thinking we are "off the hook" with God since we "accepted Christ", then we are likely deceived about ourselves. Diane
Hello, I have found when you accept the Lord Jesus as your personal savior then a work begins he will though the Holy Spirit begin to convict us in the areas he wants as this happens I repent for the act or thought and pray for the holy spirit to give me strengh in this area. In prayer I ask for the mind of Christ. and devote as much time as possible in the word of God Matthew Mark Luke and John are wonderful for a new beliver If I can ever answer a question are pray with you contact me anytime 573-594-6902 or flockofthenorth@peoplepc.com :-) God bless Kat
Jesse,At the end of the day, you need to remember who's doing the "saving" here. The thoughts and the struggles and the questions you are asking are normal. I would say that you are at the presipice of surrender to Him.I just posted this in another thread, and would recommend you read it. It deals with the issue of leading people to Christ. May I suggest the following perscription. Start with Mat 5-7. Don't just read it, but study it. Allow it to weigh you and find you undone. Strive to obey the principles set out, with all you have. Once you've exhausted every attempt at success, go onto Rom 6-8. Again study this. Put yourself in Paul's shoes, because you'll quickly realise that his struggles are all of ours. By the end of this, you should firmly realise that you are totally "poor in spirit". Hopefully, you can then go back to Matt 5-7, and figure out what Christ is really saying.Make sure you never allow yourself to water it down. It's meant to bring death. If your like I was before I faced these harsh realities, Gal 2:20 seems utterly terrifying. However, once you really see Christ "face to face" as it were, this becomes the most beautiful vearse in scripture.Never, never, ever allow yourself to absolve yourself from guilt, but fall upon the mercy of Christ, alwasys remembering that mercy is only available to the guilty, as the innocent have no need of it.May I suggest Norman Grubb's "Meaning of Life" series (keeping in mind that the correct listening order is Part 2,1,3,4,5,6). This series opened the crack in the door, as it were, to a life of liberty in Christ, without compromising sinfulness.May the Lord bless you and keep you in you pilgrimage toward greater union with Him.
what about the verse in romans that says. because of your unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself....does this verse include everyone, even saved people...can you explain this please
John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance in preparation for the coming of Jesus. A baptism, or immersion, into repentance means it becomes a characteristic of your life from then on. Repentance is not just a one-time act. It has a starting point, but it continues as a way of life, because as humans we will always be vulnerable to sin - no one is perfect except God. John was saying, God wants to give you repentance so that when the Messiah comes, your heart will be ready to receive His salvation. The message Jesus preached was also "Repent, for the reign of the LORD (YHVH) is coming." Sin cannot dwell in God's presence. Jesus was warning, essentially, "if you don't repent and receive the gift of God, you will not be able to survive in His presence." You can't receive the gift of salvation without repentance. The good news is that Jesus is the Lamb of God who TAKES AWAY sins - He doesn't just forgive us - He takes away our sins when we repent. That is what He wants us to believe in when we say we "believe" in Him. The good news is not just forgiveness and freedom to then continue in sin, but the real good news (gospel) is more than forgiveness. It is the new covenant - which is the law written inside our heart instead on the stones. We are no longer obeying outward laws, but following what He puts in our heart to WANT to do. If a law is in your heart, it is no longer a hard external rule, but a heart-felt desire. This is the fruit of repentance. The good news is the gift of a new, pure heart that delights in obeying God's requirements of holiness, and the power of the Holy Spirit to begin walking in the direction of purity. You got some other good advice for reading in Romans about the struggle between this new heart and the flesh that fights it so I won't go into that aspect. But if you don't really want your sins to be taken away, Jesus will not do so. If you ask Jesus to save you without wanting the salvation He says He offers - the gift of a new heart to live through His new life, you will not be saved. Because in that case, your idea of what salvation means is not what He means by it. I do not presume to know your heart and whether you are saved, so I am not necessary using "you" to address "you personally". But if we repent - agree with God about our sins and turn away from that to Him - or even just ask Him for a repentant heart because we realize we don't have one, He will give the repentance necessary for salvation from our sins. It is a gift, not a decision. If you ask for it and He gives it, don't wait, believe Him and take it! When we are saved from our sins and baptized into repentance and into His Holy Spirit, He will give us a new heart that WANTS to do right and wants to be pure, the faith to believe His power in us will do it, and a heart that will repent when we do sin. We all will sin, but it will bother us enough to repent and allow Him to take it - when before salvation we didn't care.
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