Dezi
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Post by Dezi on Jul 20, 2019 13:34:28 GMT -5
So I have wondered if it's Biblical to be able to come back to Christ after going into a life of sin. I have found a couple of scriptures that make me wonder about that. But, if we look at the entire Nation of Israel in the Old Testament... they left God. Yet, God continually called them back and told them to come out of their idolatry. If he is the same today as he was yesterday... then wouldn't he still want his children to come back to him if they go astray? Just a thought here. I would like to hear others opinions.
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Post by John on Jul 20, 2019 13:52:33 GMT -5
If a person is being convicted of sin, and feeling God is calling them back, it makes no sense that he wouldn't let them return. It says in 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." In the parable of the prodigal son, the son starts off as a child of God the Father. He goes into sin, winds up dead and lost. Later on, he returns, and is said to be found and alive again. There is no question God will take you back, but the problem is that if you stay away from God for a long time and refuse to repent, the Spirit will stop dealing with you and you wont desire to return. Then you will be eternally lost.
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Post by Tabitha3319 on Jul 20, 2019 13:52:58 GMT -5
So I have wondered if it's Biblical to be able to come back to Christ after going into a life of sin. I have found a couple of scriptures that make me wonder about that. But, if we look at the entire Nation of Israel in the Old Testament... they left God. Yet, God continually called them back and told them to come out of their idolatry. If he is the same today as he was yesterday... then wouldn't he still want his children to come back to him if they go astray? Just a thought here. I would like to hear others opinions. I think God's heart was that He wanted to bless Israel, not reject them. In the same way, the Bible says God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but wants repentance. I think God is patient and wants those of us that go astray to come back.
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Dezi
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Post by Dezi on Jul 20, 2019 13:58:20 GMT -5
If a person is being convicted of sin, and feeling God is calling them back, it makes no sense that he wouldn't let them return. It says in 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." In the parable of the prodigal son, the son starts off as a child of God the Father. He goes into sin, winds up dead and lost. Later on, he returns, and is said to be found and alive again. There is no question God will take you back, but the problem is that if you stay away from God for a long time and refuse to repent, the Spirit will stop dealing with you and you wont desire to return. Then you will be eternally lost.
Yes I also thought about the Prodigal son. But there are a couple of verses that have made me wonder... I just can't remember where they are right now. I think He is a forgiving God and wants everyone to come to Him. That's how I Feel about my children and loved ones. We are always supposed to forgive.... over and over. Maybe I had not really totally walked away from God. I was in sin, but I still thought about him and talked to him. I was just very confused at that time while on those medications.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on Jul 20, 2019 14:40:21 GMT -5
In the Christian walk there is a point of no return, but it isn’t easy to do this, especially as a babe. People who are still nibbling around the edges don’t yet have the strength to withstand all the devil’s wiles. The Lord understands this.
If you were to be a prophet who once spoke in tongues, laid hands on people, all of this, and then you turned around to denounce it as fake, there would be something seriously wrong with you. If you received (or witnessed) a miraculous healing, and then you told people it was nothing, that would be very disrespectful. This is the sort of thing that turns God away from us.
A friend of mine told me the story of a pastor who almost died. He fainted during church service. Doctors said his heart was weak. The elders went in to lay hands on him, and God miraculously fixed him. Right there in the hospital! The elders were rejoicing. But then, not wanting his family to worry, the pastor claimed he’d only gotten dehydrated. Those men who prayed for his life to be spared felt like they were punched in the gut.
A sheep who wanders astray is NOT the same as a turncoat who deliberately disrespects the Lord.
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Dezi
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Post by Dezi on Jul 20, 2019 14:55:16 GMT -5
In the Christian walk there is a point of no return, but it isn’t easy to do this, especially as a babe. People who are still nibbling around the edges don’t yet have the strength to withstand all the devil’s wiles. The Lord understands this. If you were to be a prophet who once spoke in tongues, laid hands on people, all of this, and then you turned around to denounce it as fake, there would be something seriously wrong with you. If you received (or witnessed) a miraculous healing, and then you told people it was nothing, that would be very disrespectful. This is the sort of thing that turns God away from us. A friend of mine told me the story of a pastor who almost died. He fainted during church service. Doctors said his heart was weak. The elders went in to lay hands on him, and God miraculously fixed him. Right there in the hospital! The elders were rejoicing. But then, not wanting his family to worry, the pastor claimed he’d only gotten dehydrated. Those men who prayed for his life to be spared felt like they were punched in the gut. A sheep who wanders astray is NOT the same as a turncoat who deliberately disrespects the Lord. Wow Candance... you have a way with words and a way of helping me see truth! I appreciate this analogy.
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Dezi
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Post by Dezi on Jul 20, 2019 14:58:36 GMT -5
This is one of the scriptures I was referring to that made me wonder if you could not return to God.
Hebrews 10:26-31 King James Version (KJV) 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on Jul 20, 2019 15:11:17 GMT -5
This is one of the scriptures I was referring to that made me wonder if you could not return to God. Hebrews 10:26-31 King James Version (KJV) 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, Before Jesus came, the Jews were used to going once a year for their sin sacrifice. They carried on in their sins because they knew they could simply give a sacrifice next time around. Do what you want and pay for it later. That was the old system. They weren’t even really sorry. Catholics worked out a similar deal with indulgences in the middle ages, where wealthy benefactors donated to the church as a show of sacrifice, and were basically using this to buy their forgiveness. It’s one of the things Martin Luther attacked the Catholic church for. When we sin today, there’s no wiggling out of facing Jesus for it. No paying for it with a calf or a dove. No leaving the high priest to go in there and face God for you. We have one sacrifice to appeal to, and there is no Plan B. As long as Jesus offers you a second or third chance, no one can question Him. It’s His blood that was shed, so His perogative.
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Post by 2fw8212a on Jul 20, 2019 15:24:32 GMT -5
So I have wondered if it's Biblical to be able to come back to Christ after going into a life of sin. I have found a couple of scriptures that make me wonder about that. But, if we look at the entire Nation of Israel in the Old Testament... they left God. Yet, God continually called them back and told them to come out of their idolatry. If he is the same today as he was yesterday... then wouldn't he still want his children to come back to him if they go astray? Just a thought here. I would like to hear others opinions. God desires all men to repent and come to Him.
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” - 1 Timothy 2:3-4
“...is longsuffering toward us,
not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” - 2 Peter 3:9
“...know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind;
for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you;
but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.” - 1 Chronicles 28:9
“...‘As I live,’ says the Lord God,
‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.
Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die...” - Ezekiel 33:11
Anything that tries to distance you from God is not coming from Him.
His desire is for all people to repent and come to Him, and no one can even consider coming to Him if the Holy Spirit does not draws them.
Because if men was not drawn by the Holy Spirit of God they would never want anything to do with God.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” - John 1:12-13
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” - John 6:44
But people still have the right to choose what they want, to follow and obey His voice or to ignore and continue walking forward to eternal destruction.
“If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” - Hebrews 12:7
“If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”;
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” - Isaiah 1:19-20
“Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.” - Revelation 2:16
“He had in His right hand seven stars,
out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword,
and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.” - Revelation 1:16
Blessings to you in Jesus' name!
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Dezi
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Post by Dezi on Jul 20, 2019 15:24:46 GMT -5
This is one of the scriptures I was referring to that made me wonder if you could not return to God. Hebrews 10:26-31 King James Version (KJV) 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, Before Jesus came, the Jews were used to going once a year for their sin sacrifice. They carried on in their sins because they knew they could simply give a sacrifice next time around. Do what you want and pay for it later. That was the old system. They weren’t even really sorry. Catholics worked out a similar deal with indulgences in the middle ages, where wealthy benefactors donated to the church as a show of sacrifice, and were basically using this to buy their forgiveness. It’s one of the things Martin Luther attacked the Catholic church for. When we sin today, there’s no wiggling out of facing Jesus for it. No paying for it with a calf or a dove. No leaving the high priest to go in there and face God for you. We have one sacrifice to appeal to, and there is no Plan B. As long as Jesus offers you a second or third chance, no one can question Him. It’s His blood that was shed, so His perogative. So, it's saying there is no other sacrifice than Jesus Sacrifice? Not sure I am getting this fully.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on Jul 20, 2019 15:42:53 GMT -5
Remember, Hebrews was written mostly to Jews to explain how Christ was different from Judaism. No more temple made of brick, no more veil, no more animal offerings to pay for sins. If you read all of that chapter, it’s explaining how animal death was required every year because it was a temporary fix. It didn’t clean the conscience or make you a better person — it merely got you out of trouble. So every year they trudged back to the temple to pay for the same old sins.
But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. — Hebrews 10:3-4
Jesus broke the cycle of repeatedly sacrificing and paying for your sins over and over. If you decide this isn’t good enough, or you think you can find another way, you’re mistaken.
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? — Hebrews 10:29
I doubt that when you fell alway from the Lord you were out there saying His blood wasn’t holy.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on Jul 20, 2019 15:52:18 GMT -5
Anything that tries to distance you from God is not coming from Him. This. So much this. Our enemy is aware of Bible verses about unforgivable sins. Those are some of his favorite verses. He’s quite adept at making Christians stumble in such a way that they think they can’t be forgiven. It’s probably happened to all of us here at one time or another. Remember the man at Corinth who was in adultery. Paul didn’t say to toss him out forever because he couldn’t be forgiven. Paul said to discipline him until he changed. That man was a church member, and Paul didn’t say he “wasn’t really saved” so all the evidence says he must have been a Christian. He was disciplined by the church until he snapped out of his sin.
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PG4Him
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Post by PG4Him on Jul 20, 2019 16:16:23 GMT -5
Scripture overwhelmingly affirms that brothers/sisters in the faith can recover after going astray.
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. — James 5:14-16
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. — 1 Corinthians 5:4-5
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? — Galatians 2:14
Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done... But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. — Acts 8:13, 20-24
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Post by justinadams on Jul 20, 2019 16:23:24 GMT -5
This is one of the scriptures I was referring to that made me wonder if you could not return to God. Hebrews 10:26-31 King James Version (KJV) 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, A pig and a sheep. An analogy. The pig loves mud and likes filth. So a sheep wanders by and falls into the mud. The sheep is NOT a mud type and struggles to get out. The pig wallows in it and enjoys it. We are like sheep that occasionally fall into mud - we do NOT like it and do NOT want it and we get out as soon as we can. Sheep know the difference and the pig does not. As sheep we are constantly struggling like this sometimes. But our nature as Christians is not mud wallowing.
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Dezi
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Post by Dezi on Jul 20, 2019 17:25:03 GMT -5
Anything that tries to distance you from God is not coming from Him. This. So much this. Our enemy is aware of Bible verses about unforgivable sins. Those are some of his favorite verses. He’s quite adept at making Christians stumble in such a way that they think they can’t be forgiven. It’s probably happened to all of us here at one time or another. Remember the man at Corinth who was in adultery. Paul didn’t say to toss him out forever because he couldn’t be forgiven. Paul said to discipline him until he changed. That man was a church member, and Paul didn’t say he “wasn’t really saved” so all the evidence says he must have been a Christian. He was disciplined by the church until he snapped out of his sin. Thank you and you're right... I think he is trying every way possible to convince me I am not worthy to call upon the Lord. I think this really helped me.
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