John 3:36 : “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

I have seen some Universalists claim that John 3:36 doesn’t affect their doctrine at all. Instead they agree with it because they agree that unbelievers shall not see life until they believe in Jesus Christ. Which I agree with too. However, where we disagree is when this offer to accept salvation expires. Universalists take this to mean that even those who die physically in a state of rejection of Christ will still have the opportunity post mortem to accept Christ thus changing their eternal destiny by leaving Hell and going to Heaven.

The problem is that it is not biblical. The clear teaching of the New Testament is that our eternal fates are sealed at our death because we are judged solely based on what we did in this life and not on a choice we make after death. What we say after physical death has no impact on whether we go to heaven or hell. So when John says that the one who rejects the son shall not see life he is indeed correct and that will be permanent in effect when someone dies physically.

Luke 16:19-31 is a perfect teaching by Jesus Christ that once we die we cannot change our eternal destinations. Our fate is fixed. I don’t want to hear any Universalist throw a cop out card by claiming that this is a parable just so you can discard it and not deal with the clear teaching.

In Luke 16:19-31 the Rich Man after dying physically woke up in torment in Hades and is told that he cannot cross over to paradise and those in paradise or that are saved cannot cross over to those that are damned confirming that at death our fates are sealed for eternity and that is consistent with the rest of scripture which testifies that it is this life that determines our eternal abode.

"And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’" - Luke 16:26

This passage is nonsensical if post mortem salvation is true, what Jesus should have said is "You can cross over once you repent" but he doesn't and also we see the Rich Man once accepting his fate that he is forever damned he starts pleading with Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his brothers to repent so that they do not come to this place of torment. This text is not identified as a parable. But even if its parabolic in nature, treating it as an unreliable source ignores the one who is giving the account. Should we believe that Christ would engage speculative imagery on such a serious matter? Luke 16 is a clear teaching that this is the life to either choose or reject Christ and after death we will not get another chance.


Romans 2:6-10

“God's righteous judgment will be revealed.He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek”

We will all be judged based on what we did in this body and in this life. Based on that we will either go into eternal perdition or into eternal life. Only one group receives eternal life.

Other passages that make this explicit : John 8:21-24 ; Matthew 16:27 ; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ; Galatians 6:7-9 ; 2 Corinthians 5:10 ; John 5:28-29 ; Matthew 25:31-46 etc.

All of these judgment passages teach the same thing and that is that God will judge us based on what we did in this life alone. There is no mention of post mortem salvation or multiple chances after death to repent and accept Christ. When John says that unbelievers "shall not see life" he is just confirming what Jesus says in Matthew 25:46 that when all people are judged according to what they did in this life those who rejected God will be sent into eternal punishment and its clear to conclude that they shall not see eternal life.

Hi,

I have a question for Catholics. How do you justify God redeeming everyone and especially Eve, if he simply created a new eve (aka Virgin Mary). What happens to the old Eve? Is that redemption if you simply discard the old one and give another woman the role as the mother of living? I don't want any hard and defined answers if there isn't one. But I just thought it's something to think about. IF you sinned and God simply replaced you, would you term that as redeeming you?

Hello people of Christian Forum. I hope I won't be thrown out for what I have to confess. I know I selected Christian as my religion, but I kinda have my Komboskini prayer rope where I chant the Jesus Prayer like the Orthodox, believe in Mary's role in salvation but not in papacy, believe in rapture and some other things!

I hope I won't be considered heretical here. I hope my faith in Jesus as the Son of our one and only Lord God who died to redeem us will help me find a community here.

Now, this is not saying that we will not have physical human enemies. We most certainly will! That is why we are taught to love our enemies and to pray for them and to do good to them and to say to them what is beneficial to them in a good way. And it is why we are taught not to fear our enemies, and we are warned of what to expect when we choose to follow Jesus with our lives. For we are told that we should expect to be treated by others as Jesus was treated, because we are living for the Lord in walks of obedience to him and because we are sharing the truth of the gospel and refuting lies.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-36; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

For it isn’t that we don’t have physical enemies, but it is that we are not to fight our physical enemies with the weapons of warfare provided by human beings. We are not to murder and to do evil and to willfully do physical harm to those who are our enemies. For this is not physical warfare being talked about here, but this is speaking of a spiritual battle which we are to fight with spiritual weapons of warfare against the wicked schemes of the devil. And the devil does use humans to do his dirty work, for certain. But we can only fight this battle in the strength of the Lord, and with his armor.

Now, this is written in figurative language comparing physical armor of physical warfare with spiritual armor of warfare against our enemy Satan. But the Lord’s armor he provides for us is not of a physical nature, but of a spiritual nature. So it is not something that we put on our physical bodies, but it is what needs to be applied to our daily lives, in practice. And it is not just words we say or some routine that we go through, but it involves us engaging in these specific areas in our deeds, thoughts, and words.

For Satan (the devil) is going to scheme against us in how he might try to take us down, for he wants us to give up hope, and to stop serving the Lord in ministry, and to stop sharing the gospel, and to not live holy lives, but to continue living in sin. And if he can’t get us one way, he will try another, and another, hoping that something will work and that he will conquer. And those who are not armored up, but who leave a door open for the devil, do get taken out. And this is why we must be armored up all the time.

So, how this is applied to our lives is in how we live our lives, in practice. So if I have on the belt of truth, I am one who is living the truth of the gospel and who is teaching the truth of the gospel, and I am not one who tells lies to make others feel good. And if I am wearing the breastplate of righteousness, then righteousness is what I live, what I practice, and it guards my heart from the evil one. And if I am wearing shoes with the readiness given by the gospel of peace, I am someone who is living and who is sharing the gospel message, in practice, in my daily walk of faith.

And if I am taking up the shield of faith I am putting the faith provided by the Lord into daily practice. And that faith involves obedience to my Lord in holy living, believing his word, and putting his word into practice. And I trust the Lord and I do not doubt him. But I follow him in obedience, I listen to him, and I follow him wherever he leads me. And the same applies if I am taking up the helmet of salvation, for first of all I need to be putting my faith in biblical salvation and not the diluted version of God’s gospel of salvation so many are promoting today. For Jesus delivers from slavery to sin.

If I am taking up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, then I am being serious-minded and diligent to study the Scriptures in their correct context, to know what they teach, to apply them to my life, and then to share them with others, in truth. I am also using the Scriptures as a sword to fight against the lies of the enemy, for we fight lies with the truth. And believe me, lies and liars abound these days in the governments of nations, in the gatherings of what is called “church,” and in the media, including the news media, but also in social media – lies and liars abound there!

And then prayer is critical! If we are not talking with our Lord, and if we are not listening to him speak to our hearts, then we cannot operate in the Spirit with the Spiritual armor of God. For this can’t be something that we do in the flesh with human reasoning and intellect and choices. We need to be in open communication with our Lord about everything going on in our lives and regarding prayer needs for other people, and in order to know the way he wants us to go so that we can walk in it. For our Lord has specific callings for each of us to follow and so we need to listen to hear him speak.

Now, the Lord Jesus lately has been using this secular song in my life as an encouragement by replacing “Sun” with “Son” (Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is also God). For sometimes the troubles of life can be overwhelming, and the enemy may be attacking fiercely, and it may seem sometimes like it’s been awhile since we have seen the light of day, i.e. a breakthrough of some kind to give us encouragement and hope and healing.

Here Comes the Sun

By George Harrison

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's alright

Little darlin', it's been a long, cold, lonely winter
Little darlin', it feels like years since it's been here
Little darlin', the smile's returning to their faces
Little darlin', it seems like years since it's been here
Little darlin', I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darlin', it seems like years since it's been clear

Here comes the sun, doo-doo-doo-doo
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's alright

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I feel as if im high- When thinking about god. A gang approached me,and tried to intimidate me. But I felt the glory of god around me. I listen to the bible on YouTube,and I pray as i listen. And i feel so relaxed. Like im floating on air. How come after a person prays. They feel so relaxed

President Biden has given Texas Governor Greg Abbott a 24-hour deadline to allow federal agents to clear out Eagle Pass or "face consequences," according to Texas Congressman Wesley Hunt.
I think Joe is making a mistake by not waiting to hear the Supreme Court decision. This is the time for prudence. It could be he and his people think the Court will rule against them.

The book of Ezekiel when it was written down, it was highly controversial and only barely made it to the OT. It contains prophesies that were hard to accept by Jews of the time. there is evidence that the way the book is arranged is not in the same order of how it was originally written down by Ezekiel. Have you read the original chapter wise arrangements of the book of Ezekiel and found something new or different about it?

Mr. Beast is the biggest youtuber on the planet. He uses his platform to help others, it is also how he makes his money. I have seen people say he is a white savior for doing good in africa. He had surgery done on over a 1000 people to return there sight and that makes him demonic. One of the big arguments is would he be doing all this good if he did not have money. He can make money...good money...without doing good for others.

He wants to do good, to make a change in the world and the best way to do it is to make money. He made this post on Twitter

Twitter - Rich people should help others with their money
Me - Okay, I’ll use my money to help people and I promise to give away all my money before I die. Every single penny.
Twitter - MrBeast bad

I am happy he is not letting a bunch of jerks stop him from doing what he does.

I guess my question is...what is the problem. Other people like to complain, I mean he could cure cancer people would complain

I went through a Doubting Thomas phase where I started to think religion was fake. So, I denied the HS and made disparaging remarks about Him to prove to myself that I no longer believed and officially leave the church. The Gospels clearly state that anyone who blasphemes the HS can't be forgiven and will go to Hell. I also wondered why God would forgive serial rape but not something as seemingly trivial as blasphemy, especially considering that it's free speech.

Do you think it's too late for me to be saved?

Biblical examples of nations that angered God and were subsequently judged.
Edom:
Jeremiah 49:16
Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the Lord.
49:12,
For thus saith the Lord; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.
(It wasn't God's intention to bring judgment on Edom, but yet because of sin, it happened. same went for Israel. And the same goes for USA)

Babylon:
Jeremiah 50:23-24,
How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!
I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the Lord.
(America has been the most powerful nation on earth, "the hammer of the whole earth," but now she has striven against the LORD, and she shall be brought down. Most people will be shocked when it happens, but those who know the LORD, and who are in the Spirit, will not be shocked. Personally, I'm a little surprised it hasn't happened yet. I mean a full judgment as in destruction or a decisive defeat on our own shores. The only reason I can think of is we have not turned our back on Israel. As for sin, I posted a topic on how USA has committed the sins of Noahs day, the sins of Sodom, the sins of King Manasseh, and the sins of Romans chapter 1.
There have been judgments of varying kind upon America in recent years: fires, storms, floods, all kinds of extreme weather, Covid, civil unrest, inflation... but these are just precursors )

51:7,
Babylon hath been a golden cup in the Lord's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.
(Has not America been a golden cup in the LORDs hand: the most prosperous nation? But lately she has exported her filth and abominations to the rest of the world, making the nations drink of her wine.
Don't believe that? The US government says it! Advancing LGBTQI+ Inclusive Development | Basic Page | U.S. Agency for International Development
How about abortion? They do same: Today's Supreme Court Decision - United States Department of State
Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin wrote in 2022: "So let me be clear: under this Administration, the State Department will remain fully committed to helping provide access to reproductive health services and advancing reproductive rights around the world." )

51:30,
The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
(It doesn't matter if USA has the best military in the world. God has the final say in these matters and if a nation turns their back on Him, He can destroy that nation howsoever He pleases, with a much weaker force in the natural. 9/11 proved USA is not untouchable.)

51:44,
And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.
(It looks like God Himself might be the one to solve the border problem, for certainly today the nations are flowing into America!)

51:53,
Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the Lord.
(America is the leader in space, and does now have Space Force as part of her military)

Isaiah 47:8-11,
Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:
But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.

(This is how it will go down: similar to 9/11 but much, much bigger. Let these scriptures speak for themselves. Revelation 17 & 18 also speak of Babylon: a future Babylon long after the original Babylon was no more.
The scriptures are written for examples. Although there was judgment on ancient Babylon, we can also see Babylon as a type - in this case comparable to America: a superpower, one that has the greatest influence on the rest of the world, that nations come to, and ultimately, that has mocked God)

Hi. I’d like to ask for prayer please. I’ve been dealing with left side pain (front and back) for months now as well as digestion problems. I’ve seen doctors, had colonoscopy, ct scan, mri, ultrasounds, X-rays and bloodwork with no clear answers as to what is causing my pain. They’ve seen gallstones, liver hemangiomas and uterine fibroids but don’t believe those would be causing my problems. I’m very concerned that it’s something serious but maybe uncommon so they’re not finding it. I’ve tried physio and chiropractic care as well as a naturopath and nothing is helping. The pain is getting worse and it very difficult to carry on with life. I’m taking Tylenol 3 with codeine and that helps but does not completely eliminate the pain. I am asking for some heartfelt prayers for healing please. My husband and I have been praying every day.

NEW YORK, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Donald Trump was handed a stinging defeat on Friday by a Manhattan jury that ordered him to pay $83.3 million to the writer E. Jean Carroll, who said he destroyed her reputation as a trustworthy journalist by denying he raped her.
Jurors needed less than three hours to reach a verdict in Manhattan federal court following a five-day trial. The sum that the former U.S. president was ordered to pay far exceeded the minimum $10 million that Carroll had sought.


Mr Trump could have saved $73 million by simply not continuing to defame a person he had been found guilty of defaming. Is someone with this poor insight lack of long term thinking fit to be in charge of the arsenal of the most powerful military on Earth?

.

ESV, 1 John 4:

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

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I interpret the Spirit more specifically as the Paraclete. The Paraclete dwells and abides in believers. Before John wrote that verse, Jesus spoke of the Paraclete in John 14:

26 But the Advocate [Paraclete], the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

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A few verses later, he spoke on the concept of abiding in John 15:

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away,

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That's a grave warning to those in Christ who have the Paraclete.

and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him,

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It is a mutual relationship on our part and on Jesus' part.

he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

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Again, the grave warning: Believers who have the Paraclete beware. But there is good news:

7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

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Believers, demonstrate that you are Jesus' disciples.

9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

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Our joy is in abiding in Jesus and growing into mature faith by keeping his commandments.

Warning! You can lose the nascent Paraclete in you if you do not abide in Jesus.

If you abide, you will obey Jesus' commandments.
If you obey, your spirit will grow.
If you grow, you will produce fruit.
If you produce fruit, you have demonstrated that the Paraclete abides in you.

Can you *imagine* what would happen if the United States were attacked, and fast, clear, decisive choices had to be made for the safety of the nation---and we have this doddering old duffer who can't even speak intelligibly in the White House? God save us.

Im starting not to think highly of most people and have a neutral view of them even if they proclaim they are Christians until I see enough to verify them a long period of time is that the right way to view people ?

I have someone telling me that the earth is only 6,000 years old. Now I understand that a little bit but I wonder where the dinosaurs came from? I know there is a YEC who calls himself Dr Dino but I can not research why he uses this name because his videos have been removed.

I learned Florida's House passed a measure that would ban children under 16 from joining social media platforms. There is research illustrating how social media is "an important driver" of our "national youth mental health crisis".

I have mixed feelings about this. I agree social media is fueling many problems in our society. And I do support efforts to protect our children. But this situation seems better suited for federal application on a national level. Maybe Florida will inspire our federal government to take up the issue. Either way any bill seems destined for litigation in court.

Presently I am leaning toward supporting these protective bills being created. We need to do all we can to protect our kids, especially if America isn't willing to implement any gun violence mitigation legislation. I feel like we can have a civil discussion on this topic. I am not confident we will, but that rarely stops me from trying. Anyone have thoughts on banning kids under 16 from social media? It seems like a fresh, relevant issue we could wear out like we do with the popular wedge issues .

3 million directly work for the federal government.

where do you go to get away from your depression? I’m 30 years old, only male with 3 sisters. In my opinion the world has been declining so much lately. I’ve lost my desire to get married and have kids. My sisters are all married with kids and some on the way. I can’t see a reason why you would want to bring another person into this world. Work is a struggle just to make money so you can support yourself in a longer lifespan. It feels like things are always “one at a time”.. Only one person can do something and if you do the same thing someone else gets offended. Feels like you have to tiptoe around. Waking up is always burdensome. The thoughts are always spinning around in my head and i don’t know how to process them to find a positive outcome. I feel like if you ask deep questions (like I’m doing now) it’s just bringing negativity and toxicity into the world for other people to be burdened with but I can’t escape it myself without processing it myself. Not sure what you’re supposed to do? Can someone see a way out of this. Appreciate it

...for months (actually years), we've been hearing the study drumbeat to "secure the border". Three US Senators have been negoitiating for several weeks to craft legislation that would pass the Senate. So when it appears they are close to a deal, what does the leading candidate for the Republican nomination do? He blows up negotiations with a post on Truth Social:

"I do not think we should do a Border Deal, at all, unless we get EVERYTHING needed to shut down the INVASION of Millions & Millions of people, many from parts unknown, into our once great, but soon to be great again, Country!"

Punchbowl News and others reported that McConnell specifically cited a desire not to “undermine” Trump and the fact that the former president would like to campaign on immigration in the 2024 election.

2018: Trump killed another bill:
“Republicans should stop wasting their time on Immigration until after we elect more Senators and Congressmen/women in November,” Trump tweeted. “Dems are just playing games, have no intention of doing anything to solves this decades old problem. We can pass great legislation after the Red Wave!”

After Trump's posting, some Republican US Senators pushed back:

"Only in Washington is our southern border political gamesmanship instead of a national security crisis."
— Sen. James Lankford (@SenatorLankford)

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) called it “appalling” that Trump “would communicate to Republican senators and congresspeople that he doesn’t want us to solve the border problem because he wants to blame [President] Biden for it.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told USA Today, “Is it really better to have 10,000 people crossing a day illegally or 5,000? Clearly it’s 5,000. So somebody who is trying to defeat legislation, all in the name of running for office? That is irresponsible.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called it a “historic moment” and assured the GOP that it “won’t” get a better deal with Trump as president. “To get this kind of border security without granting a pathway to citizenship is really unheard of,” Graham said.

The No. 2 Senate Republican, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), offered similar comments, calling it a “unique moment” and arguing that there’s “absolutely no way” to get such a deal under Trump unless Republicans get a 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority.

Reportedly Senators are still trying to get a bill passed, but with the former President seeking to kill it, that may not happen. As I have written on these forums before: The far right doesn't want to solve immigration. They only want to blame the other party

As WaPo's Aaron Blake writes:
"It’s becoming increasingly difficult to dispute that Trump and some Republicans see political value in continuing the border crisis and declining to cut a bipartisan deal that could help Biden politically. GOP lawmakers are now talking openly about that.
A comment I keep coming back to on this is one from Rep. Troy E. Nehls (R-Tex.), who just came out and said it early this month: “I’m not willing to do too damn much right now to help a Democrat and to help Joe Biden’s approval rating.”

A Japanese man has been sentenced to death for an arson attack at a Kyoto animation studio in 2019 which killed 36 people and injured dozens more.
The incident, one of Japan's deadliest in recent decades, killed mostly young artists and shocked the anime world.
Shinji Aoba, 45, pleaded guilty to the attack but his lawyers had sought a lighter sentence on grounds of "mental incompetence".
Judges rejected this however, ruling that Aoba knew what he was doing.

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When a phrase begins with the word “if” it is usually an indication that what follows is conditional. So it is not assuming here that everyone reading this has, for certain, died with Christ to sin and has been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness (see Romans 6:1-23). So when it says, “For you have died,” it is speaking to those who have genuinely been crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with him…

But this is also speaking to those who have not died with Christ to sin, and who have not been raised with him, which is why we have the “if” clause at the beginning. For this goes on to let us all know what the life of a follower of Jesus Christ should look like, in truth, which is for the benefit both of the real Christian and the one professing faith in Christ but who has not died with him to sin and has, thus, not been raised with him to walk in newness of life in him. For both of them need to hear this.

Now, the genuine believer in Christ Jesus is one who has been crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, not like the old life. So, we who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ should not still be living like we did before we believed in Jesus. We should not still be holding on to the old life of living in sin and for self, but we should be dying daily to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord and living holy and morally pure and honest lives to the glory and praise of God.

Thus, we who believe in Jesus with genuine faith should be those who have put to death what is earthly in us, but if we have not, this is a command to us that we must put out of our lives all that is of our sinful flesh, such things as sexual immorality, impurity, passion (lust), evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Why? On account of these the wrath of God is coming. And how does that apply to us? Well, read more of the Scriptures and you will see that if we make sin our practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

So, this is not a gentle suggestion or a recommendation. And it is not saying what I hear some preachers say, “Well, we should live holy lives but…” For if sin is what we obey and not obedience to our Lord, then it will lead to death, not to life eternal. And it doesn’t matter what faith we profess with our lips. For Jesus said that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven (see Matthew 7:21-23; cf. Romans 6:1-23; 1 John 2:3-6, etc.).

So we must put them all away, and then the list continues with anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, and lying to one another. But so many professers of faith in Jesus Christ here in America are being convinced that they can believe in Jesus, be on their way to heaven, and still deliberately and habitually and premeditatedly sin against the Lord and against other humans as a matter of practice. And sexual immorality is at the top of the list of sins now permeating the American church at large.

And sexual immorality is usually a sin that is done in secret, and it is heavily addictive, and those who practice it thus hide it from others, especially from their spouses. And so lying is a big part of this sin. And statistics have it that about 2/3 to 3/4 of “Christian” men (including many pastors) are engaged in regular sexually immoral practices, and that is just the porn statistics, and that doesn’t cover everything, and that doesn’t include the women and children, who are at a lesser amount, but still the stats are astounding!

But if we want to be genuine Christians and followers of Christ who have the hope of salvation from sin and of eternal life with God, then we must put these all away from us. But so many Christians are trapped in sexual sin and in other addictive sins and they are not willing to let them go, because that is still what they want. Their sin is the love of their life, and so it is the one they belong to and long for and desire and run to and want for life, not God, and not their spouses, and not walks of faith and obedience to the Lord.

And this is a very sad reality. And what is even sadder is that so many pastors are condoning this by teaching a cheapened grace and gospel message which does not demand the forsaking of our sins and walks of obedience to our Lord. Thus, so many professers of faith in Jesus Christ are convinced that they can continue in their sinful practices and that God is just going to overlook them. But that is not what the Scriptures teach. They teach that if we live in (practice) sin, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

A love song to our Lord Jesus

You're still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You're still the one I want for life
You're still the one that I love
The only one I dream of…
Ain't nothin' better

[Lyrics taken from a secular song called “You’re Still the One” by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain]

Ok. So im going to get personal here, just a warning.

I started masturbating at the ripe age of 6-7, dunno why, I didnt even have a sex drive yet, it just felt good. So I did it. I was raised in a pretty non believing home, so I never was taught anything against it. As I aged, this addiction became more and more over bearing. I was a hard core atheist so I didnt care about it. When I got turned on, I would touch. Wouldnt even think about it. As I reached my late teens, I finally turned to Christ. Theres a long story there, that I wont get into. As such I started cleaning up my act. I stopped swearing, I stopped saying things like "god" as an exclamation, I got better control over my anger and my impulsivity. Ultimately Jesus was cleaning up a pretty dark and sinful person. I also noticed that things I used to do and move on from suddenly really effected me when I DID end up doing them. I felt this deep sorrow. Looking back, that was the spirit working in me. God definitely was working his magic in me and I was in a much better place. Fast forward to now, there is one thing I still cant let go. Lust. I have built such an addiction, such a habit, that no matter what I do, I am powerless to it. Helpless to my sin. My life looks like this.

Sin

Repent

Sin again 2 days later

over and over and over again. Its a cycle and its been going on for years. I just fell again a few minutes ago. And for some reason this one feels way darker then the last however many times. This feels like ive become what Hebrews 10:26 is talking about

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,"

I think I may have just sinned one too many times. Given in one too many times. The issue is I WANT to stop. Lord knows I want to stop. But I can't. I really think ive failed the race. I was too weak.

I'm sorry Father...