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26For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
28He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29Of 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?
30For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Are you really saved? Have you heard the truth, and even accepted it as truth, but continued to live the life of the world? When we choose to follow Christ, that is exactly what it means, FOLLOW Him! Have you turned away from your sins--have you repented?
Sins are deadly for us all. But if we accept Christ as our Savior, who paid in full for our iniquities for those that receive Him, if we confess and repent of these sins, we will be saved. But this takes action. You must make a commitment to Christ then ACT on it. This is not something you can do as an emotional moment at the church alter, then go out the church doors and return to how you were living on Saturday. Neither will you change overnight, but if you can tell no difference in your actions before and after believing in Jesus, how do you know you are really saved?
Today is no time to be playing games. Jesus is coming back and He is coming back soon. Do not take any chances with your salvation. Kneel at Jesus' feet and call on His name! Confess you are guilty, that you are a sinner, that you are nothing without Christ. Turn away from your sins by laying them at the feet of Jesus. Ask God to lead you in His Light, walk the righteous path, be sanctified! Believe that Jesus the Son of God died for your sins and conquered the grave by His resurrection. Believe that He is coming again. Believe that He is the ONLY way to the Father! Believe that He doesn't want you to perish in hell! Believe that He loves you and wants to call you His own! Believe that He is God and there is none like Him!
Father, I give this plea to you, and ask that you soften the hearts of those who have hardened them. I pray that you draw them close to you by the Holy Spirit. Help them realize they need you and are lost without you. Use this plea to make them believers. Use this plea to remove the scales on the eyes of those who think they know you, but do not. Show them the Way, Lord Jesus. Show them the way! Father, I pray this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
nice post.. I also hail from carolina...
yes, you raise a great point.. the writer of hebrews even said earlier, "if this gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are already perishing."
I rejoice over having that veil taken away. just like saul, my eyes were opened.
at the alter call, I know some do it and maybe don't know why they need to do it. the wonderful thing about an altar is when someone is hurting in that pew, and then suddenly, "their heart is pricked." and they break and come to Jesus...
i came knowing I was a broken man...He pricked my heart ansd the last 11 years were better than the first 37.. it is the abundant life
peace to you and "go tarheels" (it's march madness time)
(John 5:14) Jesus said, "... Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee."
Examine your life
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft,
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the
which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that
they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
(Galatians 5:19-21)
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication,
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate,
deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,
proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection,
implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they
which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same,
but have pleasure in them that do them. (Romans 1-28-32)
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent,
fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded,
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy 3:2-5)
Any one smart enough to go online and read this stuff is sinning willfully when they sin. I mean you can't "accidentally" steal your neighbors car or make a "mistake" by sleeping with the pastor's daughter....OOPS I didn't mean to watch porno videos all day! See what I'm saying....sin is willfull. But we are people! We sin! I think....I don't do all that bad stuff, but I was taught that cutting your hair, wearing pants (I'm a female), and watching t.v. were sins....so it's all relative. According to my old curch I am a big time sinner sitting here in my capri pants watching Stargate SG1!
nice post.. I also hail from carolina...
yes, you raise a great point.. the writer of hebrews even said earlier, "if this gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are already perishing."
I rejoice over having that veil taken away. just like saul, my eyes were opened.
at the alter call, I know some do it and maybe don't know why they need to do it. the wonderful thing about an altar is when someone is hurting in that pew, and then suddenly, "their heart is pricked." and they break and come to Jesus...
i came knowing I was a broken man...He pricked my heart ansd the last 11 years were better than the first 37.. it is the abundant life
peace to you and "go tarheels" (it's march madness time)
Brother, I don't know anyone who is saved and was not broken when they came to Christ. He is surely abundant!
Any one smart enough to go online and read this stuff is sinning willfully when they sin. I mean you can't "accidentally" steal your neighbors car or make a "mistake" by sleeping with the pastor's daughter....OOPS I didn't mean to watch porno videos all day! See what I'm saying....sin is willfull. But we are people! We sin! I think....I don't do all that bad stuff, but I was taught that cutting your hair, wearing pants (I'm a female), and watching t.v. were sins....so it's all relative. According to my old curch I am a big time sinner sitting here in my capri pants watching Stargate SG1!
Dani, there are legalisms and then there are absolutes. The Bible gives a plethora of deadly sins which can be found in the Scriptures in this thread. But regarding the willingness you speak of, please let me explain further.
There is a difference between falling into sin or giving into temptation versus living a life of sin. As Christians, we must continually repent and turn away from the sins of this world. If you are convicted of something, you shouldn't do it. If you are not sure about something, pray about it. The point is, we must make an effort to please God by turning away from the person we used to be. We were wicked in the flesh before we accepted Christ. But because of Him, we can stand before God and be spoken for. We can approach God boldly because of Christ.
Maybe I need to give a testimony...
I was saved when I was 8 years old and baptized some time later. I grew up in church and went to Christian school until my 10th grade year, but the decision I made to accept Christ was my own personal decision. No one told me to do it or asked me, I simply heard a message in church one day and God called me to become one of His own. Now fast forward to my teenage years when I began my rebellion. I started drinking when I was 17 and this lead to a lifestyle of partying and being "cool". I did drugs, I sold drugs, I stole things, I lied when it was convenient, and I hurt my parents (emotionally). I got a DUI when I was 21, and continued the partying until I was 22 or 23. To make a long story short, I went to church sometimes, and often felt guilty for the life I was living. For about 6 months I cleaned my life up and did not drink at all. But sure enough, I let it creep back into my life.
So, over the next few years while I was finally getting my degree (after I matured - a little), I continued to drink. This ultimately was the one thing I held onto. I still partied in the bars, clubs, and house parties. Every once in a while, I went to church and read my Bible. I conveniently ignored the things about drunkeness. It seemed like everything else in my life was fine - I was honest, trustworthy, responsible, kind, friendly, loving, and even talked to people about God once in a while (but mostly after I had a few beers). Surely I could have just this one sin to fulfill my flesh, right?
After I graduated college at the age of 26, I did settle down some but on the weekends I could still party like the best of them. Not every weekend, but many. I greatly struggled with this. I could go a few weeks without drinking, but when I did I usually couldn't control myself. 1 beer always meant 12 - most times anyway. After Hurricane Katrina, I felt a real need to do something for the affected regions, so I decided to join a group from a local church who was going to Kiln, Mississippi through Samaritan's Purse. This was such an awesome experience and really did a work on me. But the whole time I was there, I couldn't figure out why I was different than many of the believers there. I longed to have the same type of relationship with Jesus that they had - confident, assured, at peace, knowing without a doubt Jesus was theirs. I thought Jesus was mine too, but why did I have such a hard time reading the Bible? I prayed also that God will guide me and help me understand, but something was still missing. I nearly spoke with a pastor there, but never got the courage to do so.
In October 2006, I met my wife - at a bar. Now, obviously this isn't the place you'd expect 2 Christians to meet. And granted, she was the sober driver for her friend, and I wasn't drunk. But I digress. We went on a couple of dates and spent hours on the email and instant messaging (I was living in Raleigh and she in Charlotte). We quickly realized we were meant for each other. I talked the talk, and sometimes walked the walk. She walked the walk much more than I, and kept me grounded much of the time. She also comes from a wonderful Christian family, which really helped me too. But, I could not let go of the alcohol. By this time, I wasn't nearly like I was in college, but when I did drink, it's was still 12 not 1 or 2.
We got married 11 months after we met. We had a wonderful ceremony on the beach, and our vows put God first in our lives. And as much as my head meant to put God first, my heart didn't quite get it. So for the first 2 years of our marriage, I was not nearly the spiritual leader I was supposed to be. Yes, I was/am an honorable man and many people respect me, but alcohol was always my downfall. How could I ever be the true leader if I wasn't living the life exampled after Christ? We went to church and became members somewhere, but never got active and were essentially Sunday Christians.
It wasn't until late last summer that God really began working on me. I really tried to control "my alcohol" on my own, but it would still get the best of me at times. I thought I could just drink 1 or 2 or 3, but I still sometimes over did it. Then late December, I finally broke down and told God I couldn't do it anymore. I prayed that He would refine me until I got it right, but guess what, I still didn't quite let go of the alcohol.
For the past 2 months, I have drawn so close to God. I have been reading the Word and praying like I never have before. I've been so outspoken about my faith and He truly has done a work on my life. But just a couple of weeks ago, I finally surrendered MY WHOLE BEING to Him! I finally let alcohol go and said, NO MORE! I will not let it control my life anymore! I will not put myself in these situations anymore! We will no longer buy the 12 pack to sit in the fridge for the week. Because guess what? When I'm drinking a few beers, I do not put God first. I don't read the Word, and don't pray at night. It keeps me from Him.
So what does this surrender mean? It means I have submitted to God completely. It means that I know I fall short and I will never be perfect, but I pray everyday for God to make me whole. I pray that God keeps me from sin, keeps me from the temptation, and gives me the strength to endure and reject sin when I'm confronted with it. I pray that He leads me down the righteous path, to help me lead a holy life. I pray He helps me be a light that reflects His glory, so that others will KNOW Him. I pray he uses me to set an example for those I love, so that they will love Him to. This is most evident in my wife, who is also drawing closer to God because I am.
So, you might ask - so what about you being saved at 8 years old? What about all the times you asked God to forgive you of your present sins? The answer for me is, I really don't know. Was I ever saved to begin with? I'd like to think so. Did I ever lose my salvation? I do honestly believe in Once-Saved-Always-Saved, but can I really be dogmatic about it? What would have happened if Christ came back when I was away from the flock? What would my fate have been? I have no idea. Could I have really been saved while WILLFULLY living a life of wicked sin? Is it possible for me to remain a fruitless, baby Christian for 20 years? I simply don't know.
But what I do know now is, I most certainly can approach the throne of God with confidence because I know Jesus has saved my soul and I am living in Him. He is in me! I have surrendered my entire life to Him, and I have NEVER done that, in my whole life, until just a couple of weeks ago. I may have done it when I was 8 years old, but did I really know what that means?
I have total faith and trust in Jesus now. He is working on me daily and I am always seeking His face. He is sanctifying me. I have picked up my cross, and I have relinquished all my iniquities to Him. I have let go of everything and given Him total control of my life. And there is no looking back!
He knows our hearts, but I don't think we can truly know our own until we surrender. Why take the chance like I did and walk the thin line between heaven and hell? Sure, I may have been saved all of those years, but I don't think I could say that with 100% confidence like I can now. There is a change in me now, a real change that can only come with complete surrender.
I apologize for this long post but I really wanted to share with you what sin has done to me, and what happens when you do not completely surrender to Christ. Sin will devour you, it will shred you apart and sometimes without you even realizing it. I pray God will use this testimony to reach someone. Just know that you have to have faith in Jesus, and you have to be willing to surrender to Him completely. Because if you do not, how can you really be sure of your eternal fate?
I know where I stand now, and that is with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Thanks so much you two! This was actually my first true testimony as I've always been ashamed or felt unworthy to give one. I feel like a huge burden has been lifted from me and I praise God for giving me this opportunity, but more importantly, for giving me His blessed assurance!
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