Posts Tagged ‘forgiveness’
Judgment and Love
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Judgment-and-Love.mp3 by Raymond Warfel Download Audio
Read MoreWho my boyfriend was is hurting me
Question: Hello, how are you? I wanted to share something that has been particularly challenging for me lately. I have always lived chastely out of love for God and as a gift for my future husband. I’ve been dating a man for several months who, in almost every way, is the person I asked God for.…
Read MoreLooking to His Holy Temple
by Seth Mauldin via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015 For me, the book of Jonah has always been something of a depressing book. Of course, there are positives to be found; we’ll always have the good example of the Ninevites who threw themselves into the task of repentance. But when I look to…
Read MoreIs unconditional forgiveness only required for unbelievers?
Question: Brother Jeff, I would appreciate your input on this question. We understand from Luke 17:3 and Ephesians 4:32 that forgiveness is conditioned upon repentance. But is this only applicable in situations where the offender is a Christian (brother in Christ) like yourself? In other words, is forgiveness conditional only when the person who offends…
Read MoreHow can I know that God has forgiven me?
Question: How can I know that God has truly forgiven me? And how can I be sure I’m now free to move forward without needing to return? Answer: Paul tells us that God cannot lie — not will not lie, or sometimes doesn’t lie, God is not capable of lying (Titus 1:2). It is God who…
Read MoreThe Original Recycler
by David Gibson Recycling is in vogue, but our generation can’t take credit for it. God is the Original Recycler. God uses evaporation and condensation to turn filthy water into fresh water. He created the decay process, utilizing microbes and vultures to manage the carrion. God made our bodies fully biodegradable. Some of us, I’m…
Read MoreSend Those Grudges Away
by L. A Stauffer via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 1, January 2015 One of the New Testament words for “forgiveness” (aphiemi) literally means “to send away” and means to “dismiss” or “leave behind.” It is used in its literal sense by Jesus when he “sent the multitude away” (NKJV) after a long day of…
Read MoreHow do I forgive myself?
Question: Brother, I am in my later years and obeyed the gospel nearly forty years ago. I have been in the church of Christ all this time. I have filled in preaching and teaching in my local congregation at many levels. I have been going to other countries for about fifteen years to preach, teach,…
Read MoreForgiveness in the Old Testament
by Tommy Peeler Were God’s people forgiven of their sins in Old Testament times, or were their sins simply “rolled forward”? Examining this question must begin with the Old Testament, not the New Testament Scriptures. I believe the Old Testament teaches that God forgave His people in the Old Testament. First, the Old Testament pictures…
Read MoreHow do I overcome my wife’s sexual past?
Question: Hello, minister of Christ, I need your spiritual advice. I had prayed for a wife, and God blessed me with one. God has also blessed us with a lovely daughter. However, I have been battling this weakness. I had preserved myself for a marriage. I was a virgin before I met my wife. My…
Read MoreTrusting People Who Lost Your Trust
by Terry Wane Benton Love covers a multitude of sins, but does love require you to let yourself get burned over and over? Love is goodwill, wanting good things for the other person, but love does not mean we have to be vulnerable to people who prove themselves to be untrustworthy. Do we trust all…
Read MoreAll Past, Present, and Future Sins?
by Terry Wane Benton I don’t know how many times I have heard preachers when talking about getting full forgiveness of sins, say, “That means all past, present, and future sins are forgiven at the cross.” Let us study the scriptures on this matter. The Bible does not say or imply that all past sins,…
Read MoreIs it a command to seek forgiveness of sin from a brother before worshiping God?
Question: Good day, brother Hamilton, I have a question. Does Matthew 5:21-24 always mean or dictate one must go to their brother whom they have sinned against before they can ask God to forgive them? Answer: “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be…
Read MoreCould the Galatians repent of their sins?
Question: Hi Mr. Hamilton, I have been reading your website for quite some time. I struggle with the unpardonable sin and have read your articles dozens of times. My question is: Could the Galatians repent of their sin of mixing the old and new covenant and return to Christ, or was there no hope for…
Read MoreForgiveness Without Repentance?
by Mike Johnson via Seeking Things Above The Bible emphasizes the importance of forgiving those who sin against us. In fact, failing to do so is very frightening because, in Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus taught, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men…
Read MoreI can’t grasp the concept of grace and that I don’t need to punish myself to be forgiven
Question: Hello sir, I have questions about sin, repentance, and the importance of confession and restitution. I love your website, and I admire your wisdom and helping others, which are completely backed up by Scripture. Your input would be greatly appreciated, sir. I also hope that by asking these questions, I will help others on…
Read MoreLove Does Not Mean Automatic Acceptance
by Terry Wane Benton God loved us at our worst, but that never meant He accepted us all without repentance and change (Romans 5:8; Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38). So, God’s love motivates us to change so that He can accept us into fellowship. Love does not mean automatic acceptance into fellowship. God loves us all,…
Read MoreJeremiah’s Ending Doesn’t Fit
by Perry Hall If you read the ending of Jeremiah, it doesn’t fit. The actual ending should be Jeremiah 52:30, which fittingly records how many Jews were taken into captivity. That verse completes a beginning where Jeremiah is called to prophesy the coming doom and closes a section describing Nebuchadezzar’s conquering, destruction, exportation, and vicarious…
Read MoreI feel like I failed God, and He is angry with me
Question: Good day, I hope you are well. I love God, but I fear displeasing Him. I want to do right for Him. I’m a Christian. I am in my mid-twenties now. I was baptized at 12, but I got tangled in sin at 21 for about a year. I committed fornication, drinking, cursing, lying,…
Read MoreIs it wrong to ask for forgiveness?
Question: Good day, I hope you are well, My question here is twofold. First, I was taught that we shouldn’t ask for forgiveness; instead, we should thank God for his forgiveness. This, though, feels both right and wrong. This confuses me a bit because nowhere in the Scripture does it say we need to say…
Read MoreCan you be forgiven in old age if you willfully sinned in your youth?
Question: Good day, minister, I have been faced with this question a few times and even got the question recently again, but I never had any real good answer to it. I have read your article about deathbed repentance, but my question doesn’t really extend that far. Whether it is scriptural or not, I refuse…
Read MoreForgive and Forget
by Luther Blackmon An old slave had defied his master’s order not to read the Bible and was being flogged for it. As the whip cut into his flesh, his owner taunted him with: “What can your Bible do for you now, boy?” “It can teach me to forgive master,” he replied. It is sometimes…
Read MoreWhat Must I Do to Go to Heaven?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/What-Must-I-Do-to-Go-to-Heaven.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 19:16-22 I. I was asked, “What must I do to go to Heaven when I die? Please no opinions. Please use the Bible, it is all we have that is the truth.” A. I am impressed that this man only wants a biblical answer. Far too many simply want…
Read MoreThe Blood of Christ
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/The-Blood-of-Christ.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 1:18-21 I. The blood of Christ is strongly connected with the concept of salvation from sin. A. It has been in the plan of God that Christ should die for mankind 1. Isaiah 53:5 – He was wounded for our transgressions. 2. Zechariah 13:1 – A fountain opened for sin…
Read MoreDoes baptism give continual cleansing?
Question: Hello, I hope you are well. I have a question for you. I was baptized several years ago and when I was baptized I felt like my heart was not into it completely. I went into the baptism knowing that there were sins that I was not going to give up and was going…
Read MoreCan I be redeemed after my sin?
Question: Hi, I’m not sure how to greet you. I’m full of guilt and sadness. I came across this website when I was trying to find out if I could be redeemed. I had sex with my boyfriend. I always wanted to start only after marriage but this came so unexpectedly and led to sin. I’ve…
Read MoreThe Truth About God’s Love
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/The-Truth-About-Gods-Love.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 5 I. The world is filled with varying and confusing ideas about how God loves us. A. Typically the emphasis is placed so heavily on God’s love that many think that God is incapable of a negative thought against anyone. B. Others see God as so remote and unapproachable that…
Read MoreI Need God
by Doy Moyer “I need God because I am a sinner in need of forgiveness.” This is true, but if we are not careful we might tend to think that were it not for the fact that we have sinned, we really wouldn’t need God all that much. This presents a faulty view of God,…
Read MoreHas This Been God’s Will Always?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Has-This-Been-Gods-Will-Always.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreThe One Thing that Matters
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/The-One-Thing-that-Matters.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 11:5-13 I. How do you pray? What do you pray for? A. A young Chinese preacher asked me to explain Luke 11:9-10 better so that he could teach others in his area better B. God is all knowing, but God expects us to ask 1. Consider how many people won’t even…
Read MoreIs it a slap in God’s face to ask for forgiveness since Jesus already died to forgive sins?
Question: Hi minister, I’ve recently heard of the dispensation of grace and it’s something I’ve never heard before. I’ve read and been told by those who teach it that it is basically a slap in God’s face or rejecting the finished work in Christ to ask for forgiveness of God when we sin because he…
Read MoreTurning Forgiveness Around
by Greg Gwin We hear it frequently in the news these days. It has been a common defense in some high-profile criminal cases. The basic argument is that people can be excused for committing even hideous crimes if they can demonstrate that something awful happened in their past. Unfortunately, this approach has proven successful in…
Read MoreWhat If I Fail Again?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/What-If-I-Fail-Again.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWalking in a Manner Worthy of the Lord
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Walking-in-a-Manner-Worthy-of-the-Lord.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreConsider the Lord’s Loving Kindness
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Consider-the-Lords-Loving-Kindness.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 107 I. Whatever our life, we need to acknowledge God loving kindness toward us – Psalms 107:1-3 A. Many talk of Psalms 107 as a song of God redeeming the nation of Israel from Babylonian captivity. 1. But this isn’t about a nation. It is about groups or categories of…
Read MoreDid the apostles have the right to forgive sins?
Question: Dear sir, A question was posted a decade or so ago on John 20:21-23 and whether or not all men could forgive sins. I couldn’t see that the responder actually addressed what was meant by the Apostles having the authority to forgive sins, except to say that they could bind or loose what they…
Read MoreUnconditional Love
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/Unconditional-Love.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 136:1-26 I. I was reading a book that began to speak of the love of God. A. As many denominational writers do, he referred to the unconditional love of God. B. By this, he and others believe that God loves all people, no matter how they behave. 1. Often a parallel…
Read MoreOur Sin
by Ethan R. Longhenry “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him…
Read MoreYesterday
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Yesterday.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 90 I. Yesterday only exists in fading memories, worn out photographs, and history books A. It is a collection of, often times, imperfect records kept in imperfect medium II. Yet, it is also one of the finest learning centers available, if we are willing to go there to learn A. Paul…
Read MoreHow can a girl and boy be pure again after committing fornication?
Question: It really amazed me to cross your path this afternoon. I’m a 24-year-old youth who has been seeking the correct answer about how can boyfriend and girlfriend be clean and pure again before God after they have committed fornication. I am in a similar situation for a long time now, just as how this…
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