Posts Tagged ‘forgiveness’
Unconditional Love?
by Terry Benton in Answering Religious Error, April 15, 2015 That God’s love is “unconditional” means one thing to one person and a different thing to someone else. The Bible does not use the expression “unconditional love” but does imply it. God “so loved” the world (John 3:16). That would mean that love is what…
Read MoreWas baptism commanded in the Old Testament at the time of John the Baptist?
Question: Was baptism commanded in the Old Covenant at the time of John the Baptist? I thought baptism was not commanded in the Old Testament for salvation. I have always heard that baptism was not commanded in the Old Testament. Am I missing something here? Mark 1:4 mentions John’s baptism of repentance for the remission…
Read MoreForgiveness Is Unfair
by Ken Green “Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, “’ do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times’ ” (Matthew 18:21–22, ESV). Before we can take forgiveness seriously, we…
Read MoreHave We Forgotten Our Shame?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Have-We-Forgotten-Our-Shame.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 44 I. It is surprising the odd ideas people have about forgiveness A. Forgiveness is the dismissal of any debt or obligation to me 1. I cannot forgive someone’s sin. a. This is only something God can do, because our sins incur a penalty, which God – not you or I…
Read MoreCan you break a covenant with Satan and turn back to God?
Question: Hello sir, I have quite a few questions if that’s alright. Is it possible to make a covenant with Satan and break a covenant with God? Can you break the covenant with Satan and turn back to God? Does God ever lose hope in someone and cut them off completely? Does God love all…
Read MoreHow can my sins be forgiven without receiving salvation?
Question: Good day, Acts 2:38 says after obeying the gospel our sins will be forgiven and we will receive salvation (gift of Holy Spirit). Please expound on how my sins can be forgiven without receiving salvation. Thanks. Answer: “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus…
Read MoreWhat Is “Forgiveness?”
by Jefferson David Tant We are all familiar with the New Testament’s teaching on “forgiveness.” The book has many exhortations, examples, and commandments concerning this practice. I’m sure we would all agree that the greatest example of forgiveness would be the words uttered on the cross as Christ is about to die a most horrible…
Read MoreI feel unworthy of being forgiven
Question: I know you don’t want to hear this from a 19-year-old teenage girl. I’m just lost and carrying a huge burden on my back of guilt and shame. Romans 6 tells me I’m no longer a slave to sin, but somehow I feel unworthy of that title. Answer: I don’t know anyone who deserves…
Read MoreAutomatic Forgiveness
by Robert M Hartian Sentry Magazine, June 2002 Schoolmates hung a sign on a high school in West Paducah, Kentucky that read “we forgive you Mike!” Mike Carmeal, 14, the day before, had killed three of his classmates. Dennis Prager, a Jew, covered this story in the Wall Street Journal (December 15, 1997). This immediate…
Read MoreHow do you reconcile with someone who refuses to forgive you?
Question: Hello, I am seeking your advice on how to reconcile with someone who refuses to forgive you even when you admit that you were wrong and try to make amends. Recently I allowed frustration to get the better of me and had responded to my mom in a way that I should not have.…
Read MoreHow can I get intimacy with God back after sinning?
Question: I struggle with the belief that I can’t be intimate with the Lord after sinning. I know that God forgives, but I struggle with believing that I can’t be intimate with Him again. An example would be there are two friends named Bob and Steve. Bob and Steve are really close. They talk to…
Read MoreLessons from Children
by Jefferson David Tant In reading through the Bible, it is worth noting that we find no rebukes, criticisms, or condemnations of children. On the contrary, children are presented to us as models for us to imitate and follow. Consider some words Christ and Peter said concerning children. “At that time the disciples came to…
Read MoreGod Couldn’t Forgive My Sins
by Jefferson David Tant Some whose lives have been so sinful and far removed from God think they are so bad that God could not forgive them. But the Bible says otherwise. Whether one is a member of the “Hell’s Angels” gang or was a member of Adolph Hitler’s or Joseph Stalin’s or Muhammad’s armies…
Read MoreHow can we be forgiven of our fornication?
Question: Hello minister Hamilton, I reached out to you a few years back when I had questions and I wanted to get baptized into Christ and follow God. Well, these past two years I have been living with my girlfriend and we just found out we are expecting a child in May. We are both…
Read MoreIs it right to shun a woman who married a man who is in prison for murder, but who has since become a Christian?
Question: Hi, I’m not sure how to even ask the question. So I’ll explain my concerns. I’m a Christian, being a member of the church of Christ. A sister of mine has married a prisoner. He’s in for murder. She met him through Bible study with a group from a church of Christ. She’s known…
Read MoreIs the Christian Obligated to Forgive the Sinner Who Will Not Repent?
by Curtis A. Cates The above question has often been asked of this scribe. Every accountable being at times sins against others; some sin publicly, even against the church. Clearly, those who repent and ask for forgiveness are to be fully forgiven. But, not everyone repents and asks for forgiveness. Does God require us to…
Read MoreMust I pay my friend money so she can forgive me?
Question: I want to enquire if it’s right to pay money to a friend who claims I offended her. I didn’t borrow anything from her, but she is demanding money so she can forgive me. Answer: “There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is…
Read MoreDo we forgive even though the elders refuse to change?
Question: “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:3-4). After reading this passage, it causes me…
Read MoreForgiveness and Consequence
by Doy Moyer One of the fallouts of what is being called “cancel culture” is a marked lack of mercy and forgiveness. If you’ve ever said or done something that culture considers anathema, then you are done. Canceled. From this point on, you will have zero credibility with little to zero chance of redeeming yourself.…
Read MoreDo I need to confess some sins to a Roman Catholic priest to be forgiven?
Question: Hello Jeffrey! I’ve been studying Christianity once again and found out that there are two kinds of sins at the Roman Catholic Church — ‘venial’ and ‘mortal’. I found out that if one commits a mortal sin then it must be confessed in front of a priest in order to be completely forgiven. That…
Read MoreI feel like I’m a fake Christian
Question: Good afternoon, I’m in my thirties. I have never been intimate with a man. Last month, for the first time I actually had a hard time setting boundaries and was fingered by the man I’m seeing. I’m so upset at myself because I’ve been so steadfast my entire life to do no more than…
Read MoreStacking the Deck Against Jesus
by Matthew W. Bassford If there is anything we should take away from reading through the gospels this year, it is a deeper understanding of the skill with which the Evangelists crafted their narratives. Nothing in any of the gospels is there just because Jesus did it. As John observes in John 21:25, all four…
Read MoreMake Me Know My End
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Make-Me-Know-My-End.mp3 Text: Psalms 39 I. Psalms 38-40 cover related themes regarding the problems caused by sin A. God has punished David because of his sin – Psalms 38:1-2 B. Between God’s punishment and the burden of the sin itself, David feels overwhelmed – Psalms 38:3-8 C. Even close friends and family avoid you when you are suffering because…
Read MoreMy husband doesn’t want me to confess all my sins to him
Question: I had multiple affairs with an ex-boyfriend over several years. My husband found out about the first one. I lied to him but continued to commit adultery. I came to the Lord in repentance and I was baptized for the remission of my sins. I confessed my adultery to my husband but in heat…
Read MoreI can’t accept God’s forgiveness
Question: Can God forgive me for my past sins of fornication? Can I meet a godly man to marry regardless of my past sins? Answer: Why do you think your own personal sins are so special or severe that the Almighty God is unable to forgive you? God is able to forgive all sins that…
Read MoreGod Who Makes the Broken Beautiful
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/God-Who-Makes-the-Broken-Beautiful.mp3 by Wayne Fancher I. The Earth from Without Form and Void to Beautiful Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made,…
Read MoreThe Adulterous Woman
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/AdulterousWoman.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 8:2-11 I. People rarely want their sins pointed out. A. It should be understandable. We want to think well of ourselves and have others think well of us also. B. The common response to rebuke is to attack the messenger – Proverbs 15:32 C. You’ll hear people inappropriately quote, “Judge not…
Read MoreLove Is … (Sermon)
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Love-Is.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Corinthians 13:1-8 I. Many passages are used for needlepoint samplers. A popular choice is I Corinthians 13:1-8 A. Have you considered the meaning of the many phrases? B. We often associate this passage with weddings, but Paul was writing about what love between brethren is like C. However, it can be applied to…
Read MoreDoes the person who had sex with another person’s fiancee needs to apologize to the fiancee
Question: If a Christian sister falls into formication with a brother who is engaged, and both have sincerely repented, is it necessary for the sister to call the brother’s fiancée to apologize as a form of restitution? Does the brother need to tell his fiancée and show her the sister he fornicated with? Is it…
Read MoreHow many days after apologizing do we have to stop committing a sin for God to forgive us?
Question: How many days after apologizing do we have to stop committing a sin for God to forgive us? Answer: You seem to have a mistaken idea. When you realize that you are sinning, you should immediately stop. “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading…
Read MoreA Soul Set Free
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/A-Soul-Set-Free.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 32 I. Every person is guilty of sin – Romans 3:10-23 A. Therefore, we all need forgiveness from God 1. It is found in Jesus Christ – I John 2:1; Ephesians 1:7 B. Only with forgiveness can we enter into God’s presence – Revelation 21:27 II. How blessed is a forgiven man…
Read MoreDid sacrifices forgive sins?
Question: Good day, Recently the topic of “rolling forward” sins came up in a Sunday School class, and I decided to study the matter. This led me to the following web page: Were sins rolled forward under the Old Law? The compelling part of the argument given is Leviticus 4:20, which states that “the priest…
Read MoreWould God forgive incest?
Question: Greetings! I would like to ask for some advice about my unrighteousness. I hope you could reply. To get straight to it, I had sex with my brother. It was not really the kind of serious kind of sex because we were just playing around. At that time we were already in the church…
Read MoreI Don’t Feel Forgiven
by Whit Sasser Everyone keeps telling you that you need to learn to forgive yourself; but the truth is, you need to learn to trust God. If God says you are forgiven, then you are forgiven. “But, I don’t feel like I am forgiven.” My friend, forgiveness is a promise of God, not a feeling of…
Read MoreCan someone be forgiven if he purposely sins?
Question: My friend lost his virginity because he wanted to. The person he did it with had already done it a couple of times. He felt really bad because he is a Christian. Can God forgive him if he confesses to a priest? Answer: Confession to a priest is a Catholic practice. It is not…
Read MoreWas I wrong to forgive someone without rebuking them?
Question: Hello, A coworker asked for my forgiveness, but because the moment was awkward, I didn’t say “I forgive you.” There’s a good chance that I have a form of OCD, and I get stuck on little things like this. I went out of my way to be nice to him, and I never mentioned…
Read MoreHow could the Almighty God accept me?
Question: Mr. Jeffrey, I don’t admit this to many people, but I have an issue in my thinking when it comes to God. I have a fear that no matter what I do and no matter how I try to be righteous and help others get to heaven, that at Judgment Day God will hold…
Read MoreIs there a point when it is too late to leave sin and be forgiven?
Question: I grew up in a church of Christ. I was baptized in middle school. I have struggled with sexual immorality beginning from a young age for a long time, along with other sins including taking plan B. I think as a teenager I did not take sin as seriously as I should. I have…
Read MoreWhen I confess and repent, will my relationship with God be restored?
Question: If I pray to God and tell Him I know what I did was wrong, and I know I did it a few times, but I will never do it again, then will my relationship with God be good as long as I repent? Answer: When you accept that you are no longer that…
Read MoreI’m too impure and unworthy to come to God
Question: I’m truly scared about this, but I thought I would give it a go. I’m 15 years old and I’ve done stuff most adults haven’t dreamed of doing, such as smoking weed, giving hand jobs, and receiving masturbation. The problem is anytime I try to change and move forward something pulls me back. It’s…
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