Posts Tagged ‘repentance’
How do I repent of stealing from my neighbors?
Question: Hello, I have sinned for many years. I recently gave my life to Christ. I repented to the Lord of all my sins. I am devoting the rest of my existence to serving the Lord Jesus Christ. One of my biggest sins was being a thief for many years. I stole mainly to survive,…
Read MoreRepent of Your Sins
by Nana Yaw Aidoo via The Gospel Preceptor, Vol. 7, No. 2, February 2024 Over and over again, the New Testament emphasizes the necessity of repentance in the salvation of humans. The first preacher in the New Testament is John the Baptizer. We are told that he was sent to prepare the way for the…
Read MoreComing Clean from Addictions
by Terry Wane Benton Read Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30-31; II Corinthians 7:7ff People mess up their lives so much with drugs and alcohol. Jesus can heal them but there has to be repentance, a full stop of all that landed them in prodigal and wasteful living. Some have gotten in so deep that…
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 MoreWhy the Change?
When the gospel was preached at Corinth, those who were fornicators, adulterers, and homosexuals stopped practicing those sins. “Such were some of you” (I Corinthians 6:8-11). Did the preachers actually preach against those lifestyle choices? Did no one worry that this kind of preaching was not politically correct? Are people being convicted of sin in…
Read MoreCan I be baptized if I had sex with my boyfriend?
Question: Hello. I’m thinking about getting baptized, but also I’ve had sex with my boyfriend many times before. I just want to know, can I still be baptized even if I’ve done so? And can I be able to continue after baptism? Answer: “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise…
Read MoreClean Hands and a Pure Heart
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Clean-Hands-and-a-Pure-Heart.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 24 I. People want to get to heaven, but it seems many don’t want to put much effort into getting there. A. Jesus warned – Luke 13:3 B. The example of the Jews should be enough – I Corinthians 10:1-12 1. They were God’s chosen people, but they didn’t make it.…
Read MoreDo We Find Repenting Hard to Do?
by Perry Hall Do we find it hard to deeply and truly repent because we are basically a “good person” who has literally been “going to church” our whole life? How do we get better at doing the basic and primary requirement of repenting because the kingdom of God is near (Matthew 3:2)? Why else…
Read MoreCan I get baptized while being in a relationship?
Question: I’m a 21-year-old male. My Father is a pastor. I’m in a relationship with my sister-in-law. Now I wanted to take baptism, but I have concerns. Do we need to break our relationship in order to get baptized? She is a very good girl, and I preached the gospel to her and made her…
Read MoreThe Impenitent
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/The-Impenitent.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 26:1-15 I. Jeremiah was told to warn the people of the doom that was approaching them A. God thought there might be chance that the people would change – Jeremiah 26:2-3 B. Did they respond? Yes, but not in the right way – Jeremiah 26:8-9 C. Jeremiah again reminded them that…
Read MoreManasseh’s Repentance
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Manassehs-Repentance.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Kings 21:1-9 I. There is a simple fact, which so many people have a hard time accepting – Ezekiel 18:20-24 A. Do people really change? B. Can they really be forgiven? C. Oh, you don’t understand, I’ve done such terrible things that God would never forgive me of them. II. Manasseh was…
Read MoreRepentance
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Repentance.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Corinthians 7:8-11 I. In any pursuit, people develop jargon A. The jargon speeds up communication with people in the same group but can be confusing to outsiders because they don’t know the definition of words B. Christianity is no different. We sometimes forget what it is like for someone who…
Read MoreGiven to Change
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Given-to-Change.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 24:21-22 I. For many people, trying out something new is exciting. You don’t know exactly what the result will be, which is part of the fun A. So we try out new restaurants or travel to places we’ve never been before B. Some changes are fun, but not always. For…
Read MoreWhat I’ve Learned About Repentance
by Perry Hall When I review my life I have become convinced of three (among many) necessities for spiritual victory: True repentance is more than being sorry. It is peeling back, again and again, the layers of your sin, finding how many sins were involved even within “one” sin. Does one sin ever involve one…
Read MoreExpecting the Impossible
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Expecting-the-Impossible.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 19:16-26 I. With God, all things are possible – Matthew 19:26 A. Even the saving of a wealthy man, if he desired to be saved. B. Yet, we must understand that some things are impossible for even God 1. It is impossible for God to lie – Hebrews 6:17-18 2. He cannot…
Read MoreShouldn’t a public sin be publicly confessed?
Question: Hello, brother in Christ! I am writing to you as this has been bothering me for months, and I’m still wondering how I would approach this problem. We have a sister in the Church, my close friend, who suddenly got married. I knew she had a boyfriend, but being her close friend, she could’ve…
Read MoreIs Change Always Right?
by Glen Young Change is difficult. We all have experienced this truth. How many New Year resolutions have fallen by the wayside after a few weeks? There is no doubt that changing bad behavior is necessary even though it is difficult. It is not my intention to discuss the need to change bad behavior. However,…
Read MoreReturn to the Lord
by Warren E. Berkley “‘Yet even now,’ declares the LORD, ‘return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.’ Now return to the LORD your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil” (Joel…
Read MoreIf miracles could have caused Sodom to repent, why didn’t God do them?
Question: Hello brother, I have a question for you. It is in Matthew 11:20-24. If God knows what people need in order to repent, why didn’t he do it? Answer: “Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe…
Read MoreHow do you repent of stealing when the victim has died?
Question: If a person stole money from their parent with the intention of paying it back, but the parent passed away before they could get the money back to them, plus their other parent has passed away, what do they need to do to make their life right? Â It happened years ago. No debt was…
Read MoreI fear I didn’t have the right attitude before I was baptized
Question: First off, I would like to say, I grew up in a church of Christ. A few years ago, I was struggling with hardcore sin in my life. My brother died that year, and it woke me up quickly. I was partying, drinking, smoking weed, cussing, having sex, and just not living right. I…
Read MoreHow do I repent for buying stolen items?
Question: A few years ago, I bought stolen items from a friend’s friend. It was a mystery box containing a few items from a convention. I don’t know which convention. My friend’s friend wanted to sell me the mystery box with the items for 10 dollars, which I agreed to. Right after I bought the…
Read MoreWhat should I do about my hidden sexual life?
Question: Hello Brother, Your site is a valuable tool that helped me with some issues and questions that I have in matters of doctrine and the Christian lifestyle. I’ve been following your site for many years ago. I’m a young preacher. I’m a full-time minister in the church of Christ and I’m in my mid-20s.…
Read MoreI’m feeling extreme guilt
Question: I feel extreme guilt for past sins. Sins that most would count as minor. Breaking the law whether intentional or not … not confessing to things I know about from years ago, breaking rules at home, work, friendship-wise, etc. It’s the wee hours of the morning, and I feel terrible thinking how horrible of…
Read MoreI’m supposed to be baptized soon, but I keep focusing on sexual things
Question: Hello Jeff, For years I hated gay and trans people. I am always ridiculing them and when I’m downloading a movie or tv series I always check whether there are gays in it or not first before downloading. The violent stuff or heavy sex (man and women) doesn’t matter to me, it’s always seen…
Read MoreFruitful Christians
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Fruitful-Christians.mp3 by Jeffery W. Hamilton Text John 15:1-8 I. We know that Jesus’ words in John 15 concerning the vine and branches are dealing with individual Christians and not denominations. A. Jesus is the vine, each one of us are branches off that vine, and God is the vinedresser. B. But don’t get so caught up in…
Read MoreHow do you repent of childhood sins?
Question: My brother and I do not get along. When we were kids we experimented with sexual sins. It was years ago. My mother mentioned that maybe, because of the things that I confessed had happened between my brother and me, we opened some demonic portal and need to repent. How does one repent from…
Read MoreI don’t want to be sorry for the wrong reasons
Question: I was raised Catholic and have not been baptized yet as an adult. For repentance do we need to go back and set everything right before being forgiven? Must we confess every lie we ever told to every person? Or is asking God to forgive us enough? And to move on from our past.…
Read MoreA Psalm of Penitence
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/A-Psalm-of-Penitence.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalm 51:10-17 I. There are several psalms which deal with sorrow over sin and repentance: Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, and 143. A. The context is given at the beginning of Psalm 51 B. David was a man dedicated to God. 1. Though he was told at an early age that…
Read MoreLessons from the Reign of Asa
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Lessons-from-the-Reign-of-Asa-1.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Kings 15:8-24 I. Asa’s reign was the third in Judah since the great division of Israel during the reign of Rehoboam A. His father, Abijam, only reigned three years. 1. Abijam was not a good king as the Lord counts goodness – I Kings 15:3 2. In fact, the most notable…
Read MorePlaying on the Edge
by Zeke Flores Some 2400 years ago, God’s people were confronted with their sins. Again. When Ezra the priest heard about how Israel had broken God’s law by marrying foreign women, he tore his robes, prayed, and fasted. When faced with the gravity of disobedience to God, the people committed themselves to faithfulness. And it…
Read MoreHow do I write a letter of apology for my sins?
Question: Greetings sir, Please, I was disfellowshiped. I want to write an apology letter regarding my sins of fornication, pride, and disobedience. How do I write it? Answer: There is no requirement in the Bible for a formal letter to be written in order to apologize for your sins. What is needed is an acknowledgment…
Read MoreHow do I return to God after committing fornication?
Question: Good morning, Thanks for all you do for singles all over the world — taking questions and giving wisdom-filled answers. God will keep blessing you. I have a huge problem. I’m a leader in my local assembly, and I’ve been engaging in the sin of fornication with my wife-to-be and most recently with a…
Read MoreHow do I deal with the fear that my dad may never change?
Question: Hello Bro. Hamilton, I just need some clarification about a situation. My parents are not members of the church of Christ, but I am. We went off and on when I was growing up but stopped because my dad didn’t take us anymore. However, we went back, and I was baptized when I was…
Read MoreRenewed
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Renewed.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 3:1-11 I. At times we stop and sigh. Wouldn’t it be nice to return to the days of childhood, when we didn’t have a care in the world? When we were ignorant of all the problems in the world and unacquainted with sin? – Matthew 18:3 A. In our…
Read MoreHow do I know that a slip was not due to a lack of repentance?
Question: Since repentance doesn’t necessarily mean that we won’t commit the same mistakes after becoming a Christian, how does one know when their slip-ups are due to weakness and struggling with old sins or habits? If they really are trying to overcome those sins and then repeat mistakes, how do they really know they haven’t…
Read MoreLove and Repentance
by Terry Wane Benton It is common these days to hear people use scriptures that say that God “loves” everyone and commands us to love everyone. But they use this to mean that God “accepts” everyone regardless of their sin and attitude toward sin. They often call this “unconditional love.” Often we are told that…
Read MoreSeeking the Things Above
Seeking the Things Above (Part 1)Seeking the Things Above (Part 2) by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 3:1-4 I. So often we focus on winning souls for Christ that we lose sight that conversion is not the goal but the first step in a life long process of change – Colossians 2:6-7 A. To stay with…
Read MoreWhen Ahab Humbled Himself
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton It might seem odd, but I love it when a student in a Bible class asks a deep question — you know, a question that shows the student was thinking far beyond the immediate lesson. This morning, a student was working on a lesson about greed and he planned to use…
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…
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