Am I banned from Heaven because of my fornication?

Question: Hello, I am a strong believer in God and Christ. I try so hard to live a righteous life. I’m only 20. I have had sex before in the past, but now I’m saving myself for marriage because I want to please God. I previously slipped up with someone I was in a relationship…

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Why can’t I feel repentance?

Question: Hello, I am in a similar situation as the man who asked you “How do I repent of adultery when I don’t feel sorry for doing it?” After reading your response, I am still confused about what to do. According to you, I feel sorrow but not repentance. I believe God exists, so honestly,…

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I keep repeating sins I’ve repented of. Am I really saved?

Question: I am 23 years of age and in need of some help and prayers. Lately, I have been faced with the question of if I am really saved or not and was wondering if I could get some advice on the situation. Also, I have been praying and praying and doing my best to…

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I want to repent. Can you tell me what I need to do?

Question: I am a sinner. I have suffered too much in this life. I have committed too many sins. The reason why I am writing to you is that I want to give my life to God. I love my boyfriend so much, and I told him my darkest secret, but I am scared that…

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I keep falling back into sin. Does it mean I’m not determined enough?

Question: Since I keep on falling back into sin further and further, repeatedly. Does that mean I don’t have a real determination to change? I want to change, yet I find myself just behaving worse than before. What should I do? Answer: There are a few possibilities. The most likely problem is a lack of…

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Why can’t I repent of my fornication?

Question: I’m a 26-year-old female. I got saved at the early age of 10. My grandmother is the one that first took me and my sisters to church, taught us how to pray and read the word of God. I learned from that early age that as a woman I had to stay pure until…

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How can I be sure I repented?

Question: Hi Jeff, Hope you are well. I wrote to you a few years back regarding repentance.  I was reading some articles on your page tonight and came across another article “Should we refuse to study with someone who is in an adulterous marriage?”  In your answer to the inquirer, you give an example of…

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How can I stop doing all these sins and have Jesus enter my heart?

Question: Hey, How can I stop doing all these sins and have Jesus enter my heart? Please help. Answer: Both ending sin and being saved from sin are each large topics. Start with: What Must I Do to be Saved? Ending sin is two-fold. It is a decision to no longer sin and a filling…

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Will God bless the marriage of someone who used to be a fornicator?

Question: Hello, I have a question for a very long time and haven’t been able to find the answer. This has brought much turmoil and discouragement to my soul. Now, I have heard that if a person commits fornication he or she will not have a blessed marriage. How true is this for the ones…

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Death Bed Repentance

by David J. Riggs A neighbor lady who had become a rather close friend to my wife, came into our home and said, “Do you believe in death-bed repentance?” This was not the first time I had been required to give an answer on this topic. My answer is, “I believe in one kind of…

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How can I know that my husband has repented of his adulteries?

Question: Hello, I have been married for over ten years, and I just discovered last month that my husband has been visiting prostitutes and massage parlors the whole time. The news was quite devastating because I never saw it coming. I saw him as a totally different man and not able to carry out adultery…

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How can I get my mother to turn away from her sin?

Question: Hello, Your knowledge and answers to my questions have helped me so much. I can’t thank you enough, but I have another one to ask. My mother has been married and divorced five times, and I know most of them are not because of adultery. She is currently with a man who is still…

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What if you continued with your sin after baptism?

Question: What if you continued with your sin after the baptism of water? Do you still need to be baptized again? Answer: The proper question is whether you repented of your sins before you were baptized. Some people do want to become Christians, but they are not interested in giving up some of their sins.…

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How do I know if I’ve truly repented?

Question: I feel empty that I’ve sinned against the Lord. The trouble is, I’m afraid I haven’t truly repented. I’ve committed sexual sins against the Lord and I really do want to resist it. I’ve been studying and it has revealed to me much. I’m just afraid I haven’t changed fully yet. I’m doubtful, not…

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How do I repent for getting drunk?

Question: This is with deep regret that I am asking this. This past Saturday my neighbors threw a going-away party for my wife and me. I ended up getting drunk in front of all of my peers and I feel terrible. I have worked so hard to be the best Christian possible. My question is…

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Can the world repent enough to postpone the second coming of Christ?

Question: Can the world repent enough to postpone the revelation and the second coming of Christ? Answer: There is no way to answer this question. But why so tied to this world? “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for…

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Curing a Headache

Curing a Headache – Part 1Curing a Headache – Part 2 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: James 1:21-27   I.         When you see a problem, how do you solve it?             A.        If you have a headache, how do you get rid of it?                         1.         I suppose one could get a guillotine. After all no head, no headache                         2.         Instead,…

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Do I need to confess my adultery to my wife?

Question: I was looking for an answer to my question, and I ran across your church’s web site. I am a troubled person.  I need wisdom, and I find it difficult to find direction. I know I am to search Scripture, but honestly, I believe I’m still in the place where I can only be fed…

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Being Made New

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/BeingMadeNew.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 42:1-12   I.         It is that time of year when we begin thinking about the new year.             A.        Sure, it is just a date, a marker in the sand, but it becomes an opportunity to look at what was done and resolve to do better.             B.        Paul talked about that in…

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Can two non-Christians, involved in adultery, be baptized?

Question: I want to hear about your views on this particular topic. There’s this man who is married with kids. He had some problems with his wife — she being aggressive and abusive. He met another woman while he was still married to his wife and had sexual relations with her. He eventually divorced his…

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What does it mean “there is no one who does not sin”?

Question: Please explain to me what II Chronicles 6:36 means as per the issue of sin: “for there is no one who does not sin…” What is the meaning of holiness? What happens to a Christian who sins but has yet to acknowledge, let alone repent or confess it? Answer: “When they sin against You…

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Defining Repentance

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/DefiningRepentance.mp3 by Steve Brewer

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Why can’t my sister get baptized?

Question: In a second marriage where a non-Christian is wanting to become a Christian but was divorced for reasons other than adultery, is the sin the adultery or the remarriage? I am asking this in the context of repenting. Do you repent of the adultery in this second marriage or repent of the divorce and remarriage and…

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I love the Lord, but I must be grieving Him so much

Question: Here is my story: I married a man, but after a year his sister put me out of the house because of my drinking and partying with friends. I had nowhere to go, so I met people who took me to another town. I wasn’t saved at that time, so I started staying with…

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What if I did not repent before I was baptized?

Question: Hello, I was baptized as a teenager. It is only now, over twenty years later, that I have repented. I just “got” what repentance truly means after committing many sins! Does this mean I was not saved when I was baptized — was it in vain? Do I need to be baptized now? Here…

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What if I can’t repent?

Question: In Hebrews 12 it talks about how Esau could not repent. My life is rampant with sin, and I can’t get rid of it. I think I’m like Esau. He begged for repentance with bitter tears. My mind is more corrupt than you can imagine. He could not repent, and what if I can’t either?…

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Do I have to divorce my husband in order to be baptized?

Question: I was married to a man who would not make love, have sex, or be intimate with me. He said he preferred to masturbate and fantasize about my sister, neighbors, and the neighbor’s mother. This greatly distressed me. He was also abusive, holding a gun up to my head threatening to kill me. He was…

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Thank you for talking about repentance and forgiveness

Question: Hi, I just want to thank you for answering some of the questions and confusions I have been dealing with. I am a real Bible-believing Christian woman who just divorced my husband of 20 years over his prolonged, continuous, unrepentant adultery.  I prayed over him and reasoned with him for over a year before…

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Why did Peter say that perhaps God would forgive Simon?

Question: I a question for you regarding a scripture. It was a passage that you showed someone grappling with blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. “Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you” (Acts 8:22) I am sure I am misunderstanding or overthinking the passage, but…

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Can a Christian come back after falling several times?

Question: I’ve been pondering and thinking about it all. Here’s my question, can a saved Christian after he’s saved and changes his lifestyle, shrink back? Fall from the faith? Go back to his old ways? And then return back to Christ? For a more clear illustration: Say a young man is involved with gang activity,…

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How do you change to be a Christian? It seems so hard

Question: Hi! First, just let me tell you how much I have learned from your site alone! I have had so many questions and found so many answers to many of them here. My thanks to you for answering them, as well as those brave enough to ask them. I don’t know how to articulate…

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Can I get back my life after I repent of my sins?

Question: I have been a Christian almost all my life. My father pastors a church and I was brought up in the way of God. I have been engaged for several years, but my fiancé and I live in two different countries. Recently, I found myself engaging in sexual immorality with people with whom I…

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