Posts Tagged ‘repentance’
Do I need to confess every sin I committed?
Question: I am having trouble with understanding repentance and forgiveness. I have strayed away from God for a couple of years now. I want to be back in good standing with the Lord. However, I have committed many, many sins. As I understand it, I cannot be forgiven unless I repent of my sins. But…
Read MoreDo we die to sin at the point of repentance?
Question: After viewing your web site, my brother and I saw the graphic on the gospel re-enacted. I appreciate the way it is laid out. I am attaching a similar graphic that is being taught in this area and in many other areas also. In this graphic, it is taught that in baptism we repent of…
Read MoreWhat Saves a Person?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Since, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9), it would be sensible to understand that in order to get people saved, God would tell them…
Read MoreWhat does it mean to be a fornicator?
Question: What does it mean to be a fornicator? Does it mean, “I committed it today, but I won’t tomorrow,” but doing it the next day anyway? If repentance is changing habits, then such a person remains as a fornicator and is a fallen brother or sister. That person can’t keep on being called a Christian. Or can…
Read MoreI made a mess of my marriage, having a child out of wedlock. How do I go about repairing the damage?
Question: I am in some distress. I desire to go back to the Holy Eucharist, but I have messed up my marriage with an out of wedlock son. I have made my wife cry a lot, but she doesn’t know about the child. She does know about the child’s mother. I am hating myself and…
Read MoreI’m sorry for the adultery I’ve done, but my wife is leaving me and I don’t know what to do
Question: I have been married for a few years. My wife and I have several children. About two months ago she filed for divorce, and it’s destroying me. I’m searching for God. I spoke to the Lord now and prayed that He may give me a word. He did: Proverbs chapters 2 to 5. I…
Read MoreHow do I know my repentance is genuine?
Question: I have doubts about repentance. I suffer from depression. At times I feel really sad, at times I feel really angry, but at times I feel nothing — not sad, not happy or angry, just, an empty room. So I hope that what I’m going to tell you is caused by depression. My boyfriend…
Read MoreHow can I come across as sincere in my apologies?
Question: It seems that when I apologize to people, they refuse to accept. I understand that the majority of apologies come across as insincere. If this is the case, how can I be sincere in my apologies to people? Answer: An apology is an expression of regret for having done something that should not be done. So…
Read MoreHow could God repent for creating man when the Bible also says God is not like a man to repent?
Question: The Bible says in Genesis that God repented for creating man. But then why does the Bible say “God is not a man to lie, and not a son of man to repent”? And if God repented, why did Paul said that God prepared the chosen ones to give fruits before the world was…
Read MoreThank you for the information on forgiveness and repentance
Question: Thank you very much for your web site’s index. I have been struggling a lot with issues concerning forgiveness, repentance and such. My story is quite intriguing and alarming; however, I don’t want to overwhelm you with it. Your site makes me feel like I have hope, and that when I repented, that God really…
Read MoreHow can the prodigal son come back when it is supposed to be impossible for the fallen to come back?
Question: Doesn’t the prodigal son passage contradict the part in the Bible where it says that those who’ve fallen cannot be brought back? It’s confusing me. Answer: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the…
Read MoreI don’t think a preacher caught in adultery should continue without some disciplinary action
Question: I have been reading your many posts on marriage and relationships. I am somewhat confused in regards to your reply to “If a minister has committed adultery, should he step down even though he has repented of his sin.” It seems that you say that the preacher can continue in his ministerial service without…
Read MoreIf a minister has committed adultery, should he step down even though he has repented of his sin?
Question: What should happen to a minister who has committed adultery for almost a decade with a woman of another congregation who has made their relationship known to the leadership and other members? Hence, the minister has confessed before the congregation that he has sinned and that he repented of his sins and that his…
Read MoreHow much repentance is needed before baptism?
Question: I have a few things that bother me from time to time and I can’t seem to be at peace with it. The topic of repentance comes to mind. I have read through some of your articles, as well as other articles, regarding repentance and its necessity for baptism (which I understand). My problem is…
Read MoreDo I need to fix all my past sins in order to repent? Must I confess sins I did years ago before the church?
Question: Hello! Okay, I am going to tell you some things that have happened over the course of about six years. I am currently 20 years old. When I was 14 years old, I was baptized. Soon after, I began to mess up and commit sin. (By the way, I do not have a perfect…
Read MoreIf someone refuses to repent, are they still considered brethren?
Question: We had a couple who were members until we learned that their marriage was unscriptural. They refused to repent. Are they considered “brethren?” Answer: “And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet do not count him as…
Read MoreWhat Might Have Been
by Barney L. Keith How painful is the thought expressed by one of the great poets, John Greenleaf Whittier: “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: ‘It might have been!'” Many a person has thrown away his life in drug addiction, (including alcohol). Numerous are those who have thrown…
Read MoreWhat is godly sorrow and how can a wheelchair-bound person be baptized?
Question: I plan to be baptized as soon as I feel that I have properly obeyed the prerequisite commands to baptism: Hear the gospel, believe the gospel, repent of past sins, confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and after being baptized remaining faithful until death. Which brings me to my questions,…
Read MoreAn Open Door to Where?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The presiding bishop of the Episcopal denomination in the United States was in town this weekend. Katharine Jefferts Schori’s message throughout the day was an emphasis on an “open and not dogmatic” faith. “‘I read the Gospel to say that Jesus invited everybody into His community,’ she said in an interview.…
Read MoreMust I ask forgiveness from the person I wronged before I can repent?
Question: Must I ask for forgiveness from one who suffered the consequence of my sin before I can repent? This only seems logical to me. A person should first seek to heal a fellow human who has been hurt by them. Please email me something brief about this as I am in anguish. Answer: “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not…
Read MoreHow soon should I forgive someone?
Question: How soon do I forgive someone? People can say things without meaning them. Should I wait until I see that they have really changed? Answer: “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You” (Psalm 86:5). “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted,…
Read MoreShould I turn myself in for the sins I did in the past?
Question: For some time now, my guilty conscience has reminded me of several crimes that I have committed in the past. The felonies include physical abuse, shoplifting, illegal file sharing and perhaps other things. I was caught red-handed for shoplifting once. However, I was only convicted for that one time. I had actually been shoplifting…
Read MoreIf a person is in an unscriptural marriage, must the person divorce before becoming a Christian?
Question: Do you agree it is scriptural if a non-Christian who was previously married but got divorced for unscriptural reasons and was re-married and wants to become a Christian has to get divorced before they can be baptized? Answer: Can a person become a Christian while remaining in their former sins? “Certainly not! How shall…
Read MoreWhen does the gift of the Holy Spirit come, after repentance or baptism?
Question: Does the gift of the Holy Spirit come to dwell within us after we repent of our sins, or does it take up home within us after the act of baptism? Answer: “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the…
Read MoreI’ve fallen back into pornography, how can I be confident that when I repent I’ll still go to heaven?
Question: Hi. I was once a member of the Lord’s church. I say “was” because since getting baptized last year, I was so dedicated and love the Lord, but it was so soon after that I got trapped and went back to my wallowing in sin! i.e. pornography and masturbation. Even after I was married,…
Read MoreWhen does repentance take place?
Question: I once doubted the death, burial, and resurrection part of my baptism. I have cleared my conscience on that part. I came to realize that I knew what I was doing on that part. For some reason, I have started doubting my repentance before baptism. I knew before I was immersed that I had…
Read MoreI’m beginning to doubt my baptism, whether I really understood that I was to die to sin. Should I be rebaptized?
Question: I have heard of many people who have questioned their salvation because they didn’t know a particular scripture at the time. I have learned through the years that there will always be something you don’t know at the time of your baptism. A person does not need to know every single scripture in order…
Read MoreThere’s More to It Than That
by Dee Bowman via Gospel Power, Vol. 15, No. 13, Mar. 30, 2008. It’s interesting to me how an illustration can sometimes become so powerful that it supplants the thing it is illustrating. For instance, the illustration for salvation is many times cited by the use of a man’s five fingers. Here, believe, repent, confess,…
Read MoreI’ve sinned a lot and I’m tired of repeating the same mistakes. How can you make a new start?
Question: Hi! I’m 14 years of age and my question is how do you get back to your old self when you have fled away from God? How can you make a new start? I have sinned a lot and repented an awful lot as well. But I’m sick of repenting for the same old…
Read MoreAre We Killing the “Old Man?”
by Robert F. Turner via Guardian of Truth XXX: 18, pp. 551, 567, September 18, 1986 The Roman letter has at least five propositions, affirmed and proven by the apostle Paul: Man stands justly condemned for his sins; Grace, not law, is the remedy; This grace is expressed in the crucified Christ; It is available on…
Read MoreIf a Christian commits adultery and dies without repenting of his sin, will he go to hell?
Question: Hypothetical: If a Christian commits adultery and dies without ever asking forgiveness of this sin (whether he lives 5 seconds after committing adultery or 5 years), does he go to Hell because he did not repent of this sin? Selected references: Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:3-6: I Corinthians 6:9-11. Answer: Jesus stated, “I tell you,…
Read MoreIs sin causing God to be sad because we turned away from Jesus?
Question: Something that I was told recently really makes sense to me, and I really want your input. When I used to repent of my sins, I would repent for the sin, such as masturbating, lust, lying, or whatever it was. I felt like I was talking to a wall because I knew that tomorrow…
Read MoreWhat Saves Us from Sin?
by Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 28, July 11, 2008 We are not saved by one thing to the exclusion of all others, for there are many factors that work out our salvation. Rather than focus on just one passage that speaks of our being saved, we must learn the truth of…
Read MoreWill fasting show God that I want to change?
Question: I am a twenty-year-old girl who recently back-slid heavily from our Father’s ways. I thought that I was really sorry that last time I committed the sin of fortification and drunkenness and would stay away from it; however, it is proven not to be that way, and recently I committed those sins, several times,…
Read MoreTelling people that homosexuals can change is doing them harm
Question: I’m sorry, but in saying that people can change and pointing them to Exodus International, you’re doing a terrible amount of harm. If you’re going to say homosexuality is some sort of terrible life-altering, life-absorbing sin, it should be comparable to alcoholism, right? That would be good news, since the initial success rate of…
Read MoreYou should stop bullying people about sexual sins
Question: Preaching fire and brimstone to young, confused and naive children when they turn to you for advice and help in what is surely a very scary time is despicable. I suggest in the future you direct their questions to reliable medical sites that might actually help them with their problems rather than scare them…
Read MoreMy non-Christian wife led me to stop attending worship, but I’m trying to come back. Do you have any advice?
Question: Hi! I am a strong Christian husband married to a non-Christian wife. I realize I can’t change her or make her do anything. Only God can change her. I do have to admit that it really hurts me because before we got married she went to church with me. After we got married, she…
Read MoreIt Can be Done!
Tony Mauck via Biblical Insights, Vol. 7, No. 3, March 2007 Some people will not change. At times, we feel like we are running against a brick wall as we attempt to encourage folks to reject falsehood, embrace the gospel, and turn from sin. Many continue on their merry way, not realizing or even caring that…
Read MoreWill God forgive me if I continue to sin?
Question: I would like to know if God will forgive me if I sin? What if I asked for His forgiveness, but there are times that I am still doing the bad things, such as sleeping with my fiance though we are not yet married? There are times I realize that I have done something…
Read MoreThe Elder Brother of the Prodigal Son
by Bob Myhan Many people fail to realize that the third parable of Jesus recorded in Luke chapter 15, is nowhere, in the inspired text, called “the Parable of the Prodigal Son.” In fact, the parable is given no name either by Jesus or by Luke. A more accurate designation would be “the Parable of…
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