Posts Tagged ‘sin’
Life has been hard the last few years. How do I keep from slipping further into sin?
Question: Hello, I’m 23 years old. The last few years of my life have been the hardest ones to date. I have lost my mother to cancer and my grandfather died too, both Christian. But my question is: How can I get back on track as a Christian myself? Due to the grief, I felt…
Read MoreImagined Sins
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/ImaginedSins.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 30:5-6 I. Certain ideas get repeated in the religious world, often enough that people accept them as truth without stopping to ask if this is really in the Bible or not A. “You are saved by faith alone” – despite James 2:24 B. “Baptism is an outward sign of an…
Read MoreCreeping Toward Sodom
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/CreepingTowardSodom.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Genesis 13:1-13 I. Lot’s problems began when his herdsmen could no longer get along with the herdsmen of Abram – Genesis 13:5-7 A. This is often the first sign of problems among brethren – they are no longer able to be of one mind 1. I Corinthians 1:10-13 – There were…
Read MoreSaint or Sinner?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/SaintOrSinner.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 1 I. Would you describe yourself as a saint or a sinner? Or perhaps you see yourself as both. A. John Calvin, and his followers, believe that God selects those who are saved. Once selected, that person cannot be removed from God’s saving hand. B. We realize that this cannot…
Read MoreHow do I become more consistent?
Question: I’ve been disobedient and I want to be closer to God. I want him to bless me. The thing is, I’m a very inconsistent person. Most times, deep down, I don’t feel like reading the Bible, which is horrible. Before when I felt like this I forced myself to read it hoping that the…
Read MoreI Met Him at the Cross
by Forest D. Moyer via Mind Your Faith In the heart of every person, there is a longing for a Supreme Being. Men who do not know Jehovah have manufactured various gods and rendered their service to the gods of human minds. Those who have diligently sought truth have come to realize that the Bible is…
Read MoreCan a Christian’s worship be hindered if he is in sin?
Question: Good morning, Can a Christian’s worship be hindered if they are in sin? Does God expect Christians to be completely holy when we worship Him? Answer: “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that…
Read MoreIs there anywhere I can find a list of everything in the Bible that is a sin?
Question: Is there anywhere I can find a list of everything in the Bible that is a sin? A list of all sins. Answer: Such a list cannot exist. God told us everything we need for life and godliness (II Peter 1:2-4). His word equips us for every good work (II Timothy 3:16-17). However, while…
Read MoreWhat is the difference between sin, iniquity, and abomination?
Question: Is there any difference between sin and iniquity, and is there any difference between sin and abomination? Answer: “Sin” generally translates the Greek word harmartia. It means to err, to miss the mark or the goal. Harmartia and its related forms are the most general word describing that which is sin. In Hebrew, the word is chatta’ah, which…
Read MoreHow can I know which way is right when I can logically prove sin isn’t always wrong?
Question: I continue to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and lived then died for the sins of the world and then was resurrected. However, recently I’ve become confused by all the different interpretations of the Bible and all of these people claiming to be right and inspired by God. I realized that…
Read MoreThis has not been a good year for me. I need to regain my faith
Question: Please pray with me. This year has not been good for me. I’ve had a terrible fight with my manager. I put her in an awkward place at work. I’ve bad-mouthed her and now at work, I’ve misused the money. I might lose the job. I have a two-year-old baby girl. I’ve started using…
Read MoreI question everything I do, even though there aren’t commands against it because it might not be from faith
Question: Hello again. For a while now I have been struggling with making sure I am doing things in faith as mentioned in Romans 14:23 while not trying to stress myself out and worry about it so much. What is talked about in Ecclesiastes 7:16 seems to be what I am doing. Because I know…
Read MoreI keep promising God to do good, but I always fail. How can I not let God down anymore?
Question: I have made many promises to God. I have said this is enough I will do good from now on no more bad, but every time I fall back. I feel as if God is tired of me and is done. I don’t feel good enough or worthy enough to be a Christian. When…
Read MoreHow can I change my life around?
Question: How can I change my life around? It’s like everything is falling apart for me. I pray repeatedly, but I find myself doing the same sin over again – drinking, smoking cigarettes, looking at porn, lusting, cheating, and everything else that’s worldly. I don’t want to do any of these things anymore. I just…
Read MoreHow can sins keep you from getting to heaven if you are saved?
Question: Hi, I’m confused with the passage I Corinthians 6:9-10. Because if these things send a person to hell, then wouldn’t that go against what the churches teach today when they say you just have to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you are going to Heaven? Answer: “Do you not know that…
Read MoreWhen a Christian sins, does he stop being a Christian?
Question: When a Christian sins, are they automatically rejected by God? Does this mean they are no longer a Christian until they repent? Answer: Men put up a barrier between themselves and God with their sins. “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your…
Read MoreDoesn’t the Bible say that sins should not be hidden but exposed?
Question: Sir, This is in regards to Am I not able to get pregnant because I didn’t tell my husband about my adultery years ago? My writing to you is that there is nowhere in Scripture that God encourages secrecy when it comes to sin. In fact, Scripture does the opposite, in which it shows…
Read MoreWho is Amenable to God’s Laws?
by Glenn Young The fact that I am a preacher of the gospel has involved me in many discussions about various biblical issues. While working with a particular congregation, I conducted a radio program designed to allow callers to ask Bible questions. On one occasion, a caller questioned us about a marriage situation involving divorce…
Read MoreI know that there are bad people in churches and being in church won’t save them, but why does God threaten to punish the good people who don’t worship Him?
Question: I am a religious Catholic, who has never been swayed by any sort of religious persecution or negative commentary, whatsoever. I believe that we should not judge other people because that is not our job to do. We are taught to live as good people on this Earth, no matter how ill many people…
Read MoreIf I realize that I had sins after baptism, does that mean I need to be baptized again?
Question: Hi, After spending most of my teenage and early adult life in the Baptist Church, I came upon the Interactive Bible Study by Ronald Boatwright, which talked about how to be biblically saved. I was actually baptized for the correct reason a few weeks ago. However, I’ve been wondering if I should be baptized again, mainly…
Read MoreI just can’t seem to keep away from sin
Question: Hi, I am 18 years old and I’m really struggling to be a good Christian. I want to change so much, but I just can’t. I read the Bible and pray every night, but I never put the verses into practice. I pray and ask God to help me change, for the Holy Spirit…
Read MoreIf everything comes from God, doesn’t evil come from God?
Question: You said in a writing, that all good things come from God. I can understand this and agree with it. But what I don’t understand is if by that same logic don’t all things come from God directly or by proxy, including all the bad and evil in the world? I don’t understand this…
Read MoreDid my sins cause my pain? If I stop, will my disease go away?
Question: Dear preacher, I am 25 years old. For the past six years, I have been walking with severe heel pain in both legs. I have consulted many doctors, and I have taken many pain killers, steroids, and anti-inflammatory medications but I am unable to walk properly. I was once a district volleyball player, but…
Read MoreThe Willful Sin
by Foy E. Wallace, Jr. via Number One Gospel Sermons, pages 133-134. From a sermon, “The Meaning of Faith,” preached for the Nashville Road church, February 1967, brother Wallace was giving a synopsis of the book of Hebrews when he said… [Billy Moore] The following chapters of eight, nine, and ten are new covenant chapters. The…
Read MoreWhen God Forsook Jesus
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WhenGodForsookJesus.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 27:33-54 I. Assumptions can lead to wrong conclusions A. As Jesus was dying on the cross, he cried out – Matthew 27:46 B. Some claim that God abandoned Jesus because Jesus took on the world’s sins: 1. “My answer is that it was Jesus, the Man who became sin for…
Read MoreWhen I am Old, Then I’ll be Good
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WhenIAmOldThenIllBeGood.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 25:1-13 I. In Jesus’ parable of the vineyard workers we learn that salvation is available to all who will come to the Lord, no matter when it is done – Matthew 20:1-16 A. Jesus in his mercy chooses to treat all alike. B. When an elderly man wrote to me,…
Read MoreHow can God have the knowledge of good and evil and not sin?
Question: I really liked the answer given regarding God keeping man from living forever since they now would choose to sin of which I found on your website. But I have two more questions: If the tree of life stops us from living forever in the flesh, what of our souls? I would think that…
Read MoreI’ll spend my youth enjoying sin and then turn to God when I am old
Question: Hello, I have been reading your website for a few days when someone introduced me to it. I read the below Question & Answer for: I am old and have been away from the Lord for a long time. Can I ever reach heaven now? I have always wondered about this for a long, long…
Read MoreWhat would be an example of a sin not to pray for?
Question: Your article “A Sin Leading to Death” reminded me of a question I have struggled with. The lead-in verse I John 5:16-17, if I may paraphrase simply says there is a sin to pray for and not to pray for. What would be an example of a sin not to pray for? Answer: Sins…
Read MoreWhat if you didn’t know something was sinful before you were baptized?
Question: Hello, I have been baptized recently and but my mom has not yet. I have been trying to encourage her to get baptized and she has said that she wants to be baptized soon. However, I recently read some things on your website about repenting before being baptized that make me wonder if this…
Read MoreWhat do I say to a young woman who thinks that if she doesn’t intend to have sex then when it happens she hasn’t sinned?
Question: Hello, A young adult I know has become a Christian when she was 15 years old and is now nearly 20. She lives her life in fornication with various sexual partners. She has been struggling with this sin since she was a preteen. Her excuse is that it’s a struggle and that it’s not…
Read MoreIs something a sin if it’s illegal?
Question: Is something a sin if it’s illegal? Answer: Sin is breaking God’s law. “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (I John 3:4). One of God’s laws is “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which…
Read MoreCan a sin of ignorance keep us out of heaven?
Question: Hello! I was reading through the website again and came across a subject, which in short was discussing things that are sinful that we may do and don’t know or understand the teaching. You mentioned to me that you think that is where God’s mercy comes in. You stated: “There is only one way…
Read MoreI want to change from being a sinner to living a holy life, but I don’t know when or how to start. Can you help me?
Question: Hello, I want to change from being a sinner to living a holy life, but I don’t know when or how to start. Can you help me? The thing is I’ve asked God for repentance two or three times before, and then there comes along a test, and I always fail them. Suddenly I…
Read MoreI have a hard time stopping something I’m addicted to doing
Question: Hi there. I have an addiction to something I’d rather not say. (It’s not drugs ) haha. But it’s something I want to stop, but it’s so hard. I made a promise to God saying I will not do this addiction for one week. On the third day, I did it. I have broken…
Read MoreI 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…
Read MoreI keep going back into my old sins. Do I need to be baptized again?
Question: Hi, I was recently baptized for a second time because I felt that my first baptism was invalid because I wasn’t truly converted and turned back to my old ways too quickly. But with this baptism, I feel that I didn’t repent before I was baptized because I went back to my old ways…
Read MoreI can’t accept that my girlfriend is not a virgin. What can I do?
Question: I can’t accept my girlfriend because she isn’t a virgin. I know her past because she told me everything. I have also done sexual things. it is not fair that I can’t accept her. I am also addicted to pornography. I have tried so much to get out. Each time I fall I get…
Read MoreI 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…
Read MoreWhat if I don’t know I’m sinning?
Question: Are you saying we are not judged based on our ignorance or things we don’t know are sin? If so that doesn’t apply to those outside of Christ does it? Can you give me some Scriptures so I can get a better grasp? Answer: “For there is no partiality with God. For as many…
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