I have gotten very ill with a blood disease, and it doesn’t seem to be getting better. Please pray for me to reunite with God, but I actually think that He has left me to die. It really does look like leprosy. I didn’t mean to say what I did, but there has been no grace, nor can I feel forgiven.<\/p>\n\t
What does the doctor say about your disease? Have you not read John 3:17? God isn’t out to condemn sinners in the world — they have done that to themselves. God is trying to rescue people from their sins. “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<\/em>” (II Peter 3:9).\u00a0 This, then, is what we must believe: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him<\/em>” (Hebrews 11:6).<\/p>\n Grace has been here for thousands of years. Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a promise given to those who obey God. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness<\/em>” (I John 1:9).<\/p>\n “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked<\/em>” (I John 2:3-6).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: I have gotten very ill with a blood disease, and it doesn’t seem to be getting better. Please pray for me to reunite with God, but I actually think that He has left me to die. It really does look like leprosy. I didn’t mean to say what I did, but there has been…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[669,182],"class_list":["post-39382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-punishment","tag-suffering"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50661,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-you-give-more-details-on-hebrews-116\/","url_meta":{"origin":39382,"position":0},"title":"Can you give more details on Hebrews 11:6?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Can you please go into more detail about Hebrews 11:6? What does it mean that those who have faith believe that God rewards those who seek Him? Answer: \"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27880,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-faith-a-work-that-god-does-to-a-person\/","url_meta":{"origin":39382,"position":1},"title":"Is faith a work that God does to a person?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 30, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Recently someone told me that they believed that the work of God in John 6:29 means that God makes a person believe. I assume they think the Holy Spirit works in a person making them believe. I know that faith comes from hearing the Word of God but would\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28249,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-exactly-meant-by-works\/","url_meta":{"origin":39382,"position":2},"title":"What is exactly meant by works?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a member of the Missouri Synod denomination, although I really don't like to see the denominations as \"separations.\" I like to see us all as Christians -- just Christians with different ideas. Anyway, I had read that faith without works is dead. Which I do agree with.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5153,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-too-simple-to-say-we-are-to-believe-and-we-will-be-saved-by-gods-grace\/","url_meta":{"origin":39382,"position":3},"title":"Is it too simple to say we are to believe and we will be saved by God’s grace?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 4, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm concerned that purgatory does not exist in the Bible. I believe that imaginary doctrine can be changed, as has the belief of Limbo, with innocent newborn babies, who have died prior to baptism, no longer going to Limbo. I always thought that God has told us to believe\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7778,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/am-i-not-getting-pregnant-because-god-isnt-ready-for-me-to-be-a-mother-yet\/","url_meta":{"origin":39382,"position":4},"title":"Am I not getting pregnant because God isn’t ready for me to be a mother yet?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 11, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a 21-year-old young lady who has been trying to get pregnant for almost two years.\u00a0 I have been involved with the same guy and nothing has happened.\u00a0 I really love kids and would someday love to have my own.\u00a0 So I was wondering are there any comments\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23772,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-wearing-a-mask-mean-you-dont-trust-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":39382,"position":5},"title":"Does wearing a mask mean you don’t trust God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am in a battle with some of my family members regarding following the CDC guidelines concerning COVID 19 (they are reckless). With the numbers going up where I live, I have chosen to follow the guidelines regarding wearing a mask in public and social distancing, and not socializing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39382\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}