{"id":4611,"date":"2019-05-23T11:24:28","date_gmt":"2019-05-23T16:24:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=4611"},"modified":"2019-07-21T14:05:15","modified_gmt":"2019-07-21T19:05:15","slug":"i-became-a-christian-but-sinned-before-i-was-baptized","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-became-a-christian-but-sinned-before-i-was-baptized\/","title":{"rendered":"I became a Christian but sinned before I was baptized"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

Hello,<\/p>\n

I recently became a Christian. I think it was at the end of January or the first part of February that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I wasn\u2019t able to be baptized until April.<\/p>\n

But before then, I had a few bumps in the road. I committed three acts of sexual immorality, one being the day before my baptism. I was also with another girl, but only two nights. There was no relationship afterward, we just decided to stay friends. But I ended up missing worship on Sunday for her and felt terrible afterward, as I had chosen her over God. I repented and asked for God\u2019s forgiveness each time, but after reading about Esau in the book of Hebrews, it made me nervous. I think maybe it\u2019s just that because I’m so new to the faith that I worry and question things I shouldn\u2019t. I have turned from my old habits and way of life, and still pray every day and night, and since my baptism. I do feel in my heart that I am a new creation in Christ.<\/p>\n

So I guess my question is: am I worrying for nothing? Do I just need to trust in God\u2019s forgiveness?<\/p>\n

Thank you and God bless,<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

The problem lies with your understanding of how a person becomes a Christian. There is no passage that says accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior makes you a Christian. Instead, we are told that a person learns God’s word, which produces faith (Romans 10:17). That faith causes the person to realize he has been sinning against God and so he changes his behavior and his attitude toward sin (II Corinthians 7:10-11). That faith also gives him the confidence to confess his belief before other people (Romans 10:8-10). This results in a desire to want forgiveness of his sins, which leads him to obey God by being baptized (Romans 6:3-7; I Peter 3:21; Acts 2:38; 22:16). How to Become a Christian<\/a> as more details.<\/p>\n

Your acceptance of Jesus tells me that your faith was beginning to develop. The fact that your baptism was delayed for an unacceptable length of time tells me that you are with a group who thinks baptism is unnecessary for salvation — contrary to the teachings of God. When you read through the New Testament, it is striking to notice that baptism was never delayed. See Why Were They Baptized so Soon?<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n

The fact that you committed fornication repeatedly seems to indicate that while your faith was beginning to develop, you still had not repented of sins. It sounds like you have gotten to that point now in your life, but earlier you were making excuses for sin.<\/p>\n

How you\u00a0feel<\/em> doesn’t tell you whether you are saved or not. Feelings come and go, and feelings are often inaccurate. You\u00a0know<\/em> you are saved when you know that you have done what God as said you must do. “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked<\/em>” (I John 2:3-6).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: Hello, I recently became a Christian. I think it was at the end of January or the first part of February that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I wasn\u2019t able to be baptized until April. But before then, I had a few bumps in the road. I committed three acts of…<\/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":[52,99,1572],"class_list":["post-4611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-baptism","tag-becoming-a-christian","tag-fornication"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18486,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-if-i-didnt-repent-before-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":4611,"position":0},"title":"What if I didn’t repent before baptism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi. I was on your page and I have a question. I was baptized again 2.5 years ago because I was baptized for the wrong reasons the first time. ( pleasing others, etc). Before my second baptism, I didn't repent of my sins. 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I love how you attach a link to the Bible verses you quote. I have studied many of the topics you have and I have learned a lot. Thank you again! Second\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":32652,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-if-you-continued-with-your-sin-after-baptism\/","url_meta":{"origin":4611,"position":3},"title":"What if you continued with your sin after baptism?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 23, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"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. 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Answer: Can a person become a Christian while remaining in their former\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":37282,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-if-you-didnt-know-something-was-sinful-before-you-were-baptized\/","url_meta":{"origin":4611,"position":5},"title":"What if you didn’t know something was sinful before you were baptized?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"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. 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