You’re saying something I didn’t say. This is what I said about myself and sin:
Paul’s second list in Galatians 5 is similar. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh, and have peace, the fruit of the Spirit. That’s “no condemnation.”
If we are right with God, but willfully sin, we need to fully repent to get right with God again. We’ll feel condemned if we go back into sin again.
I know. I’ve done it. It’s not easy to always avoid temptation and be clean. I’ve blown it plenty of times, and then fully repented each time. I’m talking about the thought life, temptation thing.
I’m completely clean and resting, having no condemnation, but I know I could fall if I let myself. That’s the scary thing, and that’s where the fear of the Lord should keep us from sinning, which most pastors teach no longer applies to Christians.
Many born-again Christians never even get to that place anymore. But if we’re not living in no condemnation when we die, we’re in even bigger trouble than non-believers, because we treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified us (Heb. 10:26-39).
Also, this isn’t at all a plea for others to forgive me. That thought didn’t cross my mind. This is a proclamation for Christians, including myself, to forgive others, which is a theme that I’ve consistently shared in my blog, which now has 158 posts on forgiving others. It’s possible that forgiving others completely is the hardest thing in the Christian life to always fully, deeply enough do.
I definitely don’t always walk perfectly in the forgiving others area; though, it’s a major goal in my life, and a subject I’ve studied for decades. I get James-3 cursed many times every day by those who are willfully sinning and refuse to reconcile and repent. It’s difficult to forgive every one of these people fully, from the entire heart, all of the time — which seems to require actively praying for those who actively hate us.
When the revival happens, it will be easy.
When I soared in this area during this dark, spiritually dead churches time, I had a counselor I was seeing, who was helping me pray forgiving prayers. He left town, and I’m on my own. It’s harder for me to on my own actively forgive everyone, especially church leaders whom I know are willfully sinning and refuse to reconcile.
I saw one at a funeral yesterday, and he wouldn’t even look me in the eye, which really frustrates me — because he knows better — regarding what he’s done and is doing, and how he won’t repent or even discuss what needs to be discussed.
Regarding forgiving others, there is a difference between willfully refusing to forgive, which often becomes hate, and the lack of doing everything required to fully forgive enough so we’re completely free. There are very few people who actually do it. Some say they completely forgive, but then they demonstrate to me that they fully haven’t. I don’t know if I know a person who always fully forgives.
Perhaps I should spend an hour a day for awhile, praying forgiving prayers, making sure I completely always let all of this go.
It’s not just forgiving from the heart, but from the whole heart, including probably the bottom and the gut.
That’s why I have the “heart, soul, mind, gut?” category. The heart is more than a pump, and the gut also has brainlike tissue which is the ‘heart’ of our deepest feelings and emotions. Few people completely understand their hearts.
The bible talks about the heart almost 1,000 times. It’s a big deal.
Jeff
I do sincerely apologize to you for misunderstanding you regarding this subject. Thank you for being so transparent and honest. I believe the Father will bind up your broken heart and make you every whit whole. I trust you can stay in touch with that counselor. I have faced similar church stuff that was a hellish nightmare . The Father knows what to do when it seems so frustrating and elusive. I salute you for being a real man of God, seeking to be a Father pleaser.
David Jones
Snice a real Christian like yourself never sins anymore, why would others need to forgive you 70×7?
Jeff Fenske
You’re saying something I didn’t say. This is what I said about myself and sin:
Paul’s second list in Galatians 5 is similar. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh, and have peace, the fruit of the Spirit. That’s “no condemnation.”
If we are right with God, but willfully sin, we need to fully repent to get right with God again. We’ll feel condemned if we go back into sin again.
I know. I’ve done it. It’s not easy to always avoid temptation and be clean. I’ve blown it plenty of times, and then fully repented each time. I’m talking about the thought life, temptation thing.
I’m completely clean and resting, having no condemnation, but I know I could fall if I let myself. That’s the scary thing, and that’s where the fear of the Lord should keep us from sinning, which most pastors teach no longer applies to Christians.
Many born-again Christians never even get to that place anymore. But if we’re not living in no condemnation when we die, we’re in even bigger trouble than non-believers, because we treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified us (Heb. 10:26-39).
Also, this isn’t at all a plea for others to forgive me. That thought didn’t cross my mind. This is a proclamation for Christians, including myself, to forgive others, which is a theme that I’ve consistently shared in my blog, which now has 158 posts on forgiving others. It’s possible that forgiving others completely is the hardest thing in the Christian life to always fully, deeply enough do.
I definitely don’t always walk perfectly in the forgiving others area; though, it’s a major goal in my life, and a subject I’ve studied for decades. I get James-3 cursed many times every day by those who are willfully sinning and refuse to reconcile and repent. It’s difficult to forgive every one of these people fully, from the entire heart, all of the time — which seems to require actively praying for those who actively hate us.
When the revival happens, it will be easy.
When I soared in this area during this dark, spiritually dead churches time, I had a counselor I was seeing, who was helping me pray forgiving prayers. He left town, and I’m on my own. It’s harder for me to on my own actively forgive everyone, especially church leaders whom I know are willfully sinning and refuse to reconcile.
I saw one at a funeral yesterday, and he wouldn’t even look me in the eye, which really frustrates me — because he knows better — regarding what he’s done and is doing, and how he won’t repent or even discuss what needs to be discussed.
Regarding forgiving others, there is a difference between willfully refusing to forgive, which often becomes hate, and the lack of doing everything required to fully forgive enough so we’re completely free. There are very few people who actually do it. Some say they completely forgive, but then they demonstrate to me that they fully haven’t. I don’t know if I know a person who always fully forgives.
Perhaps I should spend an hour a day for awhile, praying forgiving prayers, making sure I completely always let all of this go.
It’s not just forgiving from the heart, but from the whole heart, including probably the bottom and the gut.
That’s why I have the “heart, soul, mind, gut?” category. The heart is more than a pump, and the gut also has brainlike tissue which is the ‘heart’ of our deepest feelings and emotions. Few people completely understand their hearts.
The bible talks about the heart almost 1,000 times. It’s a big deal.
Jeff
David Jones
I do sincerely apologize to you for misunderstanding you regarding this subject. Thank you for being so transparent and honest. I believe the Father will bind up your broken heart and make you every whit whole. I trust you can stay in touch with that counselor. I have faced similar church stuff that was a hellish nightmare . The Father knows what to do when it seems so frustrating and elusive. I salute you for being a real man of God, seeking to be a Father pleaser.