Showing posts with label forgiveness. Show all posts

God and Forgiveness

Question:

God forgives all sins, but what about a broken covenant? I know God will forgive us our sins when we repent but what about if you break a covenant...such as getting remarried after a divorce...and you were the one being unfaithful...are you forgiven for committing adultery by getting married again?
After all... a marriage is a covenant between the couple and God...bringing them together as one flesh.

My Reply:

In terms of breaking covenants, the Israelites broke God's covenants time and time again, but the Lord never left them...though they did endure some trials during their time of getting back right with the Lord.
Let's look at scripture:
Remember the woman who was brought to Jesus in John 8:1-11? She was caught literally in the act of adultery. Jesus didn't condemn her, but notice He also told her to sin no more (or don't do this again)...and she was forgiven.
The Apostle Paul also talks on remarriage in 1 Corinthians. Basically, he suggests that the "unmarried" (thought to be those who were divorced) should remain unmarried. But if they're burning with lust, then it's best that they marry. But Paul also says that your new spouse should also be a believer in the faith.
But it's not in remarriage that you're forgiven, nor is the making of a new covenant to cover up the past broken one a means of setting things right. God demands your heart...He always has. And the fact that you're even asking this question shows that you have every intention of giving it fully to Him.
I would suggest though, you and your fiance’ engaging in pre-marital counseling by your pastor/priest before marrying, and keeping a Christian counsel throughout your marriage with whom you may consult should doubt or the temptation to cheat ever again arise.

---Pastor Andy

Accepting Jesus in the 11th Hour?

Question: If Jesus will forgive all your sins, why not wait until the end of your life to accept him as you lord?

My Reply:

So wait until the end and wipe away all your sin at once? Unfortunately, some people do that. But they don't get the gist of it all.
In other words, if you accept Jesus as fire insurance, then it's really for the wrong reasons.
Christianity is all about a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. So as Christians, we're living life not alone, but with the Lord as friends (also). Waiting until the last minute doesn't allow you to experience this friendship during your life. Sure salvation is still available and attainable if you wait, but I guess my question is, why would you want to? Also, what happens if you wait, and get into an accident where you die instantly? It all went so fast that you missed out your chance to accept Him. Oops?

---Pastor Andy

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Why Did God Send Jesus?

Question: Why did God send Jesus?

I've never understood why. If He wanted to forgive our sins, why not just forgive them? Why make His son (or Himself, depending on which you think Jesus was) suffer and die so that He could forgive us?

My Reply:

It's all about a relationship with God as it was in the beginning:

In the beginning, God walked in the garden with His creation
Sin entered the picture, separating us from God.
All throughout the Old Testament, God tried wooing His creation back to Him, but everybody continued to push Him away and sinned against Him. (If you'll notice, the prophets and patriarchs had a close relationship with the Lord in the way that Adam and Eve did, but even with Moses, the Lord wanted to communicate with the people, but the people begged Moses to be their mediator instead).
The punishment of sin is death. The purpose of the Law was to show us where we sinned, thus bringing us to our knees in repentance and hopes of reconciling the relationship with God. But instead, people lost their hope and passion in trying to fulfill the Law.
God sent Jesus to accomplish what we couldn't.
Jesus, being the perfect and last blood sacrifice, forgave us of our sins, all the way back to the first one committed.
Jesus' resurrection allows us to come to Him through faith in Him.

The whole point was reconciliation, and also so that we may once again approach Him, and be in the type of relationship that He had with humans as in the beginning.

--To your question of why not just forgive us? God did forgive the Israelites, MANY times, even when they didn't deserve it. But when they got it, they took advantage of it. You don't take advantage of those you truly love.
God wants us to love Him back. He wants us to be with Him for all eternity, but because we WANT to be with Him. That's what makes salvation so confusing...all you have to do is repent and accept the invitation. But as you can see, many still prefer to reject God.

---Pastor Andy

Can Christians forgive the dead past?

Question: Can Christians forgive the dead past, and if they will not, are they really Christians in the ethical and spiritual sense? For example, I forgive all the persecutors and murderers and enslavers of my Irish Catholic ancestors who did all these wonderful "Sermon on the Mount" things (sarcasm) in the name of Bible-Believing Protestantism.

I renounce and condemn all the persecution, murder, enslaving, etc that Catholics have done in the name of the Prince of Peace to Protestants, Jews, Orthodox, Pagans, etc. and I ask all the spiritual descendants of the persecuted in the name of Catholic Christianity.

I also ask all atheists, etc. to join in condemning the mass murders and persecutions done in our lifetimes in the name of antitheist "human progress" and persecution of religious people.

Aren't you tired of the same old bigotries repeated over and over? Can people say something positive about "those people'? If not, then why expect "those people" to say or believe anything good about you and your "kind"? Let's all join together to agree that we will not spread slanders about other groups, races, religions or theologies or options but "Do to others what you will others to do to you." Check out your sources before condemning other groups and find out if "they" really teach that error or do that evil thing; use primary sources and not 'hate-mongers".

I join Jesus in spiritually washing the feet of all.

My Reply:

Dude, I totally hear you. Too many negative and worldly people (past and present) have infiltrated the Church (the Body of Christ), spreading poison with their bitterness and divisions, justifying their actions as righteous. We need to remember not only to treat others as we wish others to treat us, but as Christians, we're to remember that Jesus COMMANDED us to love one another as He's loved us, as well as the importance He laid on unity in Him among one another.

Here's a thought on your question:
Jesus said that oaths and vows are considered void at the time of death, so therefore I think held grudges should be also. But now, technically speaking, when we recite the Lord's prayer, we ask God to forgive us in the exact same way that we forgive others. So wouldn't holding onto unforgiveness for somebody, whether dead or alive be ethically (and theologically) incorrect anyway?

---Pastor Andy