Posted on 08/07/2010 9:06:12 AM PDT by marthemaria
I really wonder about it.
Does he forgive every sinner. Even though you have done som pretty stupid stuff.
Does God forgive the worst sinners?
Yes he will, if the sinner will:
Admit to God that you are a sinner. Repent, turning away from your sin. [Romans 3:23;Romans 6:23;Acts 3:19;1 John 1:9]
Believe that Jesus Christ is God's Son and accept God's gift of forgiveness from sin. [John 3:16;John 14:6;Acts 4:12;Romans 5:8;Ephesians 2:8-9;John 1:11-13]
Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. [Romans 19:9-10,13]
These three steps will start your personal relationship with Jesus, and set you on the path of living God's plan for you.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
So what is your point? You are using a poor translation of the passage, one that actually is in conflict with the original Greek and thus changes the meaning leading the reader (when ripped from context as you have done) to heresy. Was that your intention? To lead people in to error? Why did you choose a "translation" that butchers the original? And why do a drive-by where you don't explain your choice of the passage or what truth you feel it conveys?
When read in its original context, and preferably from a faithful translation, the "us" are the "beloved" as described in the salutation. The gratuitous use of "anyone" and "everyone" is heretical when it assumes or implies those outside of the Elect.
The context is the Parousia. The faithful to whom Peter is counseling are dismayed by the scoffers who mock our LORD's return primarily on the argument that He has not returned yet, and significant time as gone by. Peter is reminding the Church that essentially the LORD will return when the last of the Elect has been redeemed - no sooner, and no later.
Any other interpretation portrays God as a failure and a liar if there is even one reprobate, or the interpretation must claim universalism where there are no reprobates and all receive eternal life. In either case, the idea that the "you" in this passage is any more inclusive than the Elect determined by God in eternity past is heresy.
This may not have been your intent, but leaving a Scriptural fragment (and a poorly translated one at that) alone without context or commentary is, in my opinion, irresponsible.
>>>IF the horrific sinner is sorrowful for sin, God will forgive.
God does HATE sin in His children, but not the sinning child.
Every person is a magnificent creation of God that has become infected with the malignancy of sin. He wants you to accept the vaccine delivered by the blood of Jesus.
If a person is ‘good’ but never takes the vaccine, that person is just as doomed as the ‘bad’ person who defies God to His face...<<<
JOAT: That was exactly what I was thinking. Sin is a tumor and God is the vaccine.....well, something like that anyhow.....
OK JOAT: But what happens if you ‘fall off the wagon’ so to speak? Can you get back on?
So what can I do ?
I really try to make myself a better person etc. But I guess God can see my rotten soul.
Those who come to his son Jesus find full forgiveness of all sins, past, present and future.
Penance has nothing to do with forgiveness.
You didn’t answer my question.
All of our works are but filthy rags. (Isiah 64:6) We can't come to God on our terms, because we can't meet his measure. The good news is that Christ fulfilled all righteousness for us. When we repent and come to Christ all of our sins are placed on him and his righteousness is given to us.
As His children, we are not subject anymore to His wrath, or punishment. He will correct us and chastise us to make us into the image of His Son. But no, He doesn’t send us to our room without supper.
God does hate sin.. it is an offense to Him.. He is a just God and will dispense justice to all those that have sinned .. that is not vengeful it is justice giving to everyman what he deserves..
There is no sin greater than God’s ability to forgive.
It seems we should clarify the context first. You seem quite sincere and have asked an intelligent question.
Unfortunately however, this question is often asked by others based on a preconceived premise—a silly, dumb, Oprah Winfrey-generated notion of life. Remember that pride (self-centeredness) is the way of the fool.
Most importantly, God is not human and we can neither know God’s complete plans or his thoughts nor can we judge him as we judge humans.
God is vengeful, in a way that we cannot fully understand. And God is loving, but also to an extent that we cannot fully appreciate.
The answer is not to be found exclusively in any human forum. We must stand on God’s word.
Do you think Our Lord suffered and died on the cross for nothing?
Of course!
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
Matthew 18:10-14
10 "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.
The Shepherd (GOD) is so concerned about just one of His sheep wandering off, (straying, 'falling away') that He leaves the 99 sheep who have not strayed and goes searching for the one precious lost one.
Other parables by Jesus are essentially the same; the parable of the lost coin is one.
Revelation 2 even describes a whole congregation that had tolerated a false teacher.(straying) Verse 22: I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.
So long as the person is sorrowful and authentically wants to be forgiven, God is faithful and will do so.
I suspect there are conditions. They must ask for forgiveness and be remorseful.
So God is not vengefull , he does not hate or have grudges. He forgives even the most horrific sinners?
Is this a rhetorical question? So far, I can see that nearly everyone who has responded has a very unbalanced and erroneous comprehension of God and the doctrines of Redemption. "Vengeance" is throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, it is a property and defining characteristic of God. Here is an interesting "one stone - two birds" sort of passage from the prophet Nahum (1:2-3)
God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies; The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked.
In Psalms 5:5 we know that God hates "all workers of iniquity" and will "destroy those who speak falsehood". Which doesn't sound like the milk toast, hand wringing god that others are describing for you.
So we know that there are many who God hates, and we know that there are many who God loves, and we know that God made many men specifically as vessels of His wrath (Ro 9:22) and others specifically as vessels of His Mercy and Grace (vv 23-24), and that only those whose sins have been forgiven shall receive eternal life (Eph 1:7), while there are many who shall never receive forgiveness (Mark 3:29)
So how does one obtain this forgiveness? By repentance and faith in God's Son. How do we, all of whom have hated God turn from our hatred to kinship? Through the work of the Paraclete to change the heart of stone to flesh. (Ezek 36:26-27) Who will receive this work of Grace? Those who He has chosen from eternity past (Eph 1:4-6).
So who receives forgiveness of sins? Ultimately, just the Elect of God.
I thought suicide was an unforgivable sin, since, well, you can’t repent once it’s happened.
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