A question about Christianity?

Question

I know once you accept Jesus as your Savior you go to heaven. Yet in the Bible it says various things that says you aren't truly saved if you don't do this or that. For example the bible states that gay people go to hell because it's a continous sin, yet aren't we all in continous sin. Be it adultery, lying, stealing, and ect., it seem's like all Christians live in continual sin. I know we ask God for forgiveness, but it still confuses me. I am a Christian, but these thoughts just come in my head (also no I'm not gay, I just used it as an example.)

Theofil I liked your answer the most so far.

Answer 1

It is when we have a lifestyle of sin such as continuing in the same sin constantly, not like I got really angry at some one today but have not felt anger in months, that is a sin but not a lifestyle of sin. Also there must be a repentance of sin in order to receive forgiveness. Repentance means to turn away from not keep falling back into.

Answer 2

The Bible NEVER says that you "aren't truly saved if you don't do this or that" I've read it hundreds of times.
The Bible does NOT say gay people go to hell because it is a continuous sin....

The Bible does say that by "grace are you saved through faith it is the gift of God NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast"

All true Christians continue to sin. God enables them to become more and more "perfect" over time (hopefully) but the ONLY unforgiveable sin is "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" Yes, that is the ONLY unforgiveable one.

You will know if a Christian is truly a real one by the "fruits of the spirit" in their life. If there is no fruit, no change, no turning towards the better (with failure, of course) you have to wonder if it was the real deal.

Answer 3

Great Question, Daniel,
In the book of Corinthians, chapter 6, Paul gives such a list of people who "will not inherit the kingdom" AKA not go to heaven. Then he says to the church in Corinth, vs 11, "and such were some of you. But you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit."
Paul also says it this way I notice that I don't do what I want to do. And I do those things that I don't want to do. What he is saying is that there's a fight between the spiritual man that has been reborn, and the body of flesh and sin that we still live in. Kind of like a new driver in an old car. Even the best driver will steer off the road if the alignment is bad enough. The key is that as Christians, we're fighting to stay between the lines. The non christian is happy in the ditch.

Answer 4

I struggled with the same question for a long time. That and the the all time famous unforgivable sin. (I mean how does one know if it has been committed) . The idea of constantly asking for forgiveness for sins, totally confused me about the concept of repentance. (The Bible says repentance is a must, but if you keep on sinning, then you haven't repented, right?) Finally, things in Christianity became to confusing for me too take anymore and I abandoned it as my path.

I'm not implying that is what you should do. Keep asking questions though it will help you.

Answer 5

The Bible nowhere states that you go to Hell for being gay. Or any other sin for that matter or how often you do them. It does say in several places nothing can separate you from the love of God.

However you relationship with him will be damaged by continual, unrepentant sin. Further, a person unwilling to give up a sinful lifestyle should examine if they were ever truly sorry for that sin. This refusal to submit is the sin of rebellion.

1John 1:8-10 says that even those that are saved still sin and that God is faithful to cleanse those who desire it and restore them to relationship.

BTW: being gay does not mean you are not Christian.

edit-- mesquiteskeetr if you don't believe in eternal security, you belittle the work of Christ who bought your salvation. Salvation is from God and kept by God and yes the entire canon supports this.

edit-- if you think you have to repent all the time to stay saved you have entirely the wrong idea about God. Confession and repentance for the Christian is all about relationship. Think of any relationship you have, can it maintain its closeness if you are constantly doing hurtful things to the other person without making it right? No the relationship will suffer and will cease to grow.

Ephesians is clear that upon salvation, we are adopted as children and given the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives as a guarantee of this transaction. Further in Eph. 2. 8-9 we know that because of the perfect passive verbs (gotta know Greek for this) that the salvation was not done by you but rather to you. The perfect means that it is in a continual state of being true.

I could go on for days but salvation is about Christ and what he did and continues to do. Not about us and what we did or will ever do. Our relationship is a different matter.

Answer 6

The answer lies in a word that few people like to use: "repent." Christ taught a gospel of repentance. Which means that accepting Christ should also change your view of sin, rather than loving it, as our flesh naturally does, you despise it. However, because our flesh does not die the moment we are saved, we still will battle with certain sins. If you say, I'm a Christian, but I think lying/stealing/homosexuality/insert-other-sin-here are alright, then I would question whether or not you truly are saved.

Answer 7

Good, question. The point the Bible makes is that if you are saved you have the holy spirit in you are awakened to sin. Now, you can never lose you salvation after you are saved, but you should not live like someone is not saved because of christ spirit in you. You are free from sin so do not let it pull you down. DO NOT LIVE THE WAY THIS WORLD LIVES! They are evil they don't care and they would rather live in blindness then see light.

Answer 8

Luckily our salvation is not about how well we keep our good promises and intentions and how well we stay in the repented state. Our salvation is ONLY by the mercy and grace of God. We cannot reach it by our own right no matter how hard we try.

There are sins like gluttony, that shows better to outsiders. We are like ice bergs, only tip is showing. But God sees it all.So He wants us to get real with our sin problems, and get on the plan He has for us.

Even though our salvation is not be deeds, you want to do good. You want to everything in a manner that honors and glorifies God. It is not 'if we mess up', it is more about 'when' ...but God can fix it.

We Christians are not better than others. We are better than we used to be, and all the glory belongs to Christ.

Answer 9

Many people often cite passages out of the Old Testament as if it's tantamount to currently considered (spiritually) circumspect conduct. This is not the truth. The Old Testament merely exemplifies the specificity of the Lord's Will -- Christ came not to abolish the Law, but to lead the fallen to Redemption. Good works include many things, but most are generally given under the goal of grace. Charity (through teaching or material generosity), austerity (foregoing of that which is vain), and humility (distancing one's self from ego).

conundrum said:
"'I know once you accept Jesus as your Savior you go to heaven.'.. Really? The Bible says: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” (Psalm 37:11) It would appear that " these " people ALSO accept Jesus as their Savior, yet they Remain On Earth. Educate Yourself."

You ought be a bit more compassionate in your comprehending, for though I know not how easily you could've considered this, but it appears that one may easily assume that this person was merely denoting a subscription to belief in Sola Fide. Your interpretation here is merely vain, as it is a given that sustaining your worldly state is maintained until the Second Coming (i.e. the Resurrection included therein).

Answer 10

Good question.

According to the parable of the farmer and the seed in Matthew 13, it is only the fourth seeding event that represents those that are saved, since they are living now the new life in Christ by bearing fruit. "It is by their fruit that you shall know them", Jesus said. Not only are we saved when we meet Jesus, but we are in the process of being saved (sanctification) every day (1 Corithians 1:18) by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, Who works through us. And, because of Him, we will be saved in the end to eternal life. He is the difference, not us! If we do not see this renewal process occurring in our lives, and we do not keep persevering, as He works in us, but fall away completely, then we couldn't have had Him in the first place, even if we made a profession! Profession does not necessarily mean possession, as we see from the parable of the farmer and the seed! And Philippians 2:12b to13a indicates that He, the Holy Spirit, makes the difference. This difference is recognizable only by us when we actually cooperate with what He Himself has put and worked in us. Just as Hebrews 10:39 says, "But we aren't people who pull back and are destroyed. We are people who believe and are saved."

So now, what about when we do in fact sin?And not only sin, but when we get caught up in it for a duration? Yes, this happens to all of us, but the key here is whether the Holy Spirit is convicting us all along of guilt, and in His grief, is calling us back to keep in step with the Lord again. It is He that will eventually have His way in us, and not we with Him!Philippians 1:6 says, "...He Who begun a good work in you WILL perfect (bring it to pass) it until the day of Christ's return." Eventually, we all return. If we don't, then just as 1 John 2:19 says, "The enemies left our group. They really didn't belong to us. If they did, they would have remained with us. But by leaving they showed that none of them belonged to us."

So, it's not about whether any particular sin has a hold on us or not, or one more than any other, rather it's about, despite our tendencies to sin everyday, whether we practice righteousness dfor the most part, and not any sin as a lifestyle. That is what 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 means, when it lists various sins that people live out as a lifestyle, who show therefore, that are residing on the path of destruction. Verse 11 indicates by the Holy Spirit, that we are not.