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Tragedy
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Yes, Rachel, and the counsel of a holy priest is invaluable.
And HSMom03, if I may, I see you “working out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12) and without presumption or pride. Please know that God has you on this path for a reason. Your suffering is not in vain, and may you be richly rewarded.
@MissusLeata: you hit the spot… I need peace from God. I can’t quite get anyone to understand. I’m glad you think there is hope for me.
What do I base salvation on? Christ’s work on the cross. I also believe that it’s free but it that will cost you everything and I didn’t pay the price. I didn’t lay down the relationship God asked me to in order to follow Jesus wholeheartedly (Matthew 19:16-26, Luke 9:57-62) and I don’t believe He forgives for that (putting another above Him, though I REALLY didn’t think that’s what I was doing at the time! Now I wonder though because of the disobedience).
I believe a Christian can sin and be forgiven, but I don’t know that I was a Christian at the time. I thought I had been born again but God may have just been drawing me to him and the conversion may have never taken place. Everyone says, get saved now, settle your salvation now, but I don’t see a biblical way to do that since I don’t believe God forgives those things above esp. Luke 9:62 which I think someone may have explained earlier in this thread. I don’t want to follow a fake Jesus or just continue to live a pious and legalistic life that void of Christ.
MissusLeata: I will stand on the hope that you mentioned and do just as you suggested.
I get plenty of outside help for this, and the children are wonderful. It’s just that no man can give you the peace of God.
I deceived myself, I didn’t know this would happen.
I do understand that you want and need peace from God. All of us want peace from God. The Bible says that Jesus has made that peace for all who come to Him by faith through grace. You have to have faith that His grace is covering all your sin.
I see no biblical evidence for the idea that God doesn’t forgive us when we put someone else above Him. As long as we see our wrongdoing and repent, He is faithful and just to forgive us-see 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”.
As someone else mentioned, Romans says that there is NO condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
The Amazing Facts people are 7th day Adventist. If you are 7th day Adventist, then I could see why you might put stock in their words. If you are not however, you might want to seek counsel from your own church instead of a different denomination. Seventh Day Adventist do have many beliefs that vary widely from historical Christianity.
Yes, several of us explained the passage from Luke as best as we could. Why don’t you read some commentary on that passage from a trusted resource. I really like Matthew Henry’s and Charles Spurgeon’s commentaries. They are both pretty widely accepted by most Christians.
Again, one cannot base his/her salvation on feelings. We aren’t saved because we feel saved but because Christ says so in His word. He is able to save those who come to Him to the uttermost, scripture says. We are saved because we feel like we have peace with God and we aren’t not saved because we don’t feel like we have peace with Him. We are saved through trusting in His son for salvation.
To put it simply-the Bible never says that you can not be forgiven if you put someone above Christ.
God has promised to save all who come to Him trusting in Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf for salvation.
Feelings are not the measuring stick for salvation. God’s word is.
I feel like this conversation is at a stand still. Many of us have addressed each issue you have brought up and yet you don’t seem to be reading our words. You continue to repeat the same things even though each issue has been addressed from a biblical standpoint. You haven’t responded to our explanations at all.
Put your trust in God, not google or some random website made by people you don’t even know. Turn to God. Turn to His word. He will never steer you wrong when you read His word and take it in context.
I hope I’m not coming across as too stern. I really don’t mean to. I feel empathy for you and want to see you come to peace with God desperately. I have been praying for you for the last few days and will continue to do so.
May God open your eyes to see His love and compassion for you and his immeasurable grace towards you.
Jesus specifically says that all sins can be forgiven except blasphemy. Not surrendering to Christ once and then realizing it and repenting of it does not mean you can’t be saved.
David didn’t give up the relationship he should have given up when he went after Bathsheba. He had warnings. He followed his sinful desires. He had consequences. But read Ps. 51. He was forgiven and restored.
I know that for me, when I feel like I can’t be forgiven or I can’t get peace with God, there are 2 things that I need to look at.
1. I have an endocrine problem and sometimes, it’s just anxiety or lack of sleep. It’s not always a spiritual issue.
2. When it is a spiritual issue, it really comes down to actually trusting that the work of Jesus was enough. I John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It’s easy to think that we have to somehow undo our sin (and somethings we can’t undo.) We need to confess our sins. IF you are repenting, if you are coming to Jesus, remember that He said that he will not cast out those who come to Him. John 6:37
I appreciate that you know that following Jesus isn’t just about getting forgiven and going on in sin. But James 3:2 says, “We all stumble in many things” and John says that if we say we have no sin we, we deceive ourselves and His truth is not in us.
I’ve been in a similar place to where you are. What helped me was a verse in Psalms that says that God takes pleasure in those that hope in His mercy. I knew I couldn’t live in perfect obedience and submission, but I could hope in His mercy with all that was in me. That’s not an excuse for sin, but the Bible says a righteous man falls 7 times and gets back up.
Trust in His mercy. Confess your sin and take Him at His promises. And it is ok to trust Him. I’ve fought the battle of thinking that maybe I’m presuming on God if I take Him at His word. You can trust His word! It’s faithful and true and stands forever. Throw yourself on His mercy knowing it’s enough!
A to the MEN to everything MissusLeata said! You may have lived the life of a Christian when in fact you were very much lost! We get that! But you aren’t deceived any more! Repent and be saved!!!
I guess my question at this point is does God forgive putting your hand to the plow and looking back (I thought looking back was to perdition)? Am I repeating myself?
Also does God forgive asking to go bury your father first before following Jesus (or in my case getting married first)?
I have read commentaries, I will read again. I would love to repent and be saved! Just a little confused still. Very helpful again MissusLeata! Thanks everyone.
Good morning Hsmomof3! I woke up this morning at 4 A.M. praying for you.
The bible speaks of those who “draw back unto perdition”. This means they ultimately reject Christ. The person who puts their hand to the plow and looks back is the one who rejects Christ. You have not rejected Christ. You simply made a choice that you now feel was not God’s will for you. Yes, God does forgive such sins! We have all committed them! We have all put things above God. Each and every one of us.
However, the point is, do we choose to put other things above God today? Then we must repent and seek His help to put Him first. Only by His strength and Holy Spirit living within us can we truly overcome sin.
1 John chapters 1 & 2 cover this topic well.
Looking back is not an unforgivable sin. Putting others above God is not an unforgivable sin.
I’m so thankful that God forgives these things and so much more. Else we would all be lost.
Yes, Hsmomof3, God can and will forgive your sin of putting your husband and desire to marry him above God. He loves you so much and is full of mercy and grace.
Praying for you,
Melanie
Another thought-Peter denied Christ 3 times! He clearly put his own well being above Christ in those moments. Yet not one of us would doubt that Peter was saved. In fact Christ took care to appear directly to Peter after His ressurection. This speaks to us of God’s amazing grace.
Just a quote to share:
“Is [anyone] feeling self-condemned and afraid that there is no hope for his soul? Cast aside your fears, and accept the offer of our Lord Jesus Christ to sinners, Hear Him saying, “Come unto Me, all who labor and are weighed down, and I will give you rest.” “If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink.” “He that comes to Me, I will not cast out.” Do not doubt that these words are for you as well as for anyone else. Bring all your sins, and unbelief, and sense of guilt, and unfitness, and doubts, and infirmities,-bring all to Christ. “This man receives sinners,” and He will receive you. DO not stand still, pausing between two opinions, and waiting for a convenient time. “Arise: He calls you!” Come to Christ this very day.” -JC Ryle
Love that quote Amanda!
I’ve been thinking about this today and I wanted to add something.
Isn’t all sin really the act of putting something before God? Sin really is the act of putting my own thoughts, desires, needs above obedience to God. If God doesn’t forgive this sin, He doesn’t forgive any sin and all of us are hopelessly lost.
I thank God that He has made the provision for our sin through sending His precious son to be the spotless Lamb who was sacrificed for our sin-that we might dwell with Him and He with us-that we might be clothed in His righteousness and made joint heirs with His Son and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
I also want to say that if you have had a relationship with God all of these years, if you have believed in Christ by faith through grace, and prayed and been led by Him, if He has made you a new creation, don’t doubt your salvation because you are going through a hard time emotionally. If you haven’t turned to Christ as your Saviour, then do so now! If you have, then trust that He has saved you and is keeping you by His power and grace. We all sin, we all have doubted our salvation at some point, we all have put things and people above God, we all have experienced times of depression and anxiety. None of this means that we are not saved. It means that we are human.
Do we choose to live in sin as God’s children? Absolutely not! God forbid as the scripture says-How can we who have died to sin and become alive to Christ live in sin any longer?
Do we sin each and every day, even if only by omission? Yes. We do. We are selfish, fallen, fleshly human beings. Thank God that Jesus was perfect for me-He accomplished what I never could-what none of us can-a sinless life.
Thank God for His grace and mercy and love toward us in Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, our propitiation, our righteousness and our King!
Love that, Amanda!
…for those of you who are broken or have experienced brokenness…
BROKENNESS IS THE MEANS THROUGH which God performs some of His deepest work within our hearts. A.W. Tozer once said, “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.” Likewise Alan Redpath once wrote, “When God wants to do an impossible task, He takes an impossible individual – and crushes him.”
If God doesn’t forgive sin we are all lost.
Probably all of us have looked back at some point. We’ve all been tempted and sinned and fallen. We’ve all put things ahead of him. Yes, it’s awful. Yes, it grieves Him. There are no excuses. But there is amazing grace and an advocate with the Father.
Jesus deserves more than any of us can give. So, we surrender, we repent and when we realize we’ve sinned, we repent again.
You seem to be believing that one can basically lose their salvation before they are saved. That doesn’t make sense to me at all.
Jesus came to call sinners to repentance. I’ve never heard John MacArthur on this topic, but I’m guessing it’s something along the lines of “it is possible to miss your chance” to repent. I agree. But that doesn’t mean that if you missed “a” chance you can no longer repent. Just because God doesn’t owe you another opportunity doesn’t mean He’s not giving you one.
If you are being drawn to repentance, you have every reason to believe He is calling you to repent and giving you an opportunity to do so. Run to Him.
I’m sorry. I said I wasn’t going to say anymore. But, I need to ask one thing. You keep bringing up this relationship you didn’t give up is keeping you from being able to be saved. Are you thinking that God would want you to give up this relationship now? I certainly hope not. That would totally go against the character of God and His Word to ask you to do that now that you are married. The Bible talks about when there is a saved and an unsaved husband and wife. He does not ask them to part, but points out that if they stay together, the saved may be able to win the unsaved. If your husband is a Christian and you are not, let your husband’s testimony draw you to the Lord. He’s not perfect, but if he knows you are not saved, he could be helping to guide you spiritually. You never mention him. Why? Sorry. That is two questions.
Maybe I am reading more into this. But, it sounds to me more like a marital problem. You said in your original post, ” At this point I’m sad, lonely, angry, and lack direction. I am only 33. We had a beautiful life during that time I was self-deceived, including homeschooling. I have a beautiful family. I’ve lost everything. Please pray for my family. My heart is broken.” It sounds like you WANT to give up the relationship NOW. If you were not a Christian when you got married, why would God be asking you to lay down that relationship? You would not have been having fellowship with him, if you were not His child. We must first come to HIm for salvation, and then we have His Holy Spirit to guide us in making decisions. So, God would not ask you to break up a family to be saved. But, as some have said over and over to you, even if after salvation we make wrong choices, God will still forgive when we acknowledge our sin. You say you weren’t truly saved when you got married. So, the point now is to give your life to Christ and be the wife and mother he wants you to be. Anything apart from THAT would be sin. God gives us the choice of whom we want to serve. Don’t destroy your family by making the wrong choice. Separating your family is NOT God’s way. So, if there ARE any thoughts of that, get rid of them, give your life to Christ and obey His Word.
I can only live for HIM through His power and the Holy the Spirit. Pray He will fill me with those things as well as the peace that surpasses all understanding. Thank you.
I can only live for HIM
Please define or explain your interpretion of what you mean by this statement. When you think of living for Him, what does that look like right now?
Pray He will fill me with those things as well…
Please clarify what “those things” are that you want Him to fill you with; in light of the post made prior to yours, which I assume you were directly responding to.
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