If your struggling with sin, have you lost your salvation?

[Ineedhugs]

Lets say your addicted to pornography, alcohol or drugs or anything else. Your trying to repent but hear and there you just wide up giving in, then you confess your sin and try again and again and again.

Do you think a person like this would wide up in hell if they died?

[Blood Bought 1953]

6 minutes ago, Ineedhugs said:

Lets say your addicted to pornography, alcohol or drugs or anything else. Your trying to repent but hear and there you just wide up giving in, then you confess your sin and try again and again and again.

Do you think a person like this would wide up in hell if they died?

None of this stuff has anything to do with Salvation.......Behavior does not Save or Condemn......Faith in Jesus Saves .....Unbelief damns....... 

[Jostler]

no, i do not.  I think it just proves someone needs to believe in more than His power to get us born again.  Struggling with unbelief is something we all have to do as He brings us from salvation to sanctification, salvation of the soul.  You're not the only one who has struggled with the problem of knowing we're called to manifest in our outward lives the truth of the inward fact that HE has (already) made us to become the very righteousness of God in Him.

It torments a born again believer to experience this conflict between a pure spirit and impure flesh.  He showed me something in a time of struggle similar to yours, gave me a tool of understanding that is capable of breaking that horrible cycle of repetitive sin we seem to be unable to break.  We can't break it   That's the problem.  We have to believe He HAS BROKEN IT.   Until we do, we remain "unbelieving believers"

 

I was fortunate enough to be raised in a family that introduced me to the things  of God early.  My mother and father were born again and placed importance on raising their kids with  knowledge  of Him.  My dad made the effort to get me to memorize two passages of Scripture at two  years  of age.  They were Psalm 37:4 and Proverbs 3:5-6.  They've stuck with me all my  life and it was during this massive and frustrating struggle against sin I  experienced He trotted one of those passages out and changed my whole perspective on the fight.

   

  

Quote

  Psa 37:4
    Delight yourself also in the LORD,
    And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

 

During this season I was truly grieved over my continual return to the sin I hated and ashamed to even try to pray.  Somehow He gave me the strength to approach Him in prayer one more time and this time something happened.  He brought this passage my  father had made me memorize at the age of two to mind.  I  promise you that  if you  will simply not quit, He is just as eager and willing to manifest Himself in you just as powerfully as He did for my sake, as I am about  to describe.

I responded to His prompting by  opening  my  Bible to Psalm 37:4 to read it again.  I read it very slowly and when I hit the word "also" He ARRESTED me on that word.  By now He had made His  presence with  me felt.  I could literally feel the atmosphere had changed and He  was there WITH me.  And it was comforting and relaxing, in no way  condemning.  I have experienced Him this way several times in my life now and I honestly believe you can expect Him to  do the same for you.

Moving on, without words I knew He was asking me to really stop and think about what I was reading when He pulled me to an abrupt stop on the word "also".  So I stopped.

Delight yourself ALSO...."What is significant  about  that  word?" I thought.   Delight yourself ALSO, in the Lord.....ALSO.  That means "in addition  to".  As soon as I thought "in addition to" for  the second  time in my life He spoke to my mind in words.  It was not literal  sound but words formed in my head that were just as real as if He was sitting across the table from me.

I thought "In addition  to what, Lord?"  and He said "In addition to that sin you're delighting in."

??!!  What??!

As He continued to explain, number one He  was NOT excusing the  sin.  He will never do that.  But His meaning was pointing to the fact that my  focus  on that  sin, had brought  me to a place of feeling such  shame that I couldn't read my Bible, couldn't pray and couldn't face Him.  He  made it clear that  I needed  to focus on and delight  in Him in SPITE of  those feelings of shame and distance.  The feelings were lying.

Now, He also  opened up a "layer" of meaning from that verse I had never seen before.  As a child and up to  this  point I had understood that passage:

   

  

Quote

  Psa 37:4
    Delight yourself also in the LORD,
    And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

...to mean that if I would delight myself in Him, He  would fulfill my heart's desires.   And it's true! He DELIGHTS in fulfilling every holy  heart's desire any  of  His kids can come up  with But there is a deeper layer of meaning contained there and it was this  one He  now opened for me for the first  time.

I was given to understand that if I would FOCUS on delighting  in Him to the  fullest extent I was able, He promised me He  would work  in that to GIVE ME  the desires of the  heart that were pleasing to  Him.

In other  words, He wasn't ignoring the sin, He was saying that my focusing  ON the  sin more than on Him was actually empowering  its hold on me and if I would focus on Him  more instead He  would take away the unholy DESIRE to sin and replace it with His desires for me so that I'd WANT the same things He  wanted for me.  He promised to transform my heart and not just fulfill the desires of my own but actually begin taking  away the unholy desires that were plaguing me and replace them with desires He longed to fulfill for my sake

He's no respecter of persons.  There is not one single thing He'll do for me that He  won't do for any one  of His other  children.  This encounter with Him has been applied by  me over and over when I'm confronted with unholy  desires and He has been faithful to His promise.

That's my testimony on that part....I hope He speaks to  you through it.  He is faithful.  This dynamic is powerful and I came to understand this is why  satan will inspire feelings of deep shame and desire to hide when he's managed to get us to give ourselves to sinning.  If he  can keep us from delighting in Him because of the shame and deep desire to "hide" from Him then we'll keep ourselves locked up in a prison  of our  own making.  Notice that's one of the first things that hit Adam after he fell.  A desire to hide.  He hid.  Satan got him to hide from the ANSWER to his problem.

The other thing I wanted to  bring to bear is really  simple, but difficult to apply.  It takes some work, and in fact it is the ONLY work He assigned to US.  EVERYTHING else is HIS work which  we are to  simply believe and walk in,  when He  says to, to such a degree that it's not us "working" at all but Him working through us.  And the "work" He  assigned us isn't even a physical act We are to  enter  into REST....ceasing from physical "doing" of ANYTHING that comes from our own inspiration.  Another topic Maybe we can get  into  that  later ....dunno...we'll see where  He goes with this.  But this is the "work" He assigned to us:

   

   

Quote

Jhn 6:29
    ¶
    Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

The 'work' He assigned us is simply believing.  I want to  back up a verse and get the  context for proof.

   

 

   

Quote

Jhn 6:28-29
    ¶
    Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
    ¶
    Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

 

Someone in the  crowd had asked a genuine  question and I believe Jesus genuinely answered with exactly  the  right answer.  I'm assuming the question came from a real desire to serve and please God and Jesus genuinely responded.

It's your BELIEF that your  current emotions  of guilt and shame are designed to attack.  And there lies your "work".

   

   

Quote

Eph 1:6
    to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

 

1.  It is HIS grace, which HE extended, apart from any  "works" we can do

2. That has MADE us (past tense!....done deal!)

3.  ACCEPTED.  PERIOD.

As we are,  RIGHT  NOW.....in all our faults and remaining  sins.

Any feeling that says otherwise is lying and deserves resistance

 

There's a lot more can be said.....probably enough for one sitting...

[enoob57]

If you have believed on The Person of Jesus The Christ and believe that His life, death, burial and resurrection was to provide you with the righteousness needed to be with God then you need to work out your salvation with more fear and trembling because with your words you say you love God but with your actions you are saying you love the flesh... read Romans 7:1 to 8:14... I will be praying for your heart to be enlightened! Love, Steven

[Debp]

2 hours ago, Ineedhugs said:

Lets say your addicted to pornography, alcohol or drugs or anything else. Your trying to repent but hear and there you just wide up giving in, then you confess your sin and try again and again and again.

Do you think a person like this would wide up in hell if they died?

If the person has true faith in Christ as His Savior... no, he will not go to hell.    We are saved through grace and faith....our faith in Christ, what He has done for us.   Remember 1 John 1:9.   "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

When struggling with a besetting sin, try praying for the Lord's help as you sense the temptation starting.   Also, learn to resist the devil, he will flee from you.  James 4:7

 

[Not me]

3 hours ago, Ineedhugs said:

Lets say your addicted to pornography, alcohol or drugs or anything else. Your trying to repent but hear and there you just wide up giving in, then you confess your sin and try again and again and again.

Do you think a person like this would wide up in hell if they died?

Absolutely not!

You are just stuck for a season in what’s called a Roman’s 7 situation. Where you try as you might to tighten down your will power screw so hard you strip all the threads out.. Which is what in fact God  is teaching you through this experience..  That you can’t overcome self with self... It is seeing that the only way for you to be really and truly set free from yourself, is to really and truly die....When you or any believer is brought to this place where they see that the only way for them to be set free from sin, which is the same thing as being set free from the bondage of your will to sin, is by dying to it...This is the realization of what our salvation in Christ consists of.  Us being joined with Him in His death, than by faith appropriating His death as our death which frees one to always keep their eyes on Christ, through thick and thin, which by the operation of God in the soul, one finds by experience, that He does in fact keep one from sin...

But these lessons are hard learned and it takes a heart that says Christ or nothing.. But to the heart that is willing to give Jesus their all. This walking in this newness of life we read about in scripture is theirs..And in time God will manifest the truth of it in any and all lives that are willing. But up till than, don’t stop asking, seeking, knocking for the heart that refuses to turn back will be fed.. And joy, peace and freedom from sin will they know by experience. 
 

Keep pressing in, for joy and peace awaits the heart that refuses to let God go, till He blesses them..

Hope this helps and encourages. 

A fellow believer, Not me 

Edited March 21, 2020 by Not me

[Tristen]

God understands that we are corrupted; that we cannot be righteous by our own efforts. That is the very reason we all need a Saviour. We are saved by acknowledging our own corruption (that of ourselves, we cab do nothing), and trusting utterly in His righteousness.

It would only be concerning if we weren't convicted to repentance; i.e. if we tried to justify our sin as though God was OK with it. But if we agree with God that our sin is wrong, and ask Him for His help to turn away, then that indicates the conviction of the indwelling Holy Spirit in our life. Our job is to renew/retrain our minds so that our thoughts and speech come into line with God's Word.

 Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God

Thank God that Jesus proclaims freedom to those held captive (Luke 4:18)

Thank you Father that I walk in truth - which sets me free (John 8:32), and whomever Jesus sets free is free indeed (John 8:36)

Thank you God that I am an abundant conqueror (Romans 8:37), That I am made clean by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 9:13-14), and that I am the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I am no longer a slave to sin, but a slave to righteousness (Romans 6:19)

In Christ, I am a new creation. Old things have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). As I walk in the Spirit, I do not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)

These are God's truth for our life - regardless of what our circumstances tell us. Confess and meditate on these truths to bring every thought into captivity, and obedience to Christ.

 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ

 

[Blood Bought 1953]

If you are a Member Of The Body Of Christ and you sin, do the same thing with it that God does—- put it on the Cross and then forget about it..... “ WOW!” One might be tempted to think... “this is great !” I can sure handle THAT!........Well, there’s just one little “ catch”......Even the Bible admits that there is “ Pleasure in Sin” ( That would be the aspect of sin that Satan tries to push ). The Bible also warns that this Pleasure in Sin is only “ for a Season”.... ( Satan “ forgets” to mention that part)

Only a fool thinks that he can “ sin and get away with it”. One can be certain that “ your sin will find you out!” God is very Merciful and Forgiving.....He will give you many changes to straighten up, but eventually the Hammer is gonna drop.A true Child Of God is gonna be chastised, sooner or later for the sin in his life.Thatvis a “ good”. If you do NOT get chastised for Sinning—- you are NONE of His......

Edited March 21, 2020 by Blood Bought 1953

[Ineedhugs]

Thanks guys for the encouraging words. Even if i'm not going to hell if i die suddenly i still would feel better connected to God if i didn't repeat the same sin over and over. Oh well, i'll still keep on trying. I read my bible every day for about an hour and pray and ask God to help me overcome sin. Apart from that i'm not sure what else to do.

But thanks for the encouraging words guys. 

[Blood Bought 1953]

11 minutes ago, Ineedhugs said:

Thanks guys for the encouraging words. Even if i'm not going to hell if i die suddenly i still would feel better connected to God if i didn't repeat the same sin over and over. Oh well, i'll still keep on trying. I read my bible every day for about an hour and pray and ask God to help me overcome sin. Apart from that i'm not sure what else to do.

But thanks for the encouraging words guys. 

Here is what you need to  understand and internalize.....God is not saving those who are “ Trying” to be Saved.......God is only Saving Those  that are “ Trusting”  to be Saved.Trust, or REST in these two facts in order to be Saved—— Jesus died for your sins and arose from the dead. THAT and that ALONE is the Gospel That Saves .It ain’t what you do .It ain’t your ability to “ suck it up” and to quit Sinning .It is in no way, shape or form what you do for God.The Gospel That Saves is what GOD did for US.Your task is to simply Believe it.It is a Gift Given to those that do NOT work for it. Like many people , you are the victim of Bad Teaching by Blind Guides.Please do yourself the biggest favor that you will ever do for yourself—pay a visit to “ getgodsgift” or check out the videos on You Tube by Andrew Farley or Les Feldick. Best of luck— you are in my prayers....