Eve211 Posted September 18, 2020 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 7 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 12 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 3 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/24/2020 Status: Offline Share Posted September 18, 2020 Hello, I cannot identify whether I am a Christian stumbling in sin or a Christian living in sin. I still have lingering sins like laziness, bursts of anger and dishonesty and I really want to stop doing them and sometimes I try but unsuccessful. I also worry about past sins i stopped doing (I am scared that as a Christian I should have not have stumbled in sexual immorality - feel like it is unforgivable for a Christian to stumble in such sin). Please help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Who me Posted September 18, 2020 Group: Royal Member Followers: 5 Topic Count: 17 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 3,300 Content Per Day: 1.72 Reputation: 1,686 Days Won: 0 Joined: 01/27/2019 Status: Offline Share Posted September 18, 2020 42 minutes ago, Eve211 said: Hello, I cannot identify whether I am a Christian stumbling in sin or a Christian living in sin. I still have lingering sins like laziness, bursts of anger and dishonesty and I really want to stop doing them and sometimes I try but unsuccessful. I also worry about past sins i stopped doing (I am scared that as a Christian I should have not have stumbled in sexual immorality - feel like it is unforgivable for a Christian to stumble in such sin). Please read 1John1:8+9 there we are told that God will forgive and purify us from our sins, so your past sins have been dealt with. If you are bothered by memories of them, go to God and thank and praise him for his grace, mercy etc in forgiving you your sins. Paul in Romans lamented that he was struggling to do what he knew was the good and right thing to do and that what he found so easy was to do what he knew was the wrong, sinful thing to do. Your problem in living a ' pure ' life is quite normal. Not that that is an excuse none of us resist temptation as hard as we should. We all need to stop looking at images, words etc that encourage us to think about temptation. We need to cut those things out of our lives. We all need to learn the techniques that help us control our temper, to think before we speak. And to practise being hardworking, honest etc etc etc. Having a daily time of Bible reading and prayer, being regular in attendance at church are ways of amending how one thinks and that does affect behaviour. Keeping a short account with God is how the puritans described it, being open to God about one's failure and asking for forgiveness. It is why Paul talked about training like an Olympic athlete or as a trained and equipped soldier. We have to work at being Christian. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnthebaptist Posted September 18, 2020 Group: Non-Conformist Theology Followers: 6 Topic Count: 118 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 4,361 Content Per Day: 2.30 Reputation: 2,109 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/25/2019 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/03/1953 Share Posted September 18, 2020 4 hours ago, Eve211 said: Hello, I cannot identify whether I am a Christian stumbling in sin or a Christian living in sin. I still have lingering sins like laziness, bursts of anger and dishonesty and I really want to stop doing them and sometimes I try but unsuccessful. I also worry about past sins i stopped doing (I am scared that as a Christian I should have not have stumbled in sexual immorality - feel like it is unforgivable for a Christian to stumble in such sin). Please help The Lord forgives the repentant sinner. I've found that it's best to control one's temper. Our temper can get us into trouble. Dishonesty - bearing false witness - is a biggie if we are lying to make people look bad or to give ourselves an advantage. Laziness is a bit hard to classify since sometimes one does need to rest. Sexual immorality is never acceptable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eve211 Posted September 18, 2020 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 7 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 12 Content Per Day: 0.01 Reputation: 3 Days Won: 0 Joined: 08/24/2020 Status: Offline Author Share Posted September 18, 2020 12 minutes ago, johnthebaptist said: The Lord forgives the repentant sinner. I've found that it's best to control one's temper. Our temper can get us into trouble. Dishonesty - bearing false witness - is a biggie if we are lying to make people look bad or to give ourselves an advantage. Laziness is a bit hard to classify since sometimes one does need to rest. Sexual immorality is never acceptable. hello johnthebaptist, Based on everyhing i said: Does this mean I am living in sin? or stumbling in sin? Like the sin of dishonesty I am going to commit it because there's no way out now! But I just hope this is the very last time I am dishonest. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnthebaptist Posted September 18, 2020 Group: Non-Conformist Theology Followers: 6 Topic Count: 118 Topics Per Day: 0.06 Content Count: 4,361 Content Per Day: 2.30 Reputation: 2,109 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/25/2019 Status: Offline Birthday: 02/03/1953 Share Posted September 18, 2020 2 minutes ago, Eve211 said: hello johnthebaptist, Based on everyhing i said: Does this mean I am living in sin? or stumbling in sin? Like the sin of dishonesty I am going to commit it because there's no way out now! But I just hope this is the very last time I am dishonest. Thank you! "Living in sin" is usually an expression for two people living together, who are not married, who are having sexual relations. It doesn't sound to me like you are guilty of that. I really haven't heard the expression "stumbling in sin," but it might describe many people, since perhaps many of us sometimes have difficulty resisting sin. Sin will get us into trouble - we need to avoid it - but when we do sin, we repent and move on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SondraKaye2018 Posted September 23, 2020 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 2 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 26 Content Per Day: 0.02 Reputation: 33 Days Won: 0 Joined: 09/21/2020 Status: Offline Birthday: 06/30/1968 Share Posted September 23, 2020 Hello. Don't let the devil make you feel bad. As a born again Christian, you are forgiven for sins past, present and future. The fact that you are struggling with various things and know it, shows that the Holy Spirit is at work in you! Praying for you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WowLookaDuck Posted September 23, 2020 Group: Members Followers: 2 Topic Count: 4 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 50 Content Per Day: 0.04 Reputation: 24 Days Won: 0 Joined: 07/31/2020 Status: Offline Share Posted September 23, 2020 No, "living in sin," refers to a person continuing in sin without repentance. "Stumbling in sin" refers to the endless stream of mistakes we make as Christians. You are stumbling in sin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTC Posted September 23, 2020 Group: Royal Member Followers: 18 Topic Count: 200 Topics Per Day: 0.05 Content Count: 2,795 Content Per Day: 0.65 Reputation: 1,502 Days Won: 1 Joined: 06/25/2012 Status: Offline Birthday: 07/26/1952 Share Posted September 23, 2020 On 9/18/2020 at 12:29 PM, Eve211 said: I really want to stop doing them and sometimes I try but unsuccessful. Hi Eve211, Welcome to our site. If you were living in the sins you wouldn't be interested in even trying to quit them. You'd feel totally justified in them. I don't want you to feel complacent in sinning but it takes years to learn to live righteously. I'll be honest with you. I'm a Christian about 40 yrs and it's only since 2012 that I'm trying to avoid every sin I possibly can. I'm in an area that was hit hard by the Sandy storm. It looked like the end had come around here. I kept expecting to see Jesus and the angels any day. I started thinking, suppose He does come back, was I ready to meet Him? I realized I wasn't. We may never be perfect but are we doing all we can to try and be perfect? I think we are supposed to. But Eve, this will look different for each one of us. I'm saved 40 yrs, I'll guess you aren't even 40 yrs old yet, so don't expect to do what I do. Just do the best Eve can do. I will advise you to keep reading, or listening, to your Bible so you know the mind of God. Listen to Proverbs about once a year, Proverbs tells us what God loves and what He hates. As long as God is always in your mind you will grow as the years go on. Someday it will be you encouraging other younger Christians. Because truly, I never expected this to be me doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LonerAndy Posted October 14, 2020 Group: Senior Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 19 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 693 Content Per Day: 0.42 Reputation: 396 Days Won: 0 Joined: 10/28/2019 Status: Offline Share Posted October 14, 2020 On 9/18/2020 at 12:29 PM, Eve211 said: Hello, I cannot identify whether I am a Christian stumbling in sin or a Christian living in sin. I still have lingering sins like laziness, bursts of anger and dishonesty and I really want to stop doing them and sometimes I try but unsuccessful. I also worry about past sins i stopped doing (I am scared that as a Christian I should have not have stumbled in sexual immorality - feel like it is unforgivable for a Christian to stumble in such sin). Please help Generally if you accept it as sin, and don't care, or if you deny that it is sin.... then you are living in sin. For example if you lie constantly, and you say yeah it's sin, but it's just what i do.... then you are living in sin. IF you lie, and you consult someone on how to stop lying... Then you are engaged in repenting. One key is, if you actually repent, you will eventually show results. Just like Jesus said, a good tree bears good fruit. If you are the good tree... at some point you should start seeing improvements. And if you don't..... that's a very very bad place to be. I would get down on your knees, and put your face into the carpet, and ask the Lord for Mercy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts