Have you been forgiven?

We live in a culture where Christianity is only important to those who profess it. But just because you profess to be a Christian doesn't make you one. To be saved in the way that the bible uses that term, means that at one point in your life you turned from your sins to welcome Christ into your life as Lord and Saviour. True Christianity is a life long journey of repentance and faith, and to claim that you are saved without any signs of repentance in your life means that at one point you stopped trusting in God for your salvation. I used to hear of stories of adults being saved as children, and then walking away from their faith. Does that mean that they are still saved while living in their sin and rejection of God? I would say no. Anyone who dies living in a state of sin will go to hell. Of course we can't be completely sinless untill we all get to Heaven and are glorified, but to leave the state of Grace and live in sin is what sends even the Christian to hell.

Of course Jesus "claims us" at our salvation, but we are called to be holy and sanctified, and that means turning from our sins and not embracing a sinful lifestyle and claiming we are on our way to Heaven. The Holy Spirit will not allow us to continue in our sins, if we are truly saved and go to Heaven that way. There is no cleaning ourselves up when we get there, we must be ready now (before we die) and that means living holy, and claiming Christ's righteousness as a gift. If you won the lottery you would tell as many people you could for the joy that was in your heart.

It's the same with Jesus and those that are truly saved. If you truly love God, you will have only one desire in your heart and that is to try to get to know Him more and more in this life and the next. God doesn't play second fiddle to anyone in my life, but that doesn't mean that I stop caring for people. God lets me love my friends and family more, because God is love and when God is living in my Heart I will want to see my brothers and sisters repent, so they can go to heaven. You don't have to be ready to repent (in a sense you do!) Jesus accepts us as we are when we are ready, that is all I'm trying to say! I personally don't know why people choose to live in their sins, there is a great freedom and love that comes into a person's life when they ask God to forgive them through the cross of Jesus Christ.

In my opinion there is no greater relief in this world and the next to know that you will spent your life forgiven living for the Glory of God. This is Mike. (John 3:16)

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