Is it possible to be forgiven for repeated sins? Today we will discuss whether God will forgive us if we continue to commit the same habitual sins or not. This is a huge question that we can hardly fully address today. But I think it’s worth first pausing to ask what sin is. Some of us may not understand what sin is by reading this article.
In the Bible, sin is written as “Khata” in Hebrew and “Hamartia” in Greek. It literally means “failure to achieve the goal”. But what is the purpose?
Genesis chapter 1-3 explains to us that since we are made in the image of God, we are to become like Him, to love men well and to love God. But what often happens is that we fail to love both God and people, because we spend more time on our own selfish desires and inclinations, acting on our own ideas and for our own benefit. It often comes at the expense of others and almost always leads to the breakdown of relationships.
The Bible also talks about sins like “unrighteousness,” which describes behavior that is crooked, and sins of “trespass,” which describes the breaking of trust between God and us or us and others. Basically, sin in its simplest form is what separates us from God (Isaiah 59), like a barrier between us and Him.
Fortunately, John chapter 3 verse 16 tells us that God loved the world so much that he planned to send his only son, Jesus, to die on the cross in our place so that we could be saved. Believing in Him brings us forgiveness of sins and begins a process that some call “sanctification,” which is a very big word and simply means the process of making us more holy.
There are many verses in the Bible that talk about Jesus forgiving us of our sins, including John chapter 1 verse 9 which says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and clear it of all wrongdoing.”
So we know that Jesus is faithful and willing to forgive us. I’m sure all of us who grew up in the church have heard the words, “Apologizing means you won’t do it again.” But dear friend, is this really practical? As an adult, how many times have you apologized and then done the same thing again in a human relationship? This happens, not because we weren’t sorry to begin with, but because life as humans is never that simple black and white.
Reading this title quickly reminded me of a conversation between Peter and Jesus. This is found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 18. Peter comes to Jesus and asks, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” This may seem like a strange question, but in the first century, the Pharisees and Sadducees taught that forgiveness was a three-strikes rule. We only need to forgive three times. So, Peter doubles this and then adds a number. However, Jesus’ answer is interesting. He replies: “I will not tell you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Some even suggest that this sentence has been written 70 times, 490 times! There is a subtle connection here to a person named Lavemech in Genesis chapter 4, but we don’t have time to go into that today.
But what does this have to do with habitual sins, I hear you ask? Jesus equates forgiveness with the kingdom of God. He explains that in heaven, a repentant person will come to Jesus and ask for forgiveness, and no matter what the sin, it will be forgiven. Jesus expects us to do the same. As we are forgiven, so we must forgive.
Ephesians chapter 4 verse 32 puts it best: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as in Christ God also forgave you.” So, we already see this narrative and the heavy importance of God’s forgiveness for His people.
First John, chapter 3, verses 8-9 says: “He who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil sins from the beginning… no one who is born of God has the habit of sinning, because the seed God dwells in him; and he cannot continue to sin, because he is born of God.”
Paying attention to these words is very important. We cannot go on living sinning just because we have been given grace. I am in no way condemning the world to repeat sins, because our life with Jesus is a journey and we are all in different places, some of the things I struggle with may seem silly to you and Probably the opposite. But we are all walking with Jesus and praying that we will be more like him tomorrow than we are today. Therefore, these words are not meant to condemn but to point out that it is a problem to follow or become accustomed to sin. forgiveness
If we are the ones who choose to sin because of grace, we need to look at our hearts and as the Apostle Paul says in 1 John chapter 3, “Examine yourselves to see if you are in the faith.” Of course, as Christians, we stumble and our carnal nature can overcome, but we are to be followers of Christ, and as David was called, men and women after God’s own heart. forgiveness
Today in the article : Is it possible to be forgiven for repeated sins? We reviewed useful information about the Bible and the way of Jesus. If you wish, you can view other articles of Ali Vahidi about Christianity
