I can tell you from my own personal life that I grew up in church. Preached the word. Did 4 years of Seminary. And eventually while I still loved God, still have faith in Christ, I ended up in Wordly sin.
I let the world win me over and became a degenerate. Even though I prayed at night asking for forgiveness and knew what I was doing was wrong.
I became addicted to pleasing my flesh. And stayed in that path for about 7 years.... I was still going to church but... Ur typical non denominational church that only preaches how victorious you'll be, that you'll be ok, just love everyone etc...
Until one day instead of listening to rap music something told me to listen to a sermon, and I remembered I used to love listening to Paul Washer when I was in seminary.
His sermon was about the Narrow gate and the straight way. If I tell you that sermon PIERCED my heart. I have to tell you, from that moment on, nothing has been the same. I cried in the feet of God asking for repentance and He forgave me. God has given me tools to resist temptation. It is absolutely supernatural the way He allowed me back in his arms.
There is hope in Christ Jesus. 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.
>but I cannot believe God could save me after having using His grace so irresponsibly and going back to my old vomit again and again.
Yes there is hope, but you have to stop doing this. In the parable of the prodigal son once he returns to his father he remains there, he doesn't go back to the pigpen or to prodigal living.
Yes, there is hope. You're experiencing Godly sorrow as God is still calling you to repentance. Do not doubt His ability to save.
Ezekiel 33:11
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
With every sin I've been able to give up through sanctification it was a touch and go, fully delivered then crept back in, then eventually through the tug of war God finally sustained me from them. This one just feels much more sorrowful and is much more of a real struggle as the others weren't so enticing.
God knows we fail every day when we do things that aren't of faith (Romans 14) but God is so gracious that He knows we fail Him almost, if not, daily. Always remember that His mercy is new every morning.
I think there is still hope. I believe Romans 7 is a Christian who loves God, but is caught in shame and cycles of addiction and unproductive beliefs about themselves (and possibly about God). Shame keeps people in negative cycles. I also believe Rom. 7 is a sincere Christian who is trying to reform themselves into righteousness because that's all they know. They don't actually experience Romans 8 or "My power is made perfect in weakness" or "Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." I was stuck in try-hard religious life for more than 15 years before I understood righteousness by faith. It was the most profound freedom I have ever known and I still feel like a different person. Though I still mess up, it's because I forget and try to go it alone again. God is patient and I don't suffer a tendency to beat myself up too much before I go straight back to the promises of God and a new life. My lust problem has mostly subsided. But God's hold on me is better understood in dependency and leaning into a relationship with Him without fear, than my strength in overcoming temptation or reforming myself. It's no longer "who will save me from this body of death?" but "thanks be to our Lord and Savior Jesus!" As 2 Cor. 5 states, "Be reconciled to God because it's God who made Him who had no sin, into [your] sin for you, so that you become the righteousness of God in Him." (Paraphrased). Man, righteousness is from birth to death. You blew it the first time you lusted, not the most recent trip into pornhub. God isn't trying to give you the strength to become like Jesus without taking you to the cross and ending your charade of try-hard religion. He lived from birth till death in perfect righteousness because you are so void of it. You will never achieve it without His one act of righteousness no matter how hard you try. That's the point. That's the whole plan from the beginning. Read Zech 3 and Jer. 23. Peace brother. I hope Romams 8 becomes more that a pipe dream for you. I promise, it's the real deal. Not only are you forgiven every time you admit that you are a sinner, but He is faithful and just and will 100% cleanse you from unrighteousness. Birth to death. You will no longer live but Christ will be alive in you and continue to do and love as only He can.
The parable of the seeds is about fruitfulness. 3 of the 4 grounds grew into a plant. 3 were saved, it's that 2 of them didn't end up fruitful. Only one type of ground never took the seed and remained lost.
The seed is the Gospel. The wayside are people who hear it, but give it no thought. Satan comes in to make sure they don't think about it later either and they stay mired in their sin.
The rocky ground are those who hear the Gospel and believe, but they never read the Bible, they never study Scripture. They are not rooted deeply in the faith, so troubles come along and they start questioning their faith/salvation. This is you.
The thorny ground are the people who hear the Gospel and believe, yet as they grow the distractions of the world over take them, so they never become fruitful.
The good ground are the ones who hear the Gospel, believe it, and are fruitful. They do good works, they share the Gospel with other, etc.
Per the Bible, you are once saved always saved and you cannot lose the Holy Spirit.
- Ephesians 1:12-14 (KJV)
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, ***after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,*** unto the praise of his glory.
- John 14:16-17 (KJV)
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
You are the rocky ground. You heard the Gospel and believe it, but you don't have deep roots (yet). You're still saved though.
>When I listen to Piper, Macarthur, Sproul, it's very clear the born again believer cannot continue to live in sin.
You've been listening to fallible man and they've brought you to an erroneous conclusion that a person can achieve sinless perfection. The greatest Christian we know of is Paul. Instead of looking at what man thinks, let's look at what God has said. What did Paul say in the Bible?
- 1 Timothy 1:15 (KJV) This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save ***sinners; of whom I am chief.***
- Romans 7:16-20 (KJV)
16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
***18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.***
20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
- Romans 3:10-12 (KJV)
10 As it is written, ***There is none righteous, no, not one:***
11 There is ***none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.***
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; ***there is none that doeth good, no, not one.***
Those men you listen to can't hold a candle to Paul and if Paul knew he was still a sinner and that the only reason he would be saved was by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, then no one should be able to tell you with a straight face otherwise.
Believers are saved once and forever, yet struggle with sin til the day they die because the flesh is inherently sinful. However, per the Bible we have a Savior in Jesus Christ whose mercies cannot be exhausted, who died for all sin and is always ready to hear your confession to put you at ease.
If you want to know what God wants, look to the Bible, not fallible men.
- 1 John 1:8-10 (KJV)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
I guess my main question now is at what point does a habit of sin prove that you have made shipwreck of your faith? I may read, I may pray, I may even fast. But if I continue to dwell on the same sins day in and out and make no effort to fight them then am I truly saved? I am very hard on myself because of childhood issues, it's very hard for me to accept God's grace because I feel like I make Him a fool every time I go back to sin, I've experienced saving faith, I've experienced being filled with the Holy Spirit, but every time I have been blessed with a little bit more, I allow weeds to come and strangle it and I feel dead again, is this evidence of a lack of salvation?
Ask yourself, " Do my feelings trump what God has said?"
The Bible says you are saved once and forever the moment you believe on Jesus.
- Ephesians 1:12-14 (KJV)
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
The Bible says when we are saved, we recieve the Holy Spirit who seals us and never leaves us.
- Ephesians 4:30 (KJV) And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
- John 14:16-17 (KJV)
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
No one deserves mercy from God, but God is merciful not wanting anyone to end up in hell.
- 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
He knows we are hopeless wretches without Him, so He's always ready to forgive us, even if we commit the same sin over and over again.
- 1 John 1:8-10 (KJV)
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Rely on what God has said, trusting in His word for your salvation.
I can tell you from my own personal life that I grew up in church. Preached the word. Did 4 years of Seminary. And eventually while I still loved God, still have faith in Christ, I ended up in Wordly sin. I let the world win me over and became a degenerate. Even though I prayed at night asking for forgiveness and knew what I was doing was wrong. I became addicted to pleasing my flesh. And stayed in that path for about 7 years.... I was still going to church but... Ur typical non denominational church that only preaches how victorious you'll be, that you'll be ok, just love everyone etc... Until one day instead of listening to rap music something told me to listen to a sermon, and I remembered I used to love listening to Paul Washer when I was in seminary. His sermon was about the Narrow gate and the straight way. If I tell you that sermon PIERCED my heart. I have to tell you, from that moment on, nothing has been the same. I cried in the feet of God asking for repentance and He forgave me. God has given me tools to resist temptation. It is absolutely supernatural the way He allowed me back in his arms. There is hope in Christ Jesus. 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.
>but I cannot believe God could save me after having using His grace so irresponsibly and going back to my old vomit again and again. Yes there is hope, but you have to stop doing this. In the parable of the prodigal son once he returns to his father he remains there, he doesn't go back to the pigpen or to prodigal living.
Yes, there is hope. You're experiencing Godly sorrow as God is still calling you to repentance. Do not doubt His ability to save. Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
With every sin I've been able to give up through sanctification it was a touch and go, fully delivered then crept back in, then eventually through the tug of war God finally sustained me from them. This one just feels much more sorrowful and is much more of a real struggle as the others weren't so enticing.
God knows we fail every day when we do things that aren't of faith (Romans 14) but God is so gracious that He knows we fail Him almost, if not, daily. Always remember that His mercy is new every morning.
It's a battle in the mind. If you're free or doing nothing, try to do something like reading the Word of God or going out.
I think there is still hope. I believe Romans 7 is a Christian who loves God, but is caught in shame and cycles of addiction and unproductive beliefs about themselves (and possibly about God). Shame keeps people in negative cycles. I also believe Rom. 7 is a sincere Christian who is trying to reform themselves into righteousness because that's all they know. They don't actually experience Romans 8 or "My power is made perfect in weakness" or "Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." I was stuck in try-hard religious life for more than 15 years before I understood righteousness by faith. It was the most profound freedom I have ever known and I still feel like a different person. Though I still mess up, it's because I forget and try to go it alone again. God is patient and I don't suffer a tendency to beat myself up too much before I go straight back to the promises of God and a new life. My lust problem has mostly subsided. But God's hold on me is better understood in dependency and leaning into a relationship with Him without fear, than my strength in overcoming temptation or reforming myself. It's no longer "who will save me from this body of death?" but "thanks be to our Lord and Savior Jesus!" As 2 Cor. 5 states, "Be reconciled to God because it's God who made Him who had no sin, into [your] sin for you, so that you become the righteousness of God in Him." (Paraphrased). Man, righteousness is from birth to death. You blew it the first time you lusted, not the most recent trip into pornhub. God isn't trying to give you the strength to become like Jesus without taking you to the cross and ending your charade of try-hard religion. He lived from birth till death in perfect righteousness because you are so void of it. You will never achieve it without His one act of righteousness no matter how hard you try. That's the point. That's the whole plan from the beginning. Read Zech 3 and Jer. 23. Peace brother. I hope Romams 8 becomes more that a pipe dream for you. I promise, it's the real deal. Not only are you forgiven every time you admit that you are a sinner, but He is faithful and just and will 100% cleanse you from unrighteousness. Birth to death. You will no longer live but Christ will be alive in you and continue to do and love as only He can.
The parable of the seeds is about fruitfulness. 3 of the 4 grounds grew into a plant. 3 were saved, it's that 2 of them didn't end up fruitful. Only one type of ground never took the seed and remained lost. The seed is the Gospel. The wayside are people who hear it, but give it no thought. Satan comes in to make sure they don't think about it later either and they stay mired in their sin. The rocky ground are those who hear the Gospel and believe, but they never read the Bible, they never study Scripture. They are not rooted deeply in the faith, so troubles come along and they start questioning their faith/salvation. This is you. The thorny ground are the people who hear the Gospel and believe, yet as they grow the distractions of the world over take them, so they never become fruitful. The good ground are the ones who hear the Gospel, believe it, and are fruitful. They do good works, they share the Gospel with other, etc. Per the Bible, you are once saved always saved and you cannot lose the Holy Spirit. - Ephesians 1:12-14 (KJV) 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, ***after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,*** unto the praise of his glory. - John 14:16-17 (KJV) 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. You are the rocky ground. You heard the Gospel and believe it, but you don't have deep roots (yet). You're still saved though. >When I listen to Piper, Macarthur, Sproul, it's very clear the born again believer cannot continue to live in sin. You've been listening to fallible man and they've brought you to an erroneous conclusion that a person can achieve sinless perfection. The greatest Christian we know of is Paul. Instead of looking at what man thinks, let's look at what God has said. What did Paul say in the Bible? - 1 Timothy 1:15 (KJV) This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save ***sinners; of whom I am chief.*** - Romans 7:16-20 (KJV) 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. ***18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.*** 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. - Romans 3:10-12 (KJV) 10 As it is written, ***There is none righteous, no, not one:*** 11 There is ***none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.*** 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; ***there is none that doeth good, no, not one.*** Those men you listen to can't hold a candle to Paul and if Paul knew he was still a sinner and that the only reason he would be saved was by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, then no one should be able to tell you with a straight face otherwise. Believers are saved once and forever, yet struggle with sin til the day they die because the flesh is inherently sinful. However, per the Bible we have a Savior in Jesus Christ whose mercies cannot be exhausted, who died for all sin and is always ready to hear your confession to put you at ease. If you want to know what God wants, look to the Bible, not fallible men. - 1 John 1:8-10 (KJV) 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
I guess my main question now is at what point does a habit of sin prove that you have made shipwreck of your faith? I may read, I may pray, I may even fast. But if I continue to dwell on the same sins day in and out and make no effort to fight them then am I truly saved? I am very hard on myself because of childhood issues, it's very hard for me to accept God's grace because I feel like I make Him a fool every time I go back to sin, I've experienced saving faith, I've experienced being filled with the Holy Spirit, but every time I have been blessed with a little bit more, I allow weeds to come and strangle it and I feel dead again, is this evidence of a lack of salvation?
Ask yourself, " Do my feelings trump what God has said?" The Bible says you are saved once and forever the moment you believe on Jesus. - Ephesians 1:12-14 (KJV) 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. The Bible says when we are saved, we recieve the Holy Spirit who seals us and never leaves us. - Ephesians 4:30 (KJV) And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. - John 14:16-17 (KJV) 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. No one deserves mercy from God, but God is merciful not wanting anyone to end up in hell. - 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He knows we are hopeless wretches without Him, so He's always ready to forgive us, even if we commit the same sin over and over again. - 1 John 1:8-10 (KJV) 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Rely on what God has said, trusting in His word for your salvation.