Is there any hope left for me??? (Freaking out about Hebrews 6:4-6 & 10:26-27)

Nathan@work

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Thanks so much. But does this even include the sins I did intentionally in those years after I heard the Good News/thought I was saved? I’ve been reading some things about how in the OT, there were only animal sacrifices for *unintentional* sins; for willful premeditated sin it seems like death was the main punishment(?). Is this a sign that there is no forgiveness for the sort of sins I committed? Or does Christ cover those sins as well, where *He* is the one who paid “the death penalty” for them instead of me? Sorry for all the questions; not sure if you know the answers. All the same, thank you for the encouragement.

All sins are forgiven. There is only one ‘sin’ a man can commit, that God cannot forgive, and that is to reject Jesus - which would include rejecting His forgiveness. If you reject His forgiveness, then you....well....reject forgiveness.

It seems too simple, but it actually is that simple.

The problem is that humans have twisted what Gods forgiveness is. They think it can be earned, or even worse, possessed - like some kind of ticket you get when you say a prayer or do something religious.

Gods forgiveness, our Salvation, is not an object or something ‘done’. It is a life. A way of life. Eternal life. Not something you’ve done in the past, but something that is happening every single moment of every single day.

It’s not something you have - He has you. You don’t possess it - it possess you.

God has given us His only Son. Put our sin on Him. Jesus suffered death and separation from His Father in order to show us how much He loves us.

When you really believe this, it will change you. You won’t dwell on your sin anymore. It will also change the way you see others.

Think about it, God has forgiven you - even what you have intentionally done knowing you were doing the wrong thing - all of it. So the next time someone ‘does’ something to you, how can you not look at them with the same love God has shown you?

Let His love work in your life. His Spirit leads us so just follow His lead. It is impossible to go wrong if your following His lead.
 
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Dave L

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Those who fear they've committed Hebrews 6 have not. If they did, it would be the least of their concern. They would not care if they did.

But Hebrews 6 is not what most think. It was written to the Hebrew converts to discourage them from returning to Judaism and rejecting Christ. But many Christians do this unwittingly when they plan to return to Temple sacrifice in the Pharisee's pending Millennium. Even though the millennium is a false doctrine and will never come to pass, they still have committed the sin in their hearts.
 
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Billy93

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Those who fear they've committed Hebrews 6 have not. If they did, it would be the least of their concern. They would not care if they did.

But Hebrews 6 is not what most think. It was written to the Hebrew converts to discourage them from returning to Judaism and rejecting Christ. But many Christians do this unwittingly when they plan to return to Temple sacrifice in the Pharisee's pending Millennium. Even though the millennium is a false doctrine and will never come to pass, they still have committed the sin in their hearts.

Thanks. I have OCD so it’s possible I’m just obsessing over these verses, even though it seems virtually everybody seems to think there’s still hope/that those verses meant something different entirely. Also though, what do you mean about “the Pharisee’s pending Millennium”? Not sure I know what you’re talking about.
 
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Dave L

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Thanks. I have OCD so it’s possible I’m just obsessing over these verses, even though it seems virtually everybody seems to think there’s still hope/that those verses meant something different entirely. Also though, what do you mean about “the Pharisee’s pending Millennium”? Not sure I know what you’re talking about.
Pre-millennialists think the third temple with sacrifices will be built in Jerusalem. They expect to offer animal sacrifices when it happens. This is in effect the sin Hebrews 6 warns against. It has no forgiveness and is a complete rejection of Christ's death for sin on the cross. They try to overcome this in many ways, but it is still the sin Hebrews 6 warns against. The Millennium is a Pharisee doctrine Christ refuted time and again in the gospels by teaching the Kingdom is spiritual, not physical.
 
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Billy93

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Pre-millennialists think the third temple with sacrifices will be built in Jerusalem. They expect to offer animal sacrifices when it happens. This is in effect the sin Hebrews 6 warns against. It has no forgiveness and is a complete rejection of Christ's death for sin on the cross. They try to overcome this in many ways, but it is still the sin Hebrews 6 warns against. The Millennium is a Pharisee doctrine Christ refuted time and again in the gospels by teaching the Kingdom is spiritual, not physical.

Very interesting. I’ve always been taught to believe that Christ will reign here on Earth for a millennium after defeating the Antichrist, and that there will be a Third Temple built before the AC comes to power. However, even so, I never once thought *Christians* would be think to offer animal sacrifices. I figured it would be a Jewish thing.
 
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Dave L

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Very interesting. I’ve always been taught to believe that Christ will reign here on Earth for a millennium after defeating the Antichrist, and that there will be a Third Temple built before the AC comes to power. However, even so, I never once thought *Christians* would be think to offer animal sacrifices. I figured it would be a Jewish thing.
Jesus taught Amillennialism. But also taught that only the born again can see the kingdom because it is spiritual. Daniel said the kingdom would come in the time of the ancient Roman Empire. It did, but since it was not the physical Premillennial Kingdom the Pharisees expected, they rejected the Gospel of the Kingdom Jesus preached. They ultimately killed him over it.

Today, many also reject the Gospel of the Kingdom Jesus preached. They instead side with the Pharisees expecting their physical Millennial Kingdom instead.

This is too bizarre to grasp, but it is true. Most today reject Jesus and his gospel of the kingdom, preferring the Pharisee's Messiah and Kingdom instead. Be careful in what you believe.
 
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Nathan@work

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Thanks. I have OCD so it’s possible I’m just obsessing over these verses, even though it seems virtually everybody seems to think there’s still hope/that those verses meant something different entirely. Also though, what do you mean about “the Pharisee’s pending Millennium”? Not sure I know what you’re talking about.

I used to obsess over them too. God just would not let me go(and still won’t) when I try to apply them to me.

It doesn’t mean we have a license to sin though. The thing about sin is it messes with your head.

Those passages in Hebrews are talking about, and apply to anyone(not specific people/groups), who reject Christ.

Sin can lead you to do this. Sin can lead anyone to do this.

So it is very important that when you do know of the love God has for you in Christ you do not turn away from it. What does that mean? It is simpler than it sounds.

When you come to know Gods forgiveness, and He comes and lives in you by His Spirit, it produces a change in you. It ‘turns around’ your thinking and when that happens your actions start to ‘turn’. This is called repentance.

What sin will try to do is ‘turn’ you back. The passages in Hebrews speaks about the ones who let sin take control and have then ‘turned’ away from Christ.

This is why it says it is impossible to restore them again to repentance. There are only two lines of thought concerning sin. Either God forgives you of sin because only He is holy, or you do something to somehow earn His forgiveness which means you think you can be good enough.

Those two lines of thought are opposite to each other. Before God comes to us everyone is under the impression that they can do something about their sin. Once we are in Christ we know there is absolutely nothing we can do about our sin.

So if we let sin harden our heart, once we know the truth, it would be impossible for us to once again fully trust in Christ alone. We will always want to do something in order to earn forgiveness. That is wrong because it rejects the completeness of what Christ did for us.
 
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Nathan@work

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*When I say it’s simpler than it sounds, I mean the understanding of it. I do not mean it’s simple to turn away from Christ.

You have to fight against Gods Spirit in order to turn away from Him. It is a willful and purposeful thing to do.

Just don’t fight against Him. :)
 
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Billy93

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All sins are forgiven. There is only one ‘sin’ a man can commit, that God cannot forgive, and that is to reject Jesus - which would include rejecting His forgiveness. If you reject His forgiveness, then you....well....reject forgiveness.

It seems too simple, but it actually is that simple.

The problem is that humans have twisted what Gods forgiveness is. They think it can be earned, or even worse, possessed - like some kind of ticket you get when you say a prayer or do something religious.

Gods forgiveness, our Salvation, is not an object or something ‘done’. It is a life. A way of life. Eternal life. Not something you’ve done in the past, but something that is happening every single moment of every single day.

It’s not something you have - He has you. You don’t possess it - it possess you.

God has given us His only Son. Put our sin on Him. Jesus suffered death and separation from His Father in order to show us how much He loves us.

When you really believe this, it will change you. You won’t dwell on your sin anymore. It will also change the way you see others.

Think about it, God has forgiven you - even what you have intentionally done knowing you were doing the wrong thing - all of it. So the next time someone ‘does’ something to you, how can you not look at them with the same love God has shown you?

Let His love work in your life. His Spirit leads us so just follow His lead. It is impossible to go wrong if your following His lead.

Thanks a lot for your reply. I think my OCD (among other things) is causing me to overcomplicate things, when really it’s as simple as you said: accepting God's gift. The problem is my mind keeps telling myself a lot of “Buts” when it comes to salvation. “But didn’t you commit a bunch of sins after professing to be a Christian? That means there’s no forgiveness left for you!” Or “But your sins are worse than most other people’s.” Or “But just because you think you’re repenting doesn’t mean you actually are! God’s probably not even listening to you; why would He at this point?” Etc. It’s frustrating, because I’ve been noticing myself actually changing some for the better (which one would *assume* to be a positive sign of the Holy Spirit’s involvement, because these changes coincide with me actively & daily reading His Word and praying asking for forgiveness and for Him to change me), yet my mind these past few days can’t accept that it’s even possibly because *God* is actually hearing me and helping me. Then again, I don’t think I'd necessarily have it in my own strength to make these changes on my own (such as praying and wishing well for people who I don’t even like - never used to think like that at all) - which would lead me to think (and hope) maybe it really is God and the fact that I’ve asked Him to help mold me how He wants me to me. Idk.
 
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Nathan@work

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Thanks a lot for your reply. I think my OCD (among other things) is causing me to overcomplicate things, when really it’s as simply as you said: accepting God's gift. The problem is my mind keeps telling myself a lot of “Buts” when it comes to salvation. “But didn’t you commit a bunch of sins after professing to be a Christian? That means there’s no forgiveness left for you!” Or “But your sins are worse than most other people’s.” Or “But just because you think you’re repenting doesn’t mean you actually are! God’s probably not even listening to you; why would He at this point?” Etc. It’s frustrating, because I’ve been noticing myself actually changing some for the better (which one would *assume* to be a positive sign of the Holy Spirit’s involvement, because these changes coincide with me actively & daily reading His Word and praying asking for forgiveness and for Him to change me), yet my mind these past few days can’t accept that it’s even possibly because *God* is actually hearing me and helping me. Then again, I don’t think I'd necessarily have it in my own strength to make these changes on my own (such as praying and wishing well for people who I don’t even like - never used to think like that at all) - which would lead me to think (and hope) maybe it really is God and the fact that I’ve asked Him to help mold me how He wants me to me. Idk.

Prayer is a good thing, just don’t think of it as you talking a lot to God. :)

I do way more listening when I pray than I do talking.

The Spirit working in your life will be evident. You will know it.

Don’t think you won’t ever sin again. You will. When you do, don’t try to justify it. Accept it as sin, know Christ died for that sin, and turn sways from it.

There really is no difference between sin a person has before they know God and after. The only difference is how it controls us.

Sin cannot control a child of God. :)
 
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Billy93

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I used to obsess over them too. God just would not let me go(and still won’t) when I try to apply them to me.

It doesn’t mean we have a license to sin though. The thing about sin is it messes with your head.

Those passages in Hebrews are talking about, and apply to anyone(not specific people/groups), who reject Christ.

Sin can lead you to do this. Sin can lead anyone to do this.

So it is very important that when you do know of the love God has for you in Christ you do not turn away from it. What does that mean? It is simpler than it sounds.

When you come to know Gods forgiveness, and He comes and lives in you by His Spirit, it produces a change in you. It ‘turns around’ your thinking and when that happens your actions start to ‘turn’. This is called repentance.

What sin will try to do is ‘turn’ you back. The passages in Hebrews speaks about the ones who let sin take control and have then ‘turned’ away from Christ.

This is why it says it is impossible to restore them again to repentance. There are only two lines of thought concerning sin. Either God forgives you of sin because only He is holy, or you do something to somehow earn His forgiveness which means you think you can be good enough.

Those two lines of thought are opposite to each other. Before God comes to us everyone is under the impression that they can do something about their sin. Once we are in Christ we know there is absolutely nothing we can do about our sin.

So if we let sin harden our heart, once we know the truth, it would be impossible for us to once again fully trust in Christ alone. We will always want to do something in order to earn forgiveness. That is wrong because it rejects the completeness of what Christ did for us.

That’s exactly my problem; I had a mindset of “It’s okay, God will forgive me.” Which obviously totally takes for granted God’s gift of salvation and Christ’s sacrifice. I guess the thing is, there’s a line between thinking “God forgives” and “God forgives, sooo I can do whatever I want even if it’s contrary to God’s will.” I think a lot of “Christians” (like myself, formerly at least) take the latter approach and it’s nothing but destructive. I mean, even after having been “saved” as a kid, I got to college and lived with a girlfriend for about a year-and-a-half.

That wasn’t just “Whoops, I sinned but I’ll do better next time,” rather it was “I know this is wrong but I don’t care, at least not right now; God will forgive me” - day after day. I got numb to the fact that it was even wrong, as time went on. And since I was living far away from my family and thus keeping it all a secret, it’s not like I had any Christians in my life who knew I was going astray and who could thus knock some sense into me and tell me to get my head straight. :/

You’re right, though, there are only two lines of thought: Either God handles our sin, or we do. Obviously, I do believe that only God can handle my sin, and I accept that there’s nothing *I* could do on my own to make me somehow worthy of salvation. My whole problem with Hebrews is me worrying that God isn’t even *willing* to handle my sin anymore - that I’ve somehow “gone too far” and that his gift is no longer even available. In which case, I would be forever doomed to hell with no hope of salvation.

I *hope* that the fact that I’m feeling bad about sin now/that I am asking the Holy Spirit to convict me (rather than just go on living the same as I was before, not reading my Bible, not praying, not feeling anything other than perpetual contentment in living a worldly lifestyle), means I’m not too far gone and that God’s gift/invitation is still open to me, if I accept it.

What exactly is “hardening of the heart”? I think I have a pretty good grasp on it, but just want to make sure. Does it just refer to someone who has rejected God for so long that he feels absolutely no desire anymore to repent? Someone who, no matter how much you try and knock some sense into them & tell them they’re sinning, they see nothing wrong and shrug off your warnings?
 
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Nathan@work

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That’s exactly my problem; I had a mindset of “It’s okay, God will forgive me.” Which obviously totally takes for granted God’s gift of salvation and Christ’s sacrifice. I guess the thing is, there’s a line between thinking “God forgives” and “God forgives, sooo I can do whatever I want even if it’s contrary to God’s will.” I think a lot of “Christians” (like myself, formerly at least) take the latter approach and it’s nothing but destructive. I mean, even after having been “saved” as a kid, I got to college and lived with a girlfriend for about a year-and-a-half.

That wasn’t just “Whoops, I sinned but I’ll do better next time,” rather it was “I know this is wrong but I don’t care, at least not right now; God will forgive me” - day after day. I got numb to the fact that it was even wrong, as time went on. And since I was living far away from my family and thus keeping it all a secret, it’s not like I had any Christians in my life who knew I was going astray and who could thus knock some sense into me and tell me to get my head straight. :/

You’re right, though, there are only two lines of thought: Either God handles our sin, or we do. Obviously, I do believe that only God can handle my sin, and I accept that there’s nothing *I* could do on my own to make me somehow worthy of salvation. My whole problem with Hebrews is me worrying that God isn’t even *willing* to handle my sin anymore - that I’ve somehow “gone too far” and that his gift is no longer even available. In which case, I would be forever doomed to hell with no hope of salvation.

I *hope* that the fact that I’m feeling bad about sin now/that I am asking the Holy Spirit to convict me (rather than just go on living the same as I was before, not reading my Bible, not praying, not feeling anything other than perpetual contentment in living a worldly lifestyle), means I’m not too far gone and that God’s gift/invitation is still open to me, if I accept it.

What exactly is “hardening of the heart”? I think I have a pretty good grasp on it, but just want to make sure. Does it just refer to someone who has rejected God for so long that he feels absolutely no desire anymore to repent? Someone who, no matter how much you try and knock some sense into them & tell them they’re sinning, they see nothing wrong and shrug off your warnings?

Hardening of the heart. That is a good question.

Here is a good rule of thumb to follow. When it comes to mankind most everything is simple, when it comes to God most everything is complex. God knows we are simple, and He deals with us accordingly.

A hard heart is a condition of man. While it may seem not so simple, it really is.

The heart is the essence of man. Hardness refers to sensitivity. So a hard heart is referring to one that is not sensitive - specifically toward God.

A person with a hard heart simply does not care about anything else than what they are focused on.
 
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Nathan@work

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A good example is in Mark chapter 3.

There was a man who needed healing and the Pharisees were so focused on catching Jesus in a sin, they could care less about the truth of what was going on around them.

Not only were they ‘hardened’ to the fact that Jesus would never sin, they were also hardened to the need of the man in front of them.

The passage says that Jesus was grieved. Angry at them, but grieved at their hearts. Grief is a sensitivity.

As it relates to sin, while it would not be the only sign I would look at, if a person is grieved over their sin there is pretty much no doubt that their heart is not hard.

One thing to consider though. There is a difference between grief over your sin, and grief over the result of your sin.

In other words, if your balling like a baby because you got caught stealing - that’s not the right kind of grief.

If you are balling like a baby after you stole something - and no one knows you stole something - that is good grief.
 
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Lukaris

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I believe these verses from Hebrews pertain to outright apostasy ( like devil worship) or extreme unrepentant violations of the Lord’s commandments ( like murder). Do not take sin lightly of course & confess as you live your life ( read 1 John 1 & all of 1 John for that matter).
 
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TedT

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Does Hebrews say it’s too late for me to repent? Am I doomed to hell?
Hey, salvation is by grace thru faith...if you are elect you will be reborn, redeemed and trained in righteousness, Heb 125-11. There is no ultimate irrecoverable sin in this world, that is, all who sinned the unforgivable sin did it long ago when they became demons...no worldly sin matches it.

But there is a high road and a low road. The high road is to live a righteous life and suffer only for minor stuff and mistakes. The low road is to keep indulging in serious worldly sin while being painfully chastised / scourged (the actual word refers to being whipped by the cat of nine tails) until you get the message. Your choice....
 
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Billy93

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A good example is in Mark chapter 3.

There was a man who needed healing and the Pharisees were so focused on catching Jesus in a sin, they could care less about the truth of what was going on around them.

Not only were they ‘hardened’ to the fact that Jesus would never sin, they were also hardened to the need of the man in front of them.

The passage says that Jesus was grieved. Angry at them, but grieved at their hearts. Grief is a sensitivity.

As it relates to sin, while it would not be the only sign I would look at, if a person is grieved over their sin there is pretty much no doubt that their heart is not hard.

One thing to consider though. There is a difference between grief over your sin, and grief over the result of your sin.

In other words, if your balling like a baby because you got caught stealing - that’s not the right kind of grief.

If you are balling like a baby after you stole something - and no one knows you stole something - that is good grief.

Interesting, thanks a lot. And yes - it’s like how some people only say “Sorry” because they got caught. When you know that if they hadn’t been caught, they would have likely kept right on doing whatever it was. I’ve definitely been guilty of being like that before, but I have been getting gradually better - including about some things which I didn’t expect to feel bad about.

For instance, I used to illegally download (“pirate”) music albums *all the time*. Didn’t really feel bad for it; I came up with excuses all the time (“The musicians/composer wouldn’t be getting much money if I paid for it, anyways - just the record label bosses”), but lately I’ve had no desire to do that anymore and have even felt a bit guilty. The last few times I did it before stopping, I was struck by a thought of “You don’t actually *own* this, it’s not yours” that I hadn’t felt before. So as of late I’ve been buying all the albums I want, and I even deleted some old albums which I knew had been gotten illegally. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but I’m a huge music collector (classical music, film soundtracks), so stopping that was big for me.

Not trying to brag; just giving as a demonstration that hopefully that’s a step in the right direction for me. In my recent prayers I’ve asked the Holy Spirit to show me my sins so I know what to work on/stop, so I hope that happens. Still, I don’t feel *as bad* about certain things I’ve done as I think I *should* feel/wish I felt… I feel like there must be something wrong with me for that. I’ve apologized and recognized them as sins all the same, but I kind of wish the Holy Spirit would make me feel extremely bad over it. Idk if that’s a weird thing to wish for.
 
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Billy93

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I believe these verses from Hebrews pertain to outright apostasy ( like devil worship) or extreme unrepentant violations of the Lord’s commandments ( like murder). Do not take sin lightly of course & confess as you live your life ( read 1 John 1 & all of 1 John for that matter).

Thanks. I hope so, because it it means “Anyone who hears the Good News/becomes a Christian but then goes astray for a while is condemned and has no more access to forgiveness,” then I’m really doomed.
 
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Billy93

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Hey, salvation is by grace thru faith...if you are elect you will be reborn, redeemed and trained in righteousness, Heb 125-11. There is no ultimate irrecoverable sin in this world, that is, all who sinned the unforgivable sin did it long ago when they became demons...no worldly sin matches it.

But there is a high road and a low road. The high road is to live a righteous life and suffer only for minor stuff and mistakes. The low road is to keep indulging in serious worldly sin while being painfully chastised / scourged (the actual word refers to being whipped by the cat of nine tails) until you get the message. Your choice....

How can one be sure if they’re elect, though? :/ And as for the high and low road, I definitely want to take the high road, to change and live a righteous life. Even if I get persecuted/punished; I don’t expect to have an amazing pain-free life as a Christian, but I do expect to 1. Have more joy, even in bad circumstances 2. Be more content with what I have 3. Be on the side of Truth & 4. Love others more, even if they wrong me. I want to be strong enough in faith that I’d be willing to do whatever God asks of me. Idk if I’m just scared of hell/want to go to heaven (I hope that’s not it), but I am sick of the world and all the evil I see in it (more and more by the day). I don’t feel like I fit in here anymore.
 
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Nathan@work

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Interesting, thanks a lot. And yes - it’s like how some people only say “Sorry” because they got caught. When you know that if they hadn’t been caught, they would have likely kept right on doing whatever it was. I’ve definitely been guilty of being like that before, but I have been getting gradually better - including about some things which I didn’t expect to feel bad about.

For instance, I used to illegally download (“pirate”) music albums *all the time*. Didn’t really feel bad for it; I came up with excuses all the time (“The musicians/composer wouldn’t be getting much money if I paid for it, anyways - just the record label bosses”), but lately I’ve had no desire to do that anymore and have even felt a bit guilty. The last few times I did it before stopping, I was struck by a thought of “You don’t actually *own* this, it’s not yours” that I hadn’t felt before. So as of late I’ve been buying all the albums I want, and I even deleted some old albums which I knew had been gotten illegally. I know it may not seem like a big deal, but I’m a huge music collector (classical music, film soundtracks), so stopping that was big for me.

Not trying to brag; just giving as a demonstration that hopefully that’s a step in the right direction for me. In my recent prayers I’ve asked the Holy Spirit to show me my sins so I know what to work on/stop, so I hope that happens. Still, I don’t feel *as bad* about certain things I’ve done as I think I *should* feel/wish I felt… I feel like there must be something wrong with me for that. I’ve apologized and recognized them as sins all the same, but I kind of wish the Holy Spirit would make me feel extremely bad over it. Idk if that’s a weird thing to wish for.

I think your on the right track. :)

Be careful of feelings. They are real, no doubt, but they can be deceiving sometimes. You may feel really good about something one day, and not so much the next.

Trust what you know.
 
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Nathan@work

Always ready :)
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How can one be sure if they’re elect, though? :/ And as for the high and low road, I definitely want to take the high road, to change and live a righteous life. Even if I get persecuted/punished; I don’t expect to have an amazing pain-free life as a Christian, but I do expect to 1. Have more joy, even in bad circumstances 2. Be more content with what I have 3. Be on the side of Truth & 4. Love others more, even if they wrong me. I want to be strong enough in faith that I’d be willing to do whatever God asks of me. Idk if I’m just scared of hell/want to go to heaven (I hope that’s not it), but I am sick of the world and all the evil I see in it (more and more by the day). I don’t feel like I fit in here anymore.

Be careful of ‘elect’ vs ‘non-elect’ doctrine. There are a lot of ideas out there that will cause you confusion.

The elect, that are spoken of in the Bible, is anyone who does not reject Christ when God calls them to Himself.
 
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