Where To Begin...

TGP2025 · Apr 16, 2026

i suppose my first question should be, i have been praying and repenting for my sins almost every day these past couple weeks, how do i know if i will be forgiven? i have turned away from religion a long time, will God truly give me the chance to make things right, or am i damned for ignoring him for so long?

timothyu · Apr 16, 2026

Repentance means change, not saying sorry or asking forgiveness. Do you understand what sin is? Sin is putting our will ahead of the will of God. Eve, then Adam, put their will ahead of the will of God, the original sin. By focusing on self they became aware of self and mankind has been focused on self ever since. In doing so they refuse to follow God's will which is act in servitude to Him and each other instead of seeking self gain at the expense and loss of others. The world thrives on the latter.

If you can relate this to your sin and understand why 'self' is the root of all evil and you wish to change your ways, God has already forgiven you and will help on your journey down a new path. Stumbling is allowed as long as you don't go back into the ways of the world. If you abandon His Kingdom in favour of the world your only reward will be this life and no more.

TGP2025 · Apr 16, 2026

timothyu said:
Repentance means change, not saying sorry or asking forgiveness. Do you understand what sin is? Sin is putting our will ahead of the will of God. Eve, then Adam, put their will ahead of the will of God, the original sin. By focusing on self they became aware of self and mankind has been focused on self ever since. In doing so they refuse to follow God's will which is act in servitude to Him and each other instead of seeking self gain at the expense and loss of others. The world thrives on the latter.

If you can relate this to your sin and understand why 'self' is the root of all evil and you wish to change your ways, God has already forgiven you and will help on your journey down a new path. Stumbling is allowed as long as you don't go back into the ways of the world. If you abandon His Kingdom in favour of the world your only reward will be this life and no more.

right, i appreciate the blunt honesty. do you know what changes i should be making? i mean other than not engaging in the Sin that i have previously done, of course. as Jesus said; "Go And Sin No More." so that much is indeed clear.

timothyu · Apr 16, 2026

if you understand what makes it a sin then you will understand what is behind ALL sins. You only need change one thing for all else to fall into line.

TGP2025 · Apr 16, 2026

timothyu said:
if you understand what makes it a sin then you will understand what is behind ALL sins. You only need change one thing for all else to fall into line.

hopefully so. some Sins are more blatantly obvious than others, at least from my point of view.

timothyu · Apr 16, 2026

Yes they are but they all grow from one seed... self-interest.

TGP2025 · Apr 17, 2026

timothyu said:
Yes they are but they all grow from one seed... self-interest.

i guess so, i mean there is always SOME bit of self-interest, with not all of it being bad, but yes it can definitely go too far.

tturt · Apr 17, 2026

How do you know?

-"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" Acts 3:19
-"As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." Psa 103:12

We become even more aware and thankful for Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection and what it means. His Word becomes our lifeline

Later as believers we repent when we fail
-"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." Rev 3:19

timothyu · Apr 17, 2026

TGP2025 said:
with not all of it being bad, but yes it can definitely go too far.

We all have to take care of ourselves, But when selfishness, greed or gain at someone else's loss is used, then we've gone too far. Servitude is the way of the Kingdom, self-serving is the way of this world. We have to choose one way or the other, we cannot have it both ways.

TGP2025 · Apr 17, 2026

Indeed, thank Jesus who suffered unto the cross for us, defeating both Sin and Death, who was risen 3 days later.

timothyu · Apr 17, 2026

Repent means a change of heart and way of life.

timothyu · Apr 17, 2026

TGP2025 said:
Indeed, thank Jesus who suffered unto the cross for us, defeating both Sin and Death, who was risen 3 days later.

Yes, He opened the door to the Kingdom. We have to repent as shown by our fruits that we are worthy. If we expect forgiveness or whatever else from the Kingdom, then we have to be willing to show it to each other first in the here and now

TGP2025 · Apr 17, 2026

timothyu said:
We all have to take care of ourselves, But when selfishness, greed or gain at someone else's loss is used, then we've gone too far. Servitude is the way of the Kingdom, self-serving is the way of this world. We have to choose one way or the other, we cannot have it both ways.

yes, Servitude and Submission, iirc.

TGP2025 · Apr 17, 2026

timothyu said:
Yes, He opened the door to the Kingdom. We have to repent as shown by our fruits that we are worthy. If we expect forgiveness or whatever else from the Kingdom, then we have to be willing to show it to each other first in the here and now

yes, to put others before myself and help them if they are in need.

timothyu · Apr 17, 2026

Weigh everything against the ways of the Kingdom which are His two commandments. Jesus gave us only four rules. Follow his two commandments (put God's will ahead of our own and act in servitude to God and each other), repent/change and forward His only gospel, the Gospel of the Kingdom.

TGP2025 · Apr 17, 2026

timothyu said:
Weigh everything against the ways of the Kingdom which are His two commandments. Jesus gave us only four rules. Follow his two commandments (put God's will ahead of our own and act in servitude to God and each other), repent/change and forward His only gospel, the Gospel of the Kingdom.

okay, sounds good, i feel a lot better knowing more than i did coming into this.

Unqualified · Apr 17, 2026

Repent for the kingdom of God is near. Getting right with Jesus, getting the sin out of the way, clouding our vision seeing Him as the messiah and forgiver of sins. He promises to forgive us that’s how we know. He never breaks a promise. Sometimes we suffer the consequences of our sins and sometimes we just suffer because our bodies or minds malfunction. Sins has nothing more to do with suffering.

so we repent and go on. Or we repent and come clean and seek the newness that only Jesus can bring. We know we are saved after repenting and being baptized and receiving the Holy Spirit. You can sure be sure then.

you doing the right thing your not condemned if you are taking advantage of the promise in John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever should believe on him should not perish but have everlasting life. Believing in Jesus is the whole point. If you are truly repenting you are forgiven, but now believe in the forgiver who died a horrible death for you and rose again to prove it’s all true. There is a great salvation and it is all true from cover to cover. But I’m afraid your Mormon Bible won’t do.

start reading John and pray for understanding and go from there. You could repent of Mormon beliefs too that you know are not true. But don’t worry don’t doubt, don’t fear but seek ye first the kingdom of God and as it says all these thing will be given you.

but the love of money as the Bible says is the root of all evil. You have to have a self and desires other humannesses. Or you have nothing to work on being like Christ.

Maria Billingsley · Apr 17, 2026

TGP2025 said:
i suppose my first question should be, i have been praying and repenting for my sins almost every day these past couple weeks, how do i know if i will be forgiven? i have turned away from religion a long time, will God truly give me the chance to make things right, or am i damned for ignoring him for so long?

Ask Jesus Christ of Nazareth to fill you with His Holy Spirit. He will do so, and do not doubt. He will guild you in all truth and keep your walk towards the narrow gate. Repentance , changing your mind, is the first step. Through His Holy Spirit we are then transformed into His likeness.

2 Corinthians 3:18
"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Be blessed.

chevyontheriver · Apr 17, 2026

TGP2025 said:
i suppose my first question should be, i have been praying and repenting for my sins almost every day these past couple weeks, how do i know if i will be forgiven? i have turned away from religion a long time, will God truly give me the chance to make things right, or am i damned for ignoring him for so long?

In another thread you mentioned the desire to confess your sins. A noble thing. Confession is good for the soul. Your instinct is correct.

Here is the second part. You realize you need absolution from your sins. Merely confessing is, of course, not enough. You need contrition, a firm purpose of reform in your life, and then absolution.

If you weren't actually sorry for your sins, what good would it be to confess them? None. It would be just a show. I presume you are sorry for your sins. That's good.

The next part is a 'firm purpose of amendment'. Which means you intend real change to avoid the near occasion of sin in the future. Sure, some people are stuck in bad habits and return again and again and again to the same old sins. But we try to make progress, we intend to make progress, and we make progress, some times only bit by bit, but real progress. If a person does not intend to make change, what good is that? The intention for real change is necessary too.

Then comes the absolution from sin, the forgiveness. You get to hear the words "I forgive you." Jesus Christ forgives you. A Catholic can hear those words. So too members of the Orthodox Churches. Not that God can't say this directly to you, but physically hearing those words is a great consolation. And you are not 'too late' as long as you have breath in you.

After that, some reparations for the damage done by sin. All sins are an affront to God. All sins damage our relationship to God. And all sins damage out relationships with other people because we are communal beings. So we need to repair those wounds. It's kind of like the kid who broke the window with the baseball when he was told not to do batting practice near the house. He's sorry. He's forgiven. But the window is still broken. He needs to do something to help get the window fixed.

Proximus · Apr 17, 2026

TGP2025 said:
i suppose my first question should be, i have been praying and repenting for my sins almost every day these past couple weeks, how do i know if i will be forgiven? i have turned away from religion a long time, will God truly give me the chance to make things right, or am i damned for ignoring him for so long?

"165. To repent with one's lips but not in one's life is no repentance. Sins are not forgiven by repentance with the lips, but by repentance in life. A person's sins are continually being forgiven by the Lord, for He is absolute mercy. But the sins cling to the person, however much he thinks they are forgiven, and the only way to have them taken away is to live in accordance with the commandments of true faith. The more he lives thus, the more his sins are taken away, and the further they are taken away, the more they are forgiven."

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