Can a habitually Sexually Immoral Christian who is saved go to heaven??

[~Anastasia~]

A believer struggling to overcome an addiction that dies is saved, I believe. The struggle is itself repentance. Calmly and cooly living in sin is not repentance. I have plenty of friends who say they are Christians who are living with or did live with their dating partner outside of marriage. I seriously question their faith. If its ignorance of scripture that's one thing, but more often than not its loving the sin so much that one ignores the urge to search out the scriptures for the truth. Its theology based on willful ignorance. Could they be in heaven some day?- Yes if they make their faith real by repenting.

I think this makes the point.

Since it's sexual immorality we're discussing (it could be a number of other sins) ...

If you have a person who is "addicted" to sex or for some reason keeps giving in, even though they know they shouldn't, and they try not to, but they fail - I think that continual struggle not to sin, even if one fails in their struggle, demonstrates a different kind of heart than ...

Someone else who simply decides "it's not really a sin" or "it's not really a sin for them" or "God doesn't mind and He will just forgive me" or whatever their thought process is - but they come up with these ideas in order to justify themselves, because they want to have sex and that is more important to them than what God has commanded, so they simply put their own flesh first.


To struggle against sin is not sin, imo. To simply decide you want to choose sin and you don't care what God says about it, is a completely different matter.

And generally speaking, I don't think it matters so much what the sin is. I'd much rather examine my own life to make sure I'm not ignoring or justifying any of my own sins, or if I am, to hopefully deal with those before God.

 

[Sheraldo]

1 John 1

8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous 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.

Now what?

Well, soon after that verse is 1 John 2:4 which is relevant to the question asked on the thread:

"The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

 

[~Anastasia~]

I like this story - it illustrates kind of the opposite of the OP's question.

Once on Mount Athos there was a monk who lived in Karyes. He drank and got drunk every day and was the cause of scandal to the pilgrims. Eventually he died and this relieved some of the faithful who went on to tell Elder Paisios that they were delighted that this huge problem was finally solved.

Father Paisios answered them that he knew about the death of the monk, after seeing the entire battalion of angels who came to collect his soul. The pilgrims were amazed and some protested and tried to explain to the Elder of whom they were talking about, thinking that the Elder did not understand.

Elder Paisios explained to them: “This particular monk was born in Asia Minor, shortly before the destruction by the Turks when they gathered all the boys. So as not to take him from their parents, they would take him with them to the reaping, and so he wouldn’t cry, they just put raki (an alcoholic drink) into his milk in order for him to sleep. Therefore he grew up as an alcoholic. There he found an elder and said to him that he was an alcoholic. The elder told him to pray every night and beg for help to reduce by one the glasses he drank.

After a year he managed with struggle and repentance to make the 20 glasses he drank into 19 glasses. The struggle continued over the years and he finally reached 2-3 glasses, with which he would still get drunk.”

The world for years saw an alcoholic monk who scandalized the pilgrims, but God saw a fighter who fought a long struggle to reduce his passion.

Without knowing what each one is trying to do what he wants to do, what right do we have to judge his effort?

 

[topcare]

Man only sees the outward while God sees the Heart. Threads like this ask us to judge if someone is worthy or not, that is not our job. Our job is to pray for such and leave them in God's hand.

 

[Setyoufree]

Threads like this ask us to judge if someone is worthy or not .....

I wouldn't say that's always the case....

 

[topcare]

I wouldn't say that's always the case....

Most of the time, it may start out with good intention but it becomes a subject of if we think the person is worthy or not.

 

[Steeno7]

You keep repenting....Is that so hard to understand?

Ummmm, a sin that is being continually repeated has obviously never been repented of. There is no such thing as "keep repenting". Either one repents of their sin, or not.

 

[Steeno7]

They Key word in OP's question is practice.

No, thats not the key, the key is the phrase, "a Christian who is saved".

 

[Setyoufree]

Ummmm, a sin that is being continually repeated has obviously never been repented of. There is no such thing as "keep repenting". Either one repents of their sin, or not.

Okay...then according to your theology you should be sinless! I mean you can only repent once and then you better not sin again.....

Utter nonsense...utter nonsense.

 

[Steeno7]

Okay...then according to your theory you should be sinless! I mean you can only repent once and then you better not sin again.....

Utter nonsense...utter nonsense.

No. what is nonsense is to think that a sin that is still being repeated has ever been repented of.

 

[Setyoufree]

Ummmm, a sin that is being continually repeated has obviously never been repented of. There is no such thing as "keep repenting". Either one repents of their sin, or not.

Matt 18:21 Then Peter came to Him (Jesus) and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

70 x 7 = 490 times

It was Christ's way of saying forgive as long as one is repentant.

 

[Steeno7]

Matt 18:21 Then Peter came to Him (Jesus) and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

70 x 7 = 490 times

It was Christ's way of saying forgive as long as one is repentant.

Irelevent. If you haven’t turned from it, you haven’t repented of it.

 

[Setyoufree]

Irelevent. If you haven’t turned from it, you haven’t repented of it.

So, let me get this straight...when you sin one time you must turn from it and never repeat that sin again?

What a bunch of self-righteous nonsense....That would infer that you, Mr. Steeno, are without sin because when you sin once you never repeat that sin again!

What utter, utter nonsense. You would make a good Pharisee!!!!

 

[Steeno7]

So, let me get this straight...when you sin one time you must turn from it and never repeat that sin again?

What a bunch of self-righteous nonsense....That would infer that you, Mr. Steeno, are without sin because when you sin once you never repeat that sin again!

What utter, utter nonsense. You would make a good Pharisee!!!!

A sin that is being repeated has not been repented of, obviously.

 

[Setyoufree]

A sin that is being repeated has not been repented of, obviously.

Wow....So you are a Holy Joe!

 

[Setyoufree]

Where does Christ say you cannot get forgiveness for besetting, repeated sins?

 

[Steeno7]

Where does Christ say you cannot get forgiveness for besetting, repeated sins?

We're not talking about forgiveness.

Lets say you go to a person who has discovered you have been stealing from them, and you tell them you have repented of your sin and they forgive you. But you continue to steal from them, have you repented of your sin?

 

[Setyoufree]

Here's Jesus:

"the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out"

 

[~Anastasia~]

Matt 18:21 Then Peter came to Him (Jesus) and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

70 x 7 = 490 times

It was Christ's way of saying forgive as long as one is repentant.

I realize you and Steeno are actually having a different conversation than what I'm about to comment on, but just for the sake of keeping true to the intent, I wanted to say ....

As far as the quoted Scripture though, I would say that Christ in telling us to forgive others, would say that we need to forgive others whether or not they are repentant. A person can sin against us and never apologize, never repent, never ask for forgiveness, and never even admit they did anything wrong. We still must forgive, if not for their sake, for our own. To release us from the bonds of unforgiveness against another, and to allow ourselves to be forgiven as well.

That was all I wanted to add.

 

[Setyoufree]

We're not talking about forgiveness.

Oh yes were are....

Lets say you go to a person who has discovered you have been stealing from them, and you tell them you have repented of your sin and they forgive you. But you continue to steal from them, have you repented of your sin?

Did you know self-seeking is sin? See 1 Cor 13:5 Have you stopped? Why not? Sin is sin....