Divorce? Destined to Hell?

[Messy]

I wanted to get people's opinion on Divorce in the AOG and COG churches. I was married for 9 years, we had one child, my son Gabriel. I got custody of our son, single full-time father. My ex was unfaithful, a horrible mother, and was not a Christian, she had turned her ear away from call of the Lord.

I attended a COG church in east TN for several years, but was never allowed to be a member. The pastor said marriage is forever, God does not allow divorce, and any woman you are with other than the woman you married, you are committing adultery. I have been divorced for 4 1/2 years, and can NEVER remarry or date another woman ever again, this he claimed to be gospel. He said that the only way I can make heaven is to never be involved with another women ever, there is not such thing as remarried. The is very hard for me, I will be 36yrs old on less than a month, I still feel like I have a lot more happiness I can share with someone.

What is your take on this?

Unfaithful? If you mean by that what I think you do, it's a Biblical reason for divorce and you can remarry.
Not a believer? If the unbeliever leaves, let him/her leave. God has called you to freedom. You can remarry.
I was married to a pastor who chatted and looking back, this was not a Biblical reason. We were both christians and in our case we both shouldn't have remarried, which I found out the hard way. We both remarried and divorced again and now both stay single. Maybe Paul and Jesus just wanted to spare us a lot of heartache by what they said and we shouldn't have twisted the Word. It's clear.
Our second divorce was not a sin. My second ex left me. He was an atheist. Still I don't want to remarry. I was desperate and looking on datingsites for divorced christians, who were also desperate. The Lord said to me personally: Marry Me, time is short.

 

[sdowney717]

Actually and realistically, teaching others against the commandment of Christ is of Antichrist.
And trying to explain away what He says is traitorous and misrepresenting His grace.
God's grace is meant to lead you to repentance, not to allow sin to flourish.
Its one thing to act against a commandment yourself, that is bad enough, but then to teach others to do so, is far worse.

John 14

15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

and

23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

And since you're all so hard of hearing the word of God, again as it says.

10 And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband:

11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

It is the commandment of the Lord, that if you are married, then do not divorce. If you divorce then let yourselves remain single.

If you're not keeping His commandments are you therefore blessed and under grace, free to do whatever you wish? That is an application of grace the word speaks against. Those who have ears to hear will hear God's word, those who don't have ears to hear, will not hear, listen or obey what Jesus says.

Jude
I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith…For certain men have crept in unnoticed…ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness.

Hebrews 10:26-27
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Romans 2
3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.

 

[Messy]

But to the rest say I, not the Lord: If any brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she is content to dwell with him, let him not leave her. 13 And the woman that hath an unbelieving husband, and he is content to dwell with her, let her not leave her husband. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. 15 Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart: the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us in peace.
Verse 10 and 11 is for the married. He is not married, he's divorced.

 

[sdowney717]

But to the rest say I, not the Lord: If any brother hath an unbelieving wife, and she is content to dwell with him, let him not leave her. 13 And the woman that hath an unbelieving husband, and he is content to dwell with her, let her not leave her husband. 14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the brother: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. 15 Yet if the unbelieving departeth, let him depart: the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us in peace.
Verse 10 and 11 is for the married. He is not married, he's divorced.

Not under bondage to remain with them, which means let them separate. This is not permission of free to remarry!

Farther down at the end of the passage, Pul again says this

39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 40 But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment—and I think I also have the Spirit of God

Only after the death of the spouse is a person free to remarry. To suggest Paul in the middle of this chapter says remarriage ok is deceiving. Paul would not say, No, Yes, No.

Paul in v 10, remarriage forbidden to those who are married regardless of who they are

10 Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. 11 But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife.

Then your suggestion remarriage ok? No, this only has to do with separation in peace, LET THEM DEPART IN PEACE, they are not bound to live together.

15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.

Then Paul again says No to remarriage
39 A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.

 

[Messy]

Not under bondage to remain with them, which means let them separate. This is not permission of free to remarry!

I don't know. Another Dutch translation says: stay in peace, because maybe you will be able to save him/ her.

I think therefore that this is good by reason of the distress that is upon us, namely, that it is good for a man to be as he is. 27 Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife.
This is not about a virgin man.

 

[sdowney717]

I don't know. Another Dutch translation says: stay in peace, because maybe you will be able to save him/ her.

I think therefore that this is good by reason of the distress that is upon us, namely, that it is good for a man to be as he is. 27 Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife.
This is not about a virgin man.

Well get it straight in your head because God is not going to let Paul say it 3 different ways with differing outcomes.

Bound in v 15 is clearly talking about the departing spouse and your not bound to remain with them, such as depart with them like leaving the church or be bound to live with a brutal abusive person because he has called us to live in peace.

Rather its says let them depart so causing a separation. However as the word says in both of the other places in this passage you're still not allowed to freely marry again, you are to remain single (unmarried)


not of being free to be bound to another spouse.

 

[Messy]

God divorce Israel. Also, this is not true for a husband couldn't tale back his wife after she remarried another man. So, you can't said divorce is a sin because clearly it's written that a man can't remarry his ex.

Still God can marry Israel again through the offer of Jesus. In the old testament someone got stoned if he committed adultery. Now Jesus died and we died with him.

 

[Messy]

Kadams,
Welcome to CF.
There are 3 major ways of interpreting the verses on divorce that I know of. I'd recommend that you study them so you know what you believe. Till you know what you believe and an answer those that would put you into bondage your going to feel like God has a limited love for you.
But the 1st command is to love God and then 2nd is to love people. Would God make a law that leads you to no love?
It might also help you to know what the divorce certificate says in Jesus' day. The man wrote to his wife, "You are free to remarry any man." Jesus never instructed those divorcing to write anything different. All Jews in Jesus' day understood that one could remarry after a divorce.

Amen. A woman without a man had noone to provide for her.

 

[*Charis*]

Matthew 19
9 And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”

Break this down as Jesus says in 2 parts.

1. Divorce is only permitted for sexual immorality

2. divorced man who marries again commits adultery and whoever marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

Separation-divorce is all that He authorized. If your saying something other than that, then you generate a conflict with what Paul has also written. God is not the author of confusion!

Paul said the command came from the Lord regarding remarriage. If your following the teachings of a church that teaches something else, you have been deceived and you have also become a victim.

Likely to be very unpopular, but truth tends to get in the way, roadblock, do not pass go, for those who want the freedom to just do whatever they wish, popular teachings deceive the many. And many accept remarriage contrary to the narrow way.

This will be the 'unpopular' view, but it is the biblical view.
A website that might be helpful (as it has indepth teaching
on divorce / remarriage): Marriage Divorce Remarriage - Christian Marriage Restoration

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Concerning the COG or any church that denies membership to divorced and remarried believers:

Jesus gave His views on divorce and remarriage to show God's standards are much higher than the Mosaic Law which permitted divorce. But He presented a lot of standards which shows that God's standards of holiness are so high that we can never reach them by ourselves. This is why we need Jesus to be our Saviour, and we also need the active involvement of the Holy Spirit to enable us to live holy lives. If we could attain to God's holy standards by ourselves, we would not need to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Paul taught that the person who decides to live by the Law to gain approval from God, needs to observe the whole law without one lapse, for the whole duration of life. Because no one has ever been able to do that, except Jesus, God's curse is on those who are legalistic, in that they are trying to win God's approval by keeping the law, and are demanding that others follow their sets of rules in order to gain their approval.

Now, we cannot take just one principle that Jesus taught at the expense of others, otherwise we are discriminating. We are saying that one violation of the Law precludes us from membership of the church, but other violations do not. God's views are that all violations of His holy law are equally sinful.

Another thing that Jesus taught was that if a man looks on a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery in his heart. So, if the COG is denying membership because of one violation of the law, ie: divorce and remarriage, they have to deny membership to every male in their congregation who has looked on a woman with lust; and what male hasn't at some time or another?

I would say that 95% of Christian males have looked on a scantily clad woman, or walked behind an attractive woman wearing a short skirt on a windy day and had lustful thoughts. The other 5% percent are liars.

Therefore the COG needs to cancel the membership of all the males in its congregation for the sin of heart-adultery, which Jesus says is just as bad as the actual act.

If the COG doesn't do that, then it is saying that heart-adultery is okay for its male members, but divorce and remarriage for whatever reason, is not okay.

Sounds hypocritical and discrimatory to me.

As I said before. A church that is requiring adherence to a set of religious laws in order for membership is being legalistic in the same way that the false apostles that Paul wrote about. He declared that anyone who is legalistic like that has the curse of God on them. I am inclined to believe that because of its legalism, the COG may have the curse of God on it, which would make it more of a religious cult than a Christian church.

 

[sdowney717]

Concerning the COG or any church that denies membership to divorced and remarried believers:

Jesus gave His views on divorce and remarriage to show God's standards are much higher than the Mosaic Law which permitted divorce. But He presented a lot of standards which shows that God's standards of holiness are so high that we can never reach them by ourselves. This is why we need Jesus to be our Saviour, and we also need the active involvement of the Holy Spirit to enable us to live holy lives. If we could attain to God's holy standards by ourselves, we would not need to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Paul taught that the person who decides to live by the Law to gain approval from God, needs to observe the whole law without one lapse, for the whole duration of life. Because no one has ever been able to do that, except Jesus, God's curse is on those who are legalistic, in that they are trying to win God's approval by keeping the law, and are demanding that others follow their sets of rules in order to gain their approval.

Now, we cannot take just one principle that Jesus taught at the expense of others, otherwise we are discriminating. We are saying that one violation of the Law precludes us from membership of the church, but other violations do not. God's views are that all violations of His holy law are equally sinful.

Another thing that Jesus taught was that if a man looks on a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery in his heart. So, if the COG is denying membership because of one violation of the law, ie: divorce and remarriage, they have to deny membership to every male in their congregation who has looked on a woman with lust; and what male hasn't at some time or another?

I would say that 95% of Christian males have looked on a scantily clad woman, or walked behind an attractive woman wearing a short skirt on a windy day and had lustful thoughts. The other 5% percent are liars.

Therefore the COG needs to cancel the membership of all the males in its congregation for the sin of heart-adultery, which Jesus says is just as bad as the actual act.

If the COG doesn't do that, then it is saying that heart-adultery is okay for its male members, but divorce and remarriage for whatever reason, is not okay.

Sounds hypocritical and discrimatory to me.

As I said before. A church that is requiring adherence to a set of religious laws in order for membership is being legalistic in the same way that the false apostles that Paul wrote about. He declared that anyone who is legalistic like that has the curse of God on them. I am inclined to believe that because of its legalism, the COG may have the curse of God on it, which would make it more of a religious cult than a Christian church.

Ok, lets put it slightly different.

What do you think about a pastor who would marry divorced persons?

I already know the answer for myself as it violates one of the commandments of Jesus.

My families church's former pastor refused to do that, citing the scriptures.
The new pastor cares not at all about the word regarding this matter, marrying any one and all regardless except that first have to be legally divorced.
I dont go to that church anymore as they also began preaching preterism and said revelations already occurred in 70AD..

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

This will be the 'unpopular' view, but it is the biblical view.
A website that might be helpful (as it has indepth teaching
on divorce / remarriage): Marriage Divorce Remarriage - Christian Marriage Restoration

There is no doubt that the teaching of Jesus, not only about divorce and remarriage but all the other principles of holiness, is to show us our absolute helplessness in being able to raise ourselves to the absolute standard of holiness that God requires.

In the light of that, we have one of two options:

1. We can try to keep the law and work hard to be as perfect as possible, because God has instructed us to "walk before Me and be perfect".

2. Or we can go to God's throne of grace, believing that Jesus kept the law for us and then died on the cross to take the penalty for our failure to keep the law and to take upon Himself the curse associated with it, as our substitute, asking that the Holy Spirit helps us to be pure by His grace.

The first option leads to self-righteousness and pride.
The second option leads us to a complete dependence on Christ and His righteousness to be approved of God and to stay on the path of progressive sanctification.

In fact, Jesus Himself has become our sanctification.

I am not disputing that Jesus taught the absolute standard about divorce and remarriage, and many believers have not been able, for many reasons, to maintain that standard.

The problem is that religious cults, imposing legalistic demands on believers, have got in the way of believers seeing that they are totally approved of God through their conversion to Christ and are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Jesus kept the Law for us because we have always failed to do so. Therefore, He has taken the guilt, and punishment away from us, having taken it upon Himself when He died on the cross for us.

Churches that deny membership and discriminate against divorced-remarried believers are denying the work of Christ on the cross. They are treading underfoot the Lord and are blaspheming His Name. They say they believe in the Gospel, but their actions concerning some of their people are a total denial of what they are saying. They are nothing short of hypocritical. They are sinning in much worse ways than any divorced/remarried believers, and have disqualified themselves to be part of the Body of Christ, and have degraded themselves to be just religious cults, awaiting the fierce judgment of God that will come upon all sinners and hypocrites.

Jesus' teaching about divorce and remarriage is correct and holy. There is no doubt about that. But so is the rest of His teaching concerning holiness. Our failure to keep to it does not diminish the requirement or the validity of the Law. The Law is not abolished, but it is fulfilled in Christ.

Therefore, we go to Christ and receive cleansing from sin and grace to continue our development in sanctification. He, in turn, clothes us with His righteousness. This means that divorced/remarried believers have that failure taken from them and placed on Christ, in exchange for His righteousness, and this makes them totally qualified to be full members and leaders of any true Christian church that honours the Lord and the work that He did on the cross for us.

It is sad that the Church of God does not recognise that, and that denomination may very well be all burned up when Jesus comes again with His holy fire that will dispose of all hypocritical religious cults.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Ok, lets put it slightly different.

What do you think about a pastor who would marry divorced persons?

I already know the answer for myself as it violates one of the commandments of Jesus.

My families church's former pastor refused to do that, citing the scriptures.
The new pastor cares not at all about the word regarding this matter, marrying any one and all regardless except that first have to be legally divorced.
I dont go to that church anymore as they also began preaching preterism and said revelations already occurred in 70AD..

That pastor needs a clearer revelation about what Jesus did on the cross for us and how that affects believers. If the pastor really believed that Jesus has taken the guilt and punishment of our failure to keep the Law and has replaced our failure with His righteousness (because He kept the Law for us and then paid our penalty for our failure), then he would know that the penalty for failing to keep that particular divorce-remarriage law has been paid by Christ, and therefore the believers are free from any further penalty. Knowing that, the pastor would realise that there is nothing to keep him from marrying those people.

 

[Messy]

Churches that deny membership and discriminate against divorced-remarried believers are denying the work of Christ on the cross.

Amen. Converted hookers and murderers can become a member I guess except divorced or remarried people. It's not the unforgiveable sin. By the way, if you asked forgiveness for what you did wrong and if you forgave your ex, it's done away. But still, I believe, if you remarry, I'd recommend to not remarry a divorced christian who had no biblical reasons and could still go back.
I don't want to be legalistic, just want to spare you some heartache.

 

[sdowney717]

That pastor needs a clearer revelation about what Jesus did on the cross for us and how that affects believers. If the pastor really believed that Jesus has taken the guilt and punishment of our failure to keep the Law and has replaced our failure with His righteousness (because He kept the Law for us and then paid our penalty for our failure), then he would know that the penalty for failing to keep that particular divorce-remarriage law has been paid by Christ, and therefore the believers are free from any further penalty. Knowing that, the pastor would realise that there is nothing to keep him from marrying those people.

I see so you agree with wilful sinning then?
Jesus said those who knew their masters will and did not do it would receive many lashes.

And here is wilful sinning leading to licentiousness grace, an abuse of the grace of God. Turning God's grace into licentiousness, that is a license to do what ever you please as your forgiven.

However if we wilfully sin, then you're facing this judgement
Heb 10
26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”[e] says the Lord.[f] And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”[g] 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.


li·cen·tious (l-snshs)
adj.
1. Lacking moral discipline or ignoring legal restraint, especially in sexual conduct.
2. Having no regard for accepted rules or standards.

Your falling into this all the way deep.
Jude
3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

 

[stormdancer0]

Concerning the COG or any church that denies membership to divorced and remarried believers:

Jesus gave His views on divorce and remarriage to show God's standards are much higher than the Mosaic Law which permitted divorce. But He presented a lot of standards which shows that God's standards of holiness are so high that we can never reach them by ourselves. This is why we need Jesus to be our Saviour, and we also need the active involvement of the Holy Spirit to enable us to live holy lives. If we could attain to God's holy standards by ourselves, we would not need to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Paul taught that the person who decides to live by the Law to gain approval from God, needs to observe the whole law without one lapse, for the whole duration of life. Because no one has ever been able to do that, except Jesus, God's curse is on those who are legalistic, in that they are trying to win God's approval by keeping the law, and are demanding that others follow their sets of rules in order to gain their approval.

Now, we cannot take just one principle that Jesus taught at the expense of others, otherwise we are discriminating. We are saying that one violation of the Law precludes us from membership of the church, but other violations do not. God's views are that all violations of His holy law are equally sinful.

Another thing that Jesus taught was that if a man looks on a woman with lust, he has already committed adultery in his heart. So, if the COG is denying membership because of one violation of the law, ie: divorce and remarriage, they have to deny membership to every male in their congregation who has looked on a woman with lust; and what male hasn't at some time or another?

I would say that 95% of Christian males have looked on a scantily clad woman, or walked behind an attractive woman wearing a short skirt on a windy day and had lustful thoughts. The other 5% percent are liars.

Therefore the COG needs to cancel the membership of all the males in its congregation for the sin of heart-adultery, which Jesus says is just as bad as the actual act.

If the COG doesn't do that, then it is saying that heart-adultery is okay for its male members, but divorce and remarriage for whatever reason, is not okay.

Sounds hypocritical and discrimatory to me.

As I said before. A church that is requiring adherence to a set of religious laws in order for membership is being legalistic in the same way that the false apostles that Paul wrote about. He declared that anyone who is legalistic like that has the curse of God on them. I am inclined to believe that because of its legalism, the COG may have the curse of God on it, which would make it more of a religious cult than a Christian church.

The Church of God does not deny membership to those divorced and remarried.

Heck, I'm divorced and remarried, and they ORDAINED me!

 

[kspchemist]

The Church of God does not deny membership to those divorced and remarried.

Heck, I'm divorced and remarried, and they ORDAINED me!

Preachers shouldn't be double married, but that is an argument for another time.

 

[sdowney717]

Peter was married and remained married after Peter was an apostle.
Peter did not give up being married.
Suggesting that Peter forsook all to follow Jesus, does not mean Peter left his wife.

I think it interesting how people read into the text so many things that just don't exist.

Perhaps your thinking of this ?

Matt 19
23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”

26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

27 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”

28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[k] or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.



Peter has left off his prior way of life, meaning Christ called Peter to come and follow Himself and so Peter left off his living, job, some friends perhaps.
The list that Jesus gives is just a list, not necessarily meaning Peter gave off all the things He mentions.

We forsake our unholy prior way of life and our wicked thoughts. However marriage is ordained of God. People have split over the gospel. They are however to remain single if they were married before, and this is a commandment of Jesus.

 

[jiminpa]

They are however to remain single if they were married before, and this is a commandment of Jesus.

And yet Paul under the influence of the Holy Spirit said that the believer is not bound if an unbelieving spouse departs. Maybe Jesus wasn't giving the complete list. ...and not bound means not bound, which means free. If one is not free they are bound, if they are not free to remarry, they are still bound, and Paul says that they are not bound.

 

[dandymandy]

Kadams---

I am so sorry to read of your plight.

You asked for advice within the teachings of the AOG and COG churches...and I see you received some opinions.

I am a member of the Church of England--British Episcopalian, if you will. I am also divorced (at age 22)--adultery, stealing from his employer, lying to his parents (and me). I was open to rebuilding; he was not. After a year I initiated a divorce...time to give a dead marriage a decent burial. I have a self-imposed 5-year moratorium in dating--I need to heal. Five years--no more no less--I will re-visit my hopes for re-marriage and see where I be.

My advice is personal and from my heart: get down on your knees and ask God for permission to remarry. We hopefully all have a personal relationship with God. Find your own prayerful answer. See if you need more time to heal...if you do have a next wife, she deserves the very best that you can be. The God I know is a stern god but He is filled with mercy, as well.

God bless