Do I have a chance to be forgiven?

[MikeRusso94]

I need to know....because I was a heretic in every sense of the word. I was in league with the fallen angels, an occultist....I was completely dark of heart and of mind. Put myself upon a pedestal and looked down upon everyone who would dare stand in my way.
As of the beginning of this week, I have turned to God, to the Holy Bible. I was filled with too much hate and I hated who i had become. Albeit I'm changing my ways, it is hard, I've cut out everything occult in my life, all my books will be burned, ritual tools gone, ties severed. I've made a promise to myself and to God that I will completely change my ways and become of his flock (is that the right wording?). I know I did wrong, I will not turn back to such a life of hate and suffering.
Can I be saved?

 

[Radagast]

Can I be saved?

Yes, all repentant sinners can be saved.

 

[vespasia]

Mike,

Sin is sin be it pinching paperclips from work, eating way more than you need at meals, gossiping about others or dressing up for Ars Geotia.

And yes if your heart repents and you turn to Christ Gods forgiveness is there.

From experience of being declared as a retrobate by most Christians back then walking into a church could be interesting. You are liable to find most Christians will not 'get' the kind of questions you want to ask. Some pastors, priests and ministers may but that will depend on if they enjoy critical thinking and are good theologians on top. You might find Walter Winks 'the powers trilogy' a useful read as well as Syndney Pages 'Powers of evil' a systamatic theolgical study through the old and new testament. It will also give you inisght into the differing takes different denominations have on the subject of theodicy. I also found Alistair McGraths 'Christian Theology. An Introduction' a great help.

You will also find that there are two distinct groups out there especially online, those who use the prefix 'ex' who tend to be very evangelical and have a loud in your face web-presence and those like myself who prefer the prefix 'post' who prefer quieter dialogue with each other away from what we see as the money based talk and tour circuit.

If you do have any questions your welcome to ask me.

 

[paul1149]

Hi Mike,

Forgiveness is not based on some arbitrary mood of God, it is based on the merit of the death of His only Son. No sin can measure up to the value of the precious Blood shed for us. The issue is no longer how greatly we've sinned, it's whether we will trust Him for forgiveness and salvation. God is able to save to the uttermost, and He does not play favorites.

God bless,
Paul

 

[AGTG]

Oh, the wonder working power of the blood of Christ!

 

[jannikitty]

In a Word --yes.

 

[MikeRusso94]

Thank you all so very much for helping to put my mind at ease. I've been so happy since I've embraced the Light of God and Jesus back into my life

 

[sunshineforJesus]

Praise Jesus!

 

[AvgJoe]

I need to know....because I was a heretic in every sense of the word. I was in league with the fallen angels, an occultist....I was completely dark of heart and of mind. Put myself upon a pedestal and looked down upon everyone who would dare stand in my way.
As of the beginning of this week, I have turned to God, to the Holy Bible. I was filled with too much hate and I hated who i had become. Albeit I'm changing my ways, it is hard, I've cut out everything occult in my life, all my books will be burned, ritual tools gone, ties severed. I've made a promise to myself and to God that I will completely change my ways and become of his flock (is that the right wording?). I know I did wrong, I will not turn back to such a life of hate and suffering.
Can I be saved?

1 Timothy 2:3-4 tells us that God wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. That word 'everyone' includes you.

 

[AGTG]

Yes! You can be saved. Believe Jesus' atoning work on the cross covers all your past sins, and you have begun your walk. Turn from ungodly, wicked behaviors by the power of His Holy Spirit as you establish a daily diet of the Word of God and prayer communion.

Pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and seek God's face for your ministry calling. God puts everyone to work in His Kingdom when they humble themselves and accept Jesus as their Lord and King.

Get plugged into a decent Spirit-led church and grow in the Lord. It's that simple.

 

[orangeness365]

James 2:8-13
8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

I used to approximately rank some sins as worse than others, like murder worse than a white lie, but they are all bad and all count as breaking the whole law. It seems that Jesus was loving towards sinners, but said to the pharisees that the prostitutes and tax collectors were coming in before the the pharisees.

Matthew 21:31
31Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.

The bible, in my opinion, is much more critical of hypocrites within the religion than those that are lost.
Matthew 23:27
English Standard Version
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.

Matthew 24:48-51

48But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ 49and begins to beat his fellow servantsd and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

[insurchoftruth]

Jesus said that all sins of man, will be forgiven. So, if you have repented, God has forgiven you.
Thatis what the Bibke says.

 

[Emmy]

Dear MikeRusso94. God is Love and God Loves us all. We sinned and need forgiveness, and God will forgive us, IF WE ask truly and from the heart. Jesus told us in Matthew 22: 35-40: " The first and great Commandment is:
Love God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is like it: love thy neighbour as thyself." That is straightforward and easy to remember. What do I do? Matthew 7: 1-10: tells us: " ask and you shall
receive," we ask for Love and Joy, then we thank God, and share all Love and Joy with our neighbour. God will see our loving efforts, and God will approve and bless us. We keep asking for Love and Joy, thank God and share all Love and Joy with our neighbour: all we know and all we meet, friends and not friends. The Bible tells us:
" Repent and be Born Again," we shed all selfishness and start loving and caring, being kind and always friendly.
A Christian`s weapon are Love and Joy, with love we will overcome all enmity and wrong behaviour. People will treat us the same as we treat people, and Love is very catching. In time we will change into the sons and daughters which God wants us to be, life will be truly enjoyed. We might stumble and forget at times, but then we ask God to forgive us and carry on loving and caring. The Holy Spirit will help and guide us, and Jesus our Saviour will lead us all the way: JESUS IS THE WAY. Love God and love our neighbour, we will find that our lives are enjoyable. I say this with love, Mike. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[Tremic]

Yes, all repentant sinners can be saved.

Jesus said: "Repent and believe the Gospel" In other words, have a change of mind, recognizing that you're a filthy sinner in need of forgiveness. Then turn to Jesus Christ, believe on Him and how he suffered and died on the cross for our sins. Do that, and according to the scriptures, your sins will be forgiven and you'll be saved. You must remember that salvation is all about what Jesus did for you, and not what you did for Him.
God bless you.