How to stop sinning

1213 said:

Repent means that one understands he has done wrongly, regrets and don’t want to do the wrong things anymore. So, I would say, if you have done something wrong, ask forgiveness and don’t continue to do the wrong things.

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ask forgiveness from God? or from the person i did wrong to..?

Zhen said:

ask forgiveness from God? or from the person i did wrong to..?

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You ask forgiveness from those you have hurt and always from God.

If you did not wrong someone (except maybe in your mind, but no direct hurt to the person) - then God is enough.

PeterJames0510 said:

Really? No connection between the culture of life and death that constantly wages war on our soul, leading to constant despair because we've told Christians - ahh. Wear whatever you want to church; lust all you want; the society is too repressed, so be easy.

There is a connection more than you think.

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If you want to understand suicide, then you have to understand depression and mental illness. Despair, grief, and pain are real things people are suffering with. And it's not addressed by heavy-handed useless moralizing. It is addressed by showing compassion, understanding, and loving others even as we have been commanded to. To understand the root causes through medical research. And addressing the mental and emotional problems which underlay self-harm.

-CryptoLutheran

ViaCrucis said:

If you want to understand suicide, then you have to understand depression and mental illness. Despair, grief, and pain are real things people are suffering with. And it's not addressed by heavy-handed useless moralizing. It is addressed by showing compassion, understanding, and loving others even as we have been commanded to. To understand the root causes through medical research. And addressing the mental and emotional problems which underlay self-harm.

-CryptoLutheran

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And you think the solution is to allow men and women to talk to each other openly and freely about genitals? Please ... I'm no expert in this, and I know that is not the solution.

PeterJames0510 said:

And you think the solution is to allow men and women to talk to each other openly and freely about genitals? Please ... I'm no expert in this, and I know that is not the solution.

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I think being afraid of being a mature adult because "body parts are icky" can certain compound already existent emotional and mental health issues. Repression isn't healthy, shaming people for having a body which God created, and for having innate, healthy, and completely natural biological impulses isn't healthy.

Pretending as though there are only two possible ways of treating sex, with either repressive puritanicalism on one end, and irresponsible, selfish sexual behavior on the other--with no healthy middle ground is absurdity. Sex is isn't something to be afraid of, hide under a rug, and pretend doesn't exist. Neither is sex something that we can exploit for the purpose of objectifying and using other people for our own selfish ends. A healthy and responsible position to take is to openly discuss sex in a healthy way, in a loving and responsible way. We talk about sexual ethics, not repressive moralistic behavior shaming; we talk about the Great Commandment and that Christ's way is one of putting others ahead of ourselves, and by teaching about the importance of compassion, love, humility, and self control we place the emphasis on being loving people in service to Jesus Christ.

-CryptoLutheran

ViaCrucis said:

I think being afraid of being a mature adult because "body parts are icky" can certain compound already existent emotional and mental health issues. Repression isn't healthy, shaming people for having a body which God created, and for having innate, healthy, and completely natural biological impulses isn't healthy.

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Who ever talked about shaming people? If you're at church, a particular woman's organs are not an acceptable talk topic. Their sexuality has been created for their spouse in marriage, not for talking about openly in public. It is a mature response to say 'Listen, I'm not the person to talk to about this sexual issue, let me find a woman counselor or couple counselor for you to talk to.' That shouldn't make anyone feel 'ashamed' but 'respected'.

ViaCrucis said:

Pretending as though there are only two possible ways of treating sex, with either repressive puritanicalism on one end, and irresponsible, selfish sexual behavior on the other--with no healthy middle ground is absurdity. Sex is isn't something to be afraid of,

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There is no middle ground; a man talking to a woman that is not his own about sexual matters is morally unwise. If you're talking about a teacher in general teaching about it in church, men teachers should teach the men and women teachers should teach the women. Yes, we are sexual creatures ... and our energies are supposed to be for the one we love, not for talking about in the open.

ViaCrucis said:

hide under a rug, and pretend doesn't exist. Neither is sex something that we can exploit for the purpose of objectifying and using other people for our own selfish ends. A healthy and responsible position to take is to openly discuss sex in a healthy way, in a loving and responsible way. We talk about sexual ethics, not repressive moralistic behavior shaming; we talk about the Great Commandment and that Christ's way is one of putting others ahead of ourselves, and by teaching about the importance of compassion, love, humility, and self control we place the emphasis on being loving people in service to Jesus Christ.
-CryptoLutheran

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And how is what I suggested not thinking of others? Men shouldn't automatically believe that women want them touching them, so don't extend a hand for shaking in the service unless they do so first. Show deference to them when they walk up to the pulpit if you have the privilege of being up there. Don't talk about sexual matters with members of the opposite sex unless in a teaching setting and instead of mixed company, men with men, women with women.

Also in this whole discussion, I haven't heard any comments about babies. Babies come from the marital act and should be part of a 'theology of the body'. God didn't tell us enjoy ourselves on the earth (though enjoyment is certainly an element of it). He told us to multiply and replenish the earth. On this one point, I'm with the Catholics (though I'm not Catholic). All this talk about sexual matters, and no one points out the whole purpose is procreation, not enjoyment (though it is an element, it's not the essential one.)

Protestantism today (and I am Baptist) has also divorced children from the marital act of love. No wonder we have so many children out of wedlock or aborted.

Don't think me too harsh; I have my own personal fears and insecurities about women. I am married, but have this own sister hole heart problem where I wish I knew who my siblings were, specifically my sister. But if I dwell on that too much, the Devil comes in and messes up my emotions and feelings and before you know it, my head is thrown in the gutter. Hence, these rules I have stated above to ensure we are chaste in all our relationships.

Zhen said:

ask forgiveness from God? or from the person i did wrong to..?

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I think both. If you do bad things to people, or not good things to people, you have done that also to Jesus and God:

Then he will answer them, saying, 'Most assuredly I tell you, inasmuch as you didn't do it to one of the least of these, you didn't do it to me.'
Matt. 25:45