Is there any (kind of) sin that can cost me my salvation, or separate me from God's Love...?

[EmethAlethia]

Hello, and blessings to all.
I would like, if I may, to try to help clear up some of the confusion surrounding the "Unpardonable Sin. I have read many opinions about what exactly this sin might be and I believe it is important enough to attempt to clarify it because many Christians seem to be fearful of having committed this sin. Perhaps, I can set your mind at ease if you are one of these who has ever been concerned about this....

Now, if you will take the first and the last verses of this passage and place the latter immediately after the former you will know what the "Unpardonable Sin" is.

"And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils."

"But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit."
...

The sin which "...hath never forgiveness..." is attributing to Satan or demons that which has clearly been accomplished by the Holy Spirit of God....

I would add one more thing to the "Unpardonable sin" definition.

To commit this sin, you have to be in the actual presence of the living Jesus Christ, watching Him do all of the signs, wonders and miracles He is doing under direct orders from God the Father and through the power of the Holy Spirit, and THEN attribute those things to Satan or demons.

You never see this sin mentioned anywhere else in scripture except when this situation exists. So, unless the resurrected Christ is in your presence doing these signs and wonders, it's impossible for anyone to commit this sin once Christ ascended into heaven.

So what is unforgivable now? Dying without Christ as your Savior/Lord. It is appointed for a man to live once... then comes judgment.

 

[EmethAlethia]

Refusing to trust in Christ as one's Saviour is the only sin which cannot be forgiven. For those who are believers, sin breaks their fellowship with God, but it can never dissolve their relationship to Him as adopted children.

Funny... I refused until the day I didn't... And He forgave me. I believe what you are saying is that dying in unbelief seals you in whatever condition you were in at death. You can't repent after you die.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Is there any (kind of) sin that can cost me my salvation, or separate me from God's Love...?

Comments...?

God Bless!

St. John says there is a sin that is unto death. In Roman Catholic theology this has generally led to a distinction between venial sins and mortal sins, mortal sins are "sins unto death". I.e. an unrepented mortal sin can cost one one's salvation, whereas venial sins are purified in Purgatory.

In Lutheran theology we might also talk of mortal sin, but it's not a specific class of sins; rather any sin left unaddressed and without repentance can become mortal sin--that is, it can shipwreck our faith. It's not that certain sins are trivial and other sins more dire (though in this life certain sins certainly are worse than others); it's that sin itself, left to do its dirty work, destroys and kills. Regardless of how trifling it may seem, it can destroy. C.S. Lewis in his work the Great Divorce makes an important point when he talks about the nature of hell (from the perspective of a fictionalized George MacDonald), that hell begins as a grumble, but left to its own devices the grumbling goes on and one like a machine, and all that is left, in the end, is the grumble. To recognize the grumble, and to nip it at the bud, is vitally important.

The sin that kills is the sin which tears us away from our faith and hope in Jesus Christ. That is mortal sin.

It's why we need God's grace, it's why we need Jesus Christ, every day. All the time.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[1213]

Is there any (kind of) sin that can cost me my salvation, or separate me from God's Love...?

Sin means basically that person rejects God, or lives without God. I think people have chance to reject God, even if their sins have been forgiven once (salvation, from the judgement).

 

[Exinanition]

1 John 5:16 says that there is.

Hello, everyone, I hope and pray you are all well.


Neogaia777 began this thread with this post:


"Is there any (kind of) sin that can cost me my salvation, or separate me from God's Love...?

Comments...?

God Bless!"



to which Serving Zion replied:


"1 John 5:16 says that there is."


I wanted to comment on this statement that 1 John 5:16 says there is a sin “…that can cost (someone his/her) salvation, or separate (someone) from God's Love." While this verse does say that believers are not to presume to pray for life those who have sinned a "sin unto death" (as though they were somehow more merciful than God) it does not say a believer can lose his salvation.


Please consider carefully the verses immediately preceding the passage 1 John 5:14-18:


“He that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” -1 John 5:12-13


The apostle John just went to great lengths in this passage from 1 John, chapter 5, (which actually begins with 1 John 5:6) to reassure his believing readers that they have guaranteed eternal life because they have the Son of God in their hearts, having believed on him already. For John immediately, therefore, to warn them they could lose their salvation would be to contradict that which he has just labored so intently to tell them was eternally secure! It follows, therefore, that a believing Christian losing his salvation cannot possibly be the meaning of 1 John 5:16. This verse is found in the next set of verses John wrote in which he is declaring to his readers that because they can be confident in their eternal salvation, having believed in Jesus Christ and committed themselves unto him, they can also know that they may be confident their prayers will be heard and granted as long as they ask in the will of God.


"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." -1 John 5:14-15


John then goes on to give an example of asking for that which is in God’s will; and, asking for that which is not in God’s will. This is the heart of 1 John 5:16. This is where we begin to understand the meaning of this verse.


“If any man shall see his brother sin a sin which is not to death, he shall ask, and he will give him life for them that sin not to death. There is a sin to death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” 1 John 5:16


Asking in God’s will: “If any man shall see his brother sin a sin which is not to death, he shall ask, and he will give him life for them that sin not to death…“


Asking not in God’s will: “There is a sin to death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.”


Having said this much, please allow me to make another point here. I have already discussed in another post that there is one unforgivable sin. That is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit of God. That is “the sin to death” spoken of in this passage. It cannot be committed by any brother or sister in Christ. It can only be committed by a hardened unbeliever. If, then, someone asks how John can call a “hardened unbeliever” a “brother,” please rest assured he did not. It is the one whose sin is “…not to death…” who is termed a brother; he whose sin is “…a sin to death…” is neither named nor described. If, however, John does think of each as a brother it is certain he still does not regard either of them as a child of God. John has already explained in this chapter that a Christian cannot continue unrepentant in a life of sin. He is committed to God. Sin hurts him and makes him ashamed and he will repent and seek God’s forgiveness.

“All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not to death. We know that whoever is born of God, sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God, keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.”


The “brother” hereof spoken is a neighbor or a friend or even a stranger for whom you have compassion. If you see this brother commit a sin “…which is not to death…,” pray for that one in God’s will and if he repents and asks for God’s forgiveness in Christ, believing on Jesus Christ to save him from his sin, God “…will give him life.” The Christian who sins has no need for God to “give him life.” He already has eternal life in Christ Jesus. It is the one who is dead in his sins and trespasses who has need of God to give him life; therefore, the one to whom John refers here is merely a brother in the typical sense.


The one, however, who has blasphemed the Holy Spirit of God, will have his heart further hardened and he will thrive in his sinfulness until such time as he shall die in his sinfulness. This one does not have the Son of God.


“He that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life.” -1 John 5:12


I truly hope this brings some clarity to this verse, 1 John 5:16, and that everyone will rejoice in the knowledge that his/her salvation is eternally secured in Jesus Christ and kept by the power of God. I leave you with the last two verses of 1 John, chapter five:


“And we know that the Son of God hath come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” -1 John 5:20-21



May you enjoy the blessings of God this day and…

 

[Exinanition]

I did not mean to post this, however, I do not know how to delete it. Lol. Please ignore this post.

 

[Exinanition]

mukk_in said: ↑

Well, it's simple to me. Matthew 6:15, Matthew 6:12 (Lord's prayer) and so on. People can theorize these verses as they please, but its pretty cut and dry to me. If we don't forgive, then we aren't forgiven. Period. God bless.



Neogaia777 said: ↑

So, we must forgive first, before God will forgive us...?

How much must we forgive first, before God will forgive us...? "All" of it...? And any new offenses, we must instantly forgive also... Before we can be forgiven...?

Sorry, we all fail that test...



Greetings to you both, mukk_in and Neogaia777, and may God bless you both for your faithfulness in striving to understand the scriptures.


Mukk_in is correct in saying we must forgive to be forgiven of God. Jesus indeed said this very thing in the most straightforward manner in his sermon on the mount.


“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” –Matthew 6:12


That word “as” means in the same exact manner as and to the same extent as. We are, in fact, according to Jesus, setting our own measure of forgiveness from God. And again, when Jesus said:


“For, if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14


These statements by our Lord Jesus Christ are completely unambiguous. They are as forthright as they possibly can be. There is no discussion to be had concerning their meaning. Jesus said exactly what he meant and he meant what exactly he said.


Now, having said this, in response to Neogaia777’s question:


“So, we must forgive first, before God will forgive us...?”


The answer is, “No.” We do not have to forgive others before God will forgive us. When we became Christians God forgave us all our sins for Christ’s sake. It is because God has already forgiven us that we must now forgive others if we wish God to continue to forgive us.


“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith to him, I say not to thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened to a certain king who would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he had not ability to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, who owed him a hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me what thou owest. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done. Then his lord, having called him, said to him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldst thou not also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due to him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do to you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” –Matthew 18:21-35


It is God’s place alone to judge others. He will repay unrepentant people for the evil they have committed.

“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thy enemy hungereth, feed him; if he thirsteth, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17-21


We are to forgive others for Christ’s sake just as God forgave us for Christ’s sake when we were so very undeserving.

“But God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” –Romans 5:8


“For he(God) hath made him(Jesus) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” -2 Corinthians 5:21


Jesus Christ assumed our guilt and bore our punishment for our guilt so we might be declared righteous by our heavenly Father. We are not righteous on our own but we have the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed unto us. We have been forgiven for Christ’s sake to the glory of God; therefore, we are to forgive others for Christ’s sake to the glory of God. It is not an option. It is a holy command from God the Father for us to imitate Jesus Christ in forgiving the unforgivable just as He has forgiven us when we were unworthy of forgiveness.

If we are to imitate Jesus Christ, as we are commanded to do in scripture, then we must forgive others. Jesus Christ has told us unequivocally that we must forgive others. It simply is not discretionary. How many times and how severely a person has been offended is inconsequential. We have never been, nor will we ever be, as offended by another person to the extent that we have offended our Holy God and Father. He has forgiven all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and we are obliged to do the same.


I love you all and I wish you the blessings of God as you continue to study to show yourselves approved unto Him; and…

 

[brinny]

Is there any (kind of) sin that can cost me my salvation, or separate me from God's Love...?

Not if you don't want it to. Not if you love God more than your sins. Just like David. He sinned, yes. So why did God called David, who sinned, and quite abominably, a "man after His own heart", and the "apple of His eye"? It's because David, bottom line, loved God MORE than his sins, and that is why he repented, turning from his sins.