Repent of our Sins?

St_Worm2

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If i'm saved by faith and continue in sin am i still saved?
Hello Zach, if someone who claims to have come to faith in Jesus continues in sin (or more specifically, continues in/quickly returns to living the same kind of unrepentant, sinful 'lifestyle' that they were living in prior to making that "claim"), then chances are more than good that such a person was ~never~ saved to begin with :preach:

The church is loaded with tares, many (or perhaps most) believing that they are Christians, but they are not and they never will be .. see Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.

Also, consider what the folks in v22 said below. These folks (who sound a bit like SUPER-Christians, don't they) appear to believe that they are Christians, but the Lord makes it clear to them in the Judgment that they are not/never were when He tells them, "I NEVER knew you".

Matthew 7
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I ~never~ knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

We (true Christians) all sin (and we will continue to do so on this side of the grave, sadly), but when the Lord gives us a new heart and a new spirit, and the Holy Spirit .. Ezekiel 36:26-27; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16, when He quickens/regenerates/makes us alive in His Son spiritually, causes us to be born again, and makes us His workmanship as wholly new creatures in Christ .. John 3:3; Ephesians 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10, we do not continue in sin as a 'lifestyle' choice any longer, because it is ~against~ our new nature/new self/new man to do so. That we did as part of our old nature/old self/old man, IOW, whenever we sinned as unbelievers, we did so ~according~ to our (fallen) nature, and it is that old nature that we must continually do battle with now .. see Ephesians 4:22-24.

Nothing 'we' do can save us, or keep us saved (as you already mentioned above), but there are things that we do as a ~result~ of being saved, things that always 'accompany' salvation, things that justify/demonstrate/validate/show (to ourselves and to others*) that we are who we "claim" to be. As St. James says,

James 2
18 Someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will ~show you~ my faith by my works.”

*We do not need to justify/demonstrate/validate/show our faith to God, because He knows our hearts :)

God bless you!

--David
p.s. - being contrite, confessing and repenting of our sins as Christians restores our (full) fellowship with God, not our salvation, because a Christian cannot lose his/her salvation once they have come to possess it .. e.g. John 3:16, 18, 5:24, 6:37-40, 10:27-28; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 1:8-2:1, 5:13.

quote-it-is-not-the-absence-of-sin-but-the-grieving-over-it-which-distinguishes-the-child-arthur-w-pink-70-74-09.jpg
 
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Romansthruphilemon

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Tell that to Ananias and Sapphira. Also feel free to take the mark of the beast.
Ananias and Sapphira weren’t living in the dispensation of the grace of God (Ephesians 3:2). The mark of the beast won’t be available until after the dispensation of the grace of God is over, during the tribulation. Time past, but now, ages to come.
 
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Oldmantook

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Matthew 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

Mark 13:22 "For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect."

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

These verses in 2 Thess. prove that it is those who perish that will be deceived by the AntiChrist and therefore, by extension, the mark of the beast. Meanwhile the verses in Mark and Matthew prove that, if it were possible (which its not), the elect would be deceived by the false Christ's etc. that will come in the end, up to and including the AntiChrist himself.

By the way, I'm not responding anymore on this particular subject concerning the Mark of the Beast because it's getting off-topic.
Not off topic at all since we are talking about sin/repentance - it's just convenient for you to ignore and not have to wrestle with. The verses you cite have nothing at all to do with the mark. Moreover, in Rev 14:12 it is quite obvious that the saints are not deceived by their choice of whether or not to take the mark as vs 12 strongly encourages them to have patience by keeping the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
 
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Oldmantook

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Ananias and Sapphira weren’t living in the dispensation of the grace of God (Ephesians 3:2). The mark of the beast won’t be available until after the dispensation of the grace of God is over, during the tribulation. Time past, but now, ages to come.
I'm not a dispensationalist, but you are free to believe as you wish.
 
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Aussie Pete

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Eph 2:8-9 we are saved by Grace through faith NOT OF WORKS.

The Bible never says to repent of your sins. It says multiple times to repent and turn to God, but never repent of your sins.

If i'm saved by faith and continue in sin am i still saved? If you say "yes", then you are labeled as an easy believest and are disregarding scriptures like 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and Revelation 21:8 and Matthew 7:21-23

BUT

If you say "no" then you are saying that it takes faith and works to be saved which is completely unbiblical: Galatians 5:4 Ephesians 2:8-9 Romans 3:28

I propose that salvation can only be obtained when grace is given to you. FOR BY GRACE are we saved through faith. Once God gives you grace, you believe and you turn from your sins. Once one has received grace, they no longer want to sin, they want to obey God. Grace is overlooked in the Bible but you cant have faith or works without grace. Ephesians 2:10 2 Corinthians 12:9 Romans 6:14 Romans 11:6 Hebrews 4:16
You are right. We are delivered daily, as well as initially, by grace. One of the problems with understanding these issues is a lack of knowledge. There is a difference between salvation and entering the Kingdom of God. You cannot even see the kingdom of God unless you are born again. But entering into the kingdom is not automatic. The church should be bringing in the Kingdom now, and in some ways it is happening. It will happen sometime, soon I hope. There is a body of believers who forsake worldly ways and who have taken up the cross. The Lord can work through them. A lot of those Christians are in China, India, Pakistan and other nations that oppress believers. The West has a long way to go to catch up to the persecuted brethren.
 
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Aussie Pete

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Matthew 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

Mark 13:22 "For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect."

2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

These verses in 2 Thess. prove that it is those who perish that will be deceived by the AntiChrist and therefore, by extension, the mark of the beast. Meanwhile the verses in Mark and Matthew prove that, if it were possible (which its not), the elect would be deceived by the false Christ's etc. that will come in the end, up to and including the AntiChrist himself.

By the way, I'm not responding anymore on this particular subject concerning the Mark of the Beast because it's getting off-topic.
I beg to differ. It is possible for the elect to be deceived. It happens often enough. There have been many instances of counterfeit manifestations purporting to be of the Holy Spirit that were occult. It happened during the Welsh revival and at the 1906 Azusa Street outpouring of the Holt Spirit. Because of false beliefs about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, many have been deceived. Just one example: "tarrying meetings." People were encouraged to wait, seek pray - all night if necessary- for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Except the Holy Spirit was already poured out and all we need do is accept this most wonderful gift. Many people ended up with a false spirit that was a counterfeit. When the Toronto Blessing swept the church, a great many people were predisposed to accept it as being from God. It was not.

The greatest deception a Christian can suffer is to imagine that he cannot be deceived. That leaves the Christian extremely vulnerable to other deceptions.
 
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8484838

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I beg to differ. It is possible for the elect to be deceived. It happens often enough. There have been many instances of counterfeit manifestations purporting to be of the Holy Spirit that were occult. It happened during the Welsh revival and at the 1906 Azusa Street outpouring of the Holt Spirit. Because of false beliefs about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, many have been deceived. Just one example: "tarrying meetings." People were encouraged to wait, seek pray - all night if necessary- for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Except the Holy Spirit was already poured out and all we need do is accept this most wonderful gift. Many people ended up with a false spirit that was a counterfeit. When the Toronto Blessing swept the church, a great many people were predisposed to accept it as being from God. It was not.

The greatest deception a Christian can suffer is to imagine that he cannot be deceived. That leaves the Christian extremely vulnerable to other deceptions.
I don't think I was saying a Christian can't be deceived, nor do I believe that's what scripture teaches. However, in regards to false Christs and the wonders that they perform, the elect cannot be deceived into thinking that it is the true Christ, or a working of the Holy Spirit. The Mark of the Beast is a primary end-time wonder that all who worship the AntiChrist and therefore deceived by his "resurrection" will take; the elect will not be fooled by the resurrection of the AntiChrist when the whole world will wonder after the beast, but rather will refuse the Mark of the Beast and suffer martyrdom for it. That is the loosing of the 5th seal, I believe.
 
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8484838

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Not off topic at all since we are talking about sin/repentance - it's just convenient for you to ignore and not have to wrestle with. The verses you cite have nothing at all to do with the mark. Moreover, in Rev 14:12 it is quite obvious that the saints are not deceived by their choice of whether or not to take the mark as vs 12 strongly encourages them to have patience by keeping the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
2 Thessalonians is clearly speaking of the AntiChrist in the end times, and the Mark of the Beast is clearly a primary wonder of the end times, when all that take it shall worship the Beast. Those that perish only will take the Mark (that is, those who are unsaved).

I'm not ignoring it, but I'm only trying to stay on track with the OP which is about sin/repentance after coming to faith in Christ and whether that affects salvation.

This OP is not about the Mark of the Beast and if those who take it were saved/can be saved. This OP is actually about the validity of Once Saved, Always Saved. While I admit the Mark of the Beast may play a slight part in that conversation, to the degree that we've taken our discussion, it is becoming off-topic.

Feel free to message me privately about it, and we can talk about it all you want there. :)
 
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Soyeong

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Eph 2:8-9 we are saved by Grace through faith NOT OF WORKS.

The Bible never says to repent of your sins. It says multiple times to repent and turn to God, but never repent of your sins.

If i'm saved by faith and continue in sin am i still saved? If you say "yes", then you are labeled as an easy believest and are disregarding scriptures like 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and Revelation 21:8 and Matthew 7:21-23

BUT

If you say "no" then you are saying that it takes faith and works to be saved which is completely unbiblical: Galatians 5:4 Ephesians 2:8-9 Romans 3:28

I propose that salvation can only be obtained when grace is given to you. FOR BY GRACE are we saved through faith. Once God gives you grace, you believe and you turn from your sins. Once one has received grace, they no longer want to sin, they want to obey God. Grace is overlooked in the Bible but you cant have faith or works without grace. Ephesians 2:10 2 Corinthians 12:9 Romans 6:14 Romans 11:6 Hebrews 4:16

How can some turn to God without turning away from their sins?

In Mark 1:4, John proclaimed a baptism for the repentance of sins. In Acts 2:38, Peter instructed his audience to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.

Ephesians 2:8-9 is an incomplete thought without verse 10 where we have been made new creations in Christ for the purpose of doing good works. In Psalms 119:29, David wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law and in Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the law. Our salvation is from sin (Matthew 1:21) and sin is disobedience to God's law (1 John 3:4), so being taught by grace how to live in obedience to God's law through faith is what being saved from living in disobedience to God's law looks like. Likewise, in Romans 1:5, we have received grace in order to bring about the obedience of faith, so while we are not saved by our obedience to God's law as through it were something that could be earned, it is also true that we are not saved from living in disobedience to God's law without repenting and living in obedience to it.

All throughout the Bible, God wanted His people to repent and to return to obedience to His law, and even Christ began his ministry with that message, so it would absurd to interpret Galatians 5:4 as Paul warning us against doing that and saying that we will be cut off for Christ if we repent from our sins and follow Christ. Likewise, it would be absurd to interpret Psalms 119:29 as David wanting God to be gracious to him by teaching him how to fall from grace. Paul's problem in Galatians was not with people teaching Gentiles how to follow God's commands as if following God were somehow a negative thing, but rather his problem was with people teaching Gentiles that they needed to obey their works of the law in order to become justified. In Romans 3:331, Paul did not want us to conclude from the preceding verses that our faith abolishes our need to obey God's law, but rather he said that our faith upholds it.

In Titus 2:11-14, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, which is essentially what God’s law was given to instruct how to do. In John 1:16-17, it says grace upon grace, so the grace of Christ was added upon the grace of the law. In 2 Peter 3:17-18, growing in grace is contrasted with being taken away by the error of lawless men. In Jude 1:4, the ungodly pervert God's grace into a license for immorality. Strong's defines grace as "the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life" and when God's will is reflected in our lives, it takes the form of obedience to His law (Psalms 40:8). So grace is the power of God to overcome lawlessness in our lives and it is by grace that God teaches us to obey His law.
 
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Strong in Him

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Eph 2:8-9 we are saved by Grace through faith NOT OF WORKS.

The Bible never says to repent of your sins. It says multiple times to repent and turn to God, but never repent of your sins.

As ALL have sinned, Romans 3:23, and no one does what is right, Psalms 53:3, and as we are told to repent (which means turn away); what do you think we should repent of, if not sin and a sinful lifestyle?
 
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Repentance is not the kind of thing that "works" refers to. In most of the New Testament, "works" refers specifically and solely to "works of the Law", which is to say the ritual observance of the Torah. In other words, it means that a person has to be a practicing and completely faithful Jew in order to be a Christian.

Repentance is not what that is.
 
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Zachm531

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I question your very premise. Since we are to repent, what do we repent of if not sin? “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, · rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. Lk 17:3

Moreover you cite Eph 2:8-9 but omit v.10 which cites works that we were created to do as a result of being saved by grace. Js 2:24 states that we are justified by works and not by faith alone.
Luckily James chapter 2 isnt talking about salvation! And no disrespect but i did include v10 previously
 
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SkyWriting

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Eph 2:8-9 we are saved by Grace through faith NOT OF WORKS. The Bible never says to repent of your sins. It says multiple times to repent and turn to God, but never repent of your sins.

You are right, but the confusion is understandable.
"Repent" means "change your focus." Not fix your mistakes.

Acts 3:19
Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,

Acts 2:38
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Revelation 2:5
Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.

Matthew 3:8
Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

Acts 26
...they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.


Acts 5:31
God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

Luke 15:7
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 3:3
And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Mark 1:4
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Luke 24:47
And that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Luke 5:32
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”


 
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SkyWriting

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Repentance is not the kind of thing that "works" refers to. In most of the New Testament, "works" refers specifically and solely to "works of the Law", which is to say the ritual observance of the Torah. In other words, it means that a person has to be a practicing and completely faithful Jew in order to be a Christian. Repentance is not what that is.

Kind of. Repenting is now "being a practicing and completely faithful" believer in Christ.
 
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jamesbond007

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Grace can either be a free gift of Salvation or it could be a characteristic.

I don't think grace of salvation is free. You have some strange ideas from the Bible. In the OP, you state the Bible never says to repent for your "sins," but if one understands the meaning of repentance, then it does. Too many times, we try to escape what sin will entail to us in the next life. IOW, we do not want to face the consequences; it's always truth or consequences. However, that isn't the point at all of repentance. We have to change our minds about our sins. This is repentance. Not just feel bad and be remorseful for our sins.
 
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SkyWriting

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I don't think grace of salvation is free. You have some strange ideas from the Bible. In the OP, you state the Bible never says to repent for your "sins," but if one understands the meaning of repentance, then it does. Too many times, we try to escape what sin will entail to us in the next life. IOW, we do not want to face the consequences; it's always truth or consequences. However, that isn't the point at all of repentance. We have to change our minds about our sins. This is repentance. Not just feel bad and be remorseful for our sins.

Yes, it is free. Repentance results from salvation, it is not required.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Acts 2:1-47
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ...

Romans 5:8
But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Acts 2:38
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:2
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Romans 3:24
And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
 
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Zachm531

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I don't think grace of salvation is free. You have some strange ideas from the Bible. In the OP, you state the Bible never says to repent for your "sins," but if one understands the meaning of repentance, then it does. Too many times, we try to escape what sin will entail to us in the next life. IOW, we do not want to face the consequences; it's always truth or consequences. However, that isn't the point at all of repentance. We have to change our minds about our sins. This is repentance. Not just feel bad and be remorseful for our sins.
No man, repent is a turning away from. "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand" doesnt mean stop sinning, that would get people nowhere, it means turn from the world into faith in the Lord. from unbelief to belief.
 
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Eph 2:8-9 we are saved by Grace through faith NOT OF WORKS....
I propose that salvation can only be obtained when grace is given to you. FOR BY GRACE are we saved through faith. Once God gives you grace, you believe and you turn from your sins. Once one has received grace, they no longer want to sin, they want to obey God. Grace is overlooked in the Bible but you cant have faith or works without grace. Ephesians 2:10 2 Corinthians 12:9 Romans 6:14 Romans 11:6 Hebrews 4:16
:amen:
 
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Unbelief is sin, but is the chief sin of condemnation as proven by John 3:18 and John 3:36.

This is the only sin that needs to be repented of to be saved. All other repentance from sin is following the law and is therefore works.

Wrong.
 
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