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| What if you repent for doing something bad, and yet you
still do something bad? Can you repent over and over and still go to heaven? and also will god still forgive you? |
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| Short answer:
You wrote, "Can you repent over and over and still go to heaven?
and also will god still forgive you?"
Books have been written on the subject and churches and denominations have split over the answer to your question. I'll try to give you a relatively short answer on what I believe scripture says about the subject. For the context of your question I think it's most important to focus not on the issue of individual acts of wrong doing ("repent from doing something bad") but on the greater context of repentance. It's not so much what you do bad but rather *why* you try to refrain from doing certain things. The entire Bible is about God's program for bringing mankind back into a perfect relationship with Him. That's a really big picture and its the picture we need to focus on in understanding the greatest principles of repentance. It's clearly God's priority so it should be ours, too. First, no person truly repents completely on their own. We can think that we're repenting but unless God is working in us and placing the urge to repent in us then it's all a losing game. In that circumstance (without God's leading) one tries to be good but it never quite works out for long. We're just going through the motions and it doesn't really count for anything. So I suggest looking at the bigger picture. Understand that true repentance is ***God*** leading you to do this (repent); giving you a sincere desire to both lead a life that is pleasing to Him AND a desire to know Him better and better as time goes on so that you become closer and closer to Him, more and more dependent on Him. When you are in that situation then the individual acts of sin ("doing something bad") decrease in relevance. What's of greatest importance then is that the greater part of your life is devoted to Him ("Love the Lord your God", Jesus said) and that the price of the sin you've already committed (and will commit) is paid in full. People that are saved by God's grace through faith in the attoning death of Jesus Christ will still sin just as Abraham of the Old Testament did. But, just as Abraham was saved anyway from spending eternity separated from God because he was devoted to God and trusted God overall, so also are people going to Heaven that still sin in spite of their sincere devotion to God. It's not the indvidual acts but rather the focus of your life that is *most* important to God. Maybe it's best understood in the following way. If you are repenting from doing bad things because you somehow want to be good enough to enter Heaven then you're wasting your time. If you think you're saved but keep on sinning and repenting and the fact that you're sinning really doesn't cause you any grief, I'd suggest that you're probably playing a losing game with God. On the other hand, if you find you're repenting from doing bad things because you love God and are devoted to Him through Jesus Christ, and it breaks your heart when you sin because you know that you've greatly disappointed God and hurt Him through your bad acts, then you should just keep repenting with a goal of never ever doing that bad thing again. Remember you're not perfect; just don't use that fact as an excuse. God will work with you until you get it right. If you do die before you get it right, God won't hold it against you because you long ago *repented from a lifestyle that didn't focus on Him* and trusted Christ for your salvation (pay that sin debt). Again, all at His leading. It's a heart issue rather than a legal one. Are you trying to please God because He deserves the best from you (the heart issue) or are you trying to please God to work your way into Heaven (a legal issue and one doomed to failure). There's hundreds of related things that I haven't touched on but I do pray that I've answer your questions.
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| Hello my name is [blank]I have just recently become very religious. I want to repent and purify my soul. Since I have sinned & i believe I have desappointed god.I feel if i repent I can feel better about myself and start over as persay.How do I go though repention? I feel kinda silly asking, but can you please help me.Thank you very much if u can write back and help.god bless you & your family. | |
| Hi, Michelle. I guess I'd start with a new email address. Black witch? But, seriously, thanks for writing. Your search could very well be the highlight of your life. A quick answer about repentance can be taken from the gospel of Luke in chapter 3 where Luke shares information on the ministry of John the Baptist who preached repentence very strongly. John said, So John addressed the theme of actions in our lives. Maybe it's summarized
by saying we should think about what's best for others before what's most
convenient for ourselves then act appropriately. Our actions are important. |
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