Samsora Jade
This question has always stumped me. And when I woke up this is what was on my mind. John 3;16 is a very popular verse. And the bible is true,right?
I believe it is.
So does this mean my friend who has a husband and a bf or my friend and believes Jesus is real. Or thy person that believes that Jesus is real but does not quit sinning.
I have heard people say that if you believe and are saved you will not sin.
I do not think that is true because we are all humans and get mad or fristrated with someone. Yes we are sorry and most of us repent.
But what about the person who believes and does not repent but believes.
So does John 3;16 mean that as long as we believe no matter what we continue to do we are fine?
And if that is true how come it even says in the bible about not lying or stealing or being a gossip.
This is what
John 3:16-21 NIV says:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
You'll hear a lot of people today, even Christians say, "I can do whatever I would like because God is forgiving and by grace I am saved." So you'll have some Christians out there that may indulge in drunkenness/illegal drugs, play with the occult, harm others, etc. because they think, "I'll do what I want and ask for forgiveness. God forgives me."
This is flawed because God has given us a moral standard to live by. The 10 commandments in Exodus 20 is a prime example of laws like this. It's not the only things we are commanded to do, but it's a good reference that covers a lot of different things that people are guilty of a lot of the time.
If a person believes and doesn't repent, are they really a believer? We are to repent of our sins, ask for forgiveness, and move forward. A person that says they believe, but has not repented of something they are doing that is wrong, does not come across to me as a believer.
Now, I'm not saying that people can't struggle or make mistakes. That happens to everyone - Christians or non. Every person will have their own unique struggles, but how we deal with that struggles matters. We need to be able to say, "No." to the temptation. When we do give in, realize it, having God in our hearts should make us realize, "This is wrong. This isn't what God would want." And we should turn away from those wrongs. God knows when our requests for forgiveness are genuine - he knows our hearts. He also knows when we are asking for forgiveness only to have the intention to go sin again - like putting a bandaid on a bullet hole wound - it just doesn't work.
A born again believer must repent and ask forgiveness - to have that desire to want to do anything to follow Jesus. To shed off that old way of life and follow in the new. We become a new creature in Christ when we turn our life around for Him - God puts new desires on our hearts.
~As a note, don't hesitate to create your own thread so others can share their thoughts, too!
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