I've been out of the church for about 9 years. I've done some pretty bad things. I would like to come back, but I'm not sure if God will forgive me. How do I come back into God's forgiveness? Also, how do I save my soul? Thank you so much.
Dear Crystal, When you stated you have “been out of the Church for about 9 years” ...I take that to mean that you were at one time baptized into the Body of Christ for the remission of your sins. The previous three postings are with the understanding that you have been baptized. If you are seeking forgiveness as a out of duty (9yrs) member of the Church of Christ then the below postings do apply. You may also want to read a good article posted on this website: http://www.newtestamentchurch.org/html/Tidmore/forgiving_one_another.htm
Dear Crystal, God loves you always. He doesn't want you to sin; and He wants you to come back to Him before it's to late. If you will repent and confess your sins to Him; He will forgive you. If your sins are of a public nature, you'll need to confess them before the church, and the brethren will say a prayer on your behalf. Please don't wait, go ahead and be restored while there is opportunity! KTS
Dear Crystal,There is nothing you could have done... NOTHING... no kind of sin that you might have committed that can not be taken away by the sacrifice that our Lord made for you and me on the Cross. But to have his blood take away your sins, you must be sorrowful of what you have done and willing to turn completely away from such transgressions against the commandments of God and confess the wrongs you have committed. The confession should be as public as the sin/s. If it is between you and God, then you can personally pray to God for forgiveness. If it is between you and another person, then you can confess your wrong doing/s to that person alone and have prayer to God for forgiveness. If it is a public sin/s then you are to confess your sins to the local congregation and they will pray for you to our loving and forgiving God. It is not necessary that you must walk up to the front of a congregation (although you can)... but it is necessary that you confess your public wrong doings to a leader or preacher and he can announce and confirm your confession and then the congregation can have prayer on your behalf. There is only one sin that I know of that is a "sin unto death" ...it is non-confessed, non-repented sin. Please don't wait too long to make your wrongs right with God.Jesus said: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matt 11:28-30 (KJV) "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." Reve 3:20-21 (KJS) The Lord is "knocking" ...but YOU must be the one to open the door to your heart. Sister Crystal, I have emailed members of a congregation near you and I am sure they will be contacting you soon. If you prefer a sister making first contact, I can try to arrange that to happen. But the main concern is that you make a proper confession of your sins before the devil tries to turn you back into the destructions of a sinful life.God loves you so very much that He gave His son that YOU might have life eternal. John 3:16 ...My prayer is that the members of this congregation near you will encourage you and you will join them every Sunday in worship to the Almighty God. Heb 10:25
Dear Crystal,Thank you for your question. This is a problem for many people today – they fall away because of some temporary situation and later feel they are too far gone to be “worthy” of forgiveness. That is not true, of course, but that is the way some people feel. I would ask you to think of the apostle Paul. He was present when Steven, the first Christian martyr was stoned to death. He was the chief persecutor of the new Christian faith yet he was personally chosen by Christ to be one of its advocates. If you are not sure God will forgive you, ask yourself, have you stoned anyone lately? Have you criticized and denounced Christians as much as Paul did? If you did, you can expect to receive forgiveness as Paul did. If you haven’t then what are you worried about? We have an avenue to return to the good grace of God and it is the simple act of repentance via prayer.If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 Notice, it does NOT say, “If we confess our sins, as long as they are not too bad, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,” John wrote, with the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, that God will forgive us our sins. Are you going to challenge that? Do you think God won’t do it? Crystal, we have an advocate that has volunteered to carry our sins for us. Nothing we do can change that. I would suggest your returning to church (see our directory on the website) and go forward, telling the speaker that you are returning after a period of “being away” and would like the prayers of the congregation that you might be forgiven for being away and not living as you should. I’m glad you have decided to make things right with God. I only wish everyone would do that!Blessings to you and yours,