I want to give you perhaps some fresh thoughts about forgiveness of sins and a place among the sanctified and tell you how to acquire both.
The first thing to recognize is this: you have to be bad to make it to heaven, and you have to be bad to be forgiven. How bad? Not very bad (white lies, disobedience to parents) or very bad (murder, adultery, rape, fat lies, stealing, coveting, and atheism). You do not have to do anything to qualify. You have already done the minimum.
How about being good or relatively good? Goodness does not count. People who are good cannot be forgiven. “Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). You have to qualify first. “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
He did not stay dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
The first thing to recognize is this: you have to be bad to make it to heaven, and you have to be bad to be forgiven. How bad? Not very bad (white lies, disobedience to parents) or very bad (murder, adultery, rape, fat lies, stealing, coveting, and atheism). You do not have to do anything to qualify. You have already done the minimum.
How about being good or relatively good? Goodness does not count. People who are good cannot be forgiven. “Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). You have to qualify first. “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
He did not stay dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. (Titus 3:3-8)To get a fuller picture and to increase your faith, read Romans 1-5, Luke, John, and Acts.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil. (Hebrews 2:14)
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