Does God's forgiveness have it's limits?

[KennethC]

I constantly struggle with committing the exact same sin over and over again. Full aware that I'm doing it, regretting it afterwards, and then doing it again. I try to break it, but it's such an old habit I continuously fall back in. I remember reading in Hebrews that if you remain in the same sin, there remains no sacrifice for you. Does this mean that God's forgiveness comes with a limit. And eventually he may reject your repentance because you continuously fall into the same circle?

The thing you must remember is as long as you are trying to stop committing this sin, but are still struggling in it then no it will not cost you your salvation. What you do need to do is pray to God about it and let the Holy Spirit guide you more and more to help you overcome it. The other thing you can do is when you feel that urge come up try to find something else to do to take your focus off of it, even if that means picking up your bible and just reading.

That worked for me in helping me take focus off those sinful ways I struggled with, and then eventually I stopped committing those sins by my focus being on Him !!!

 

[atwhatcost]

You'd be right to assume I wasn't a very good person before turning to Christ. I was what I like to call a hypocritical christian. When asked, I would say Jesus was my savior but I don't think I ever really gave God glory in anything and for me it was all about the worldly pleasures and I think to this day I still struggle with letting some of them go. I pray and ask him for the strength to resist the temptations but I feel myself falling back into the same patterns, and I think maybe I didn't ask the right way. Seeing what you have to say has shown me what it really means to PRAY to God. It's not about I need this so much as thank you for this

Am I to thank God for every time I think a brother is an idiot? I don't think so. I'm supposed to be focusing on God to serve him, so I don't have time to be so damned self-righteous about my brother. (Note: my failures in this.) God is the one who strengthens me to do that. He's the one who taught me not to do that and he is the one getting me to do what I'm supposed to do. I thank God for the fullness of his bread when I realize I'm right back to thinking my bro is an idiot. Then I ask for help to stop that. Then I go on to serve God better, because he gave me some more bread to do that. Eventually, I only need the bread once a day. Or, I realize it's moment by moment until this body is done. (I don't know which yet. Haven't made it through a whole day yet, but I do notice the times are longer. lol)

John 6:35 Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

 

[shotgunner]

I do want to do it. And that's exactly what I'm trying to break

You need to have your mind renewed to God's word. Your Spirit is born again but is struggling with your flesh for dominance. The only way to change your desire is to change your thinking. The only to change your thinking is to spend so much time in God's word that it effects and changes your thinking.

You can also fast as an exercise to put your flesh into submission to your Spirit.

 

[BarlyGurl]

You are referring to your struggling with a sin vs. quenching the spirit/ searing the conscience and increasing in sin. Now you don't mention what your sin is, and that is okay... however... the scripture is VERY CLEAR that god does not tempt us and he always provides us a way of escape. YOU are not using the instructions given you and ultimately are callousing your heart to "other" things because of "that" thing.

The basic answer to your question is YES God's forgiveness has limits... but they are his limits not man's and simply knowing such limits exist should be adequate deterrent to not "tempt" God... so is that really what you are doing??? Or are you just struggling with eating too many oreo's?

 

[BarlyGurl]

You need to have your mind renewed to God's word. Your Spirit is born again but is struggling with your flesh for dominance. The only way to change your desire is to change your thinking. The only to change your thinking is to spend so much time in God's word that it effects and changes your thinking.

You can also fast as an exercise to put your flesh into submission to your Spirit.

I concur shotgun... fasting is a very good tool for breaking free from fleshly habits/sins.

 

[Jason0047]

That worked for me in helping me take focus off those sinful ways I struggled with, and then eventually I stopped committing those sins by my focus being on Him !!!

Joseph ran the other direction when he was tempted with sexual tempation. In 1 Corinthians 6:18, we are told the same thing that Joseph did. Flee sexual immorality. One can also pray so as not to be led into temptation (as Jesus said). One can also quote Scripture when one is tempted, too. One of my favorites is Psalm 23:1, " ....the LORD is my shepherd.... I shall not want." Sin usually is about one's wrong desire of something.

But the best of all is God's promise of forgiveness. For if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1 John 1:9). That is a promise the believer can bank on. God has to be faithful to His Word on that. For he that confesses and forsakes sin shall have mercy (Proverbs 28:13). For when I think of the word "forsake", I also think of running. So we run the race. Run away from sin and run towards the prize or pearl of great price which is Jesus Christ.

 

[Jason0047]

You can also fast as an exercise to put your flesh into submission to your Spirit.

Ah, a connection to 1 Peter 4:1. Nice. Thank you.

 

[crossnote]

Does God's Forgiveness have it's limits?

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice,
(Heb 3:7)


then comes the limit...

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
(Heb 9:27)

 

[oldthennew]

HEB. 3:14-15.
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;

While it is said, Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

HEB. 4:7.
Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said,
today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

COLOSSIANS 1:21-22-23.
And you, that were sometime alienated, and enemies in you mind by wicked works, yet now has He
reconciled,

In the body of His flesh through death, to present you Holy and unblameable and unreproveable
in His sight:

IF you continue in the Faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel,
which you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;
whereof I Paul am made a minister.

 

[sassylady]

His forgiveness doesn't end but there can be consequences to continuing in something when the Lord is convicting you of the sin.

 

[Dan58]

If God does have a limit on forgiving sin, we're all in a boatload of trouble.

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" (Hebrews 10:26). Falling victim to the same temptation repeatedly is not sinning 'willfully'. Sinning willfully after receiving the truth is not caring about what you do wrong or repenting for it, its ignoring your conscience and the Holy Spirit. The ability of Jesus to forgive supersedes our ability to screw-up.. jmo

 

[shotgunner]

Ah, a connection to 1 Peter 4:1. Nice. Thank you.

I suppose so, but to be honest I didn't make the connection.

I have always considered fasting as an exercise of the Spirit over the flesh along the line of 1 Cor. 9:27. My view is that when we are saved our Spirit is saved and becomes one with Christ (1Cor.6:17). We still have our unsaved flesh to deal with however. When I fast the real me, my Spirit ,is telling my flesh what to do and putting it into subjection to my Spirit. I am in essence training my flesh to obey what I tell it to do.

When one does this one just needs to make sure to keep the fast or the flesh will become like an unruly child that is always threatened with discipline but that discipline is never executed. In other words the flesh will get harder to control. I always encourage those who are starting out practicing fasting to set the time in prayer with God and to make it easy to keep when just starting the practice. I would rather fast just a few meals and keep my fast than to set up a 3 day fast and fail. Also one doesn't have to fast water or medicine. The fast just needs to be an exercise that helps control the flesh and needs to always be kept.

 

[shotgunner]

If God does have a limit on forgiving sin, we're all in a boatload of trouble.

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins" (Hebrews 10:26). Falling victim to the same temptation repeatedly is not sinning 'willfully'. Sinning willfully after receiving the truth is not caring about what you do wrong or repenting for it, its ignoring your conscience and the Holy Spirit. The ability of Jesus to forgive supersedes our ability to screw-up.. jmo

Actually, the sinning willfully scripture there is referring to Hebrews who have been introduced into Christianity turning back to the Hebrew faith and practice of sacrificial offerings for sin. Paul is in essence saying that if they won't accept the offering of the true sacrifice of Jesus then there remains no more sacrifice for sin. In today's language we might say that if you won't accept the offering that Jesus made ,then no other offering will work.

 

[oldhermit]

I constantly struggle with committing the exact same sin over and over again. Full aware that I'm doing it, regretting it afterwards, and then doing it again. I try to break it, but it's such an old habit I continuously fall back in. I remember reading in Hebrews that if you remain in the same sin, there remains no sacrifice for you. Does this mean that God's forgiveness comes with a limit. And eventually he may reject your repentance because you continuously fall into the same circle?

"She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the LORD said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all." Hos. 1:6

 

[blondieindahouse]

I do want to do it. And that's exactly what I'm trying to break

You can do this! Give God glory and praise him in your storm!

You just need to apply yourself to being a serious student of the word. God will work these things out of you and you will no longer fall to the sin. Choose this day to follow Christ in all things.

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.Romans 10:17


Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I gathered together a Bible study for you to work on. I want you to focus on this and apply yourself to this over and over again. Do the cross references and pray and meditate on the scriptures. If you do this; you are overcoming and you are walking in the spirit whom gives you strength.


Attitudes of mind that need to be renewed
Rom. 1:28 - "a depraved mind, to do things which are not proper"
Rom. 8:5,7 - "mind set on the flesh"
Rom. 12:16 - "haughty in mind"
II Cor. 4:4 - "blinded the minds of unbelieving"
II Cor. 11:3 - "minds led astray from simplicity and purity to Christ"
Eph. 2:3 - "the desires of the flesh and of the mind"
Eph. 4:17 - "the futility of their mind"
Phil. 3:19 - "set their minds on earthly things"
Col. 1:21 - "alienated and hostile in mind"
Col. 2:18 - "inflated without cause by a fleshly mind"
Titus 1:15 - "their mind and their conscience are defiled"

[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Anemic Christians today.

[/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] A. They have a divided allegiance. Matthew 6:24
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] B. These Christians have a lukewarm devotion. Revelation 3:14-16.
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] C. They have lost their appetite for the food of God’s word. Hebrews
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[FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif] 5:12-14

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You can do this! Say: I am victorious because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! Phil 14:3
You can choose now to pray more,study more and choose to slay your flesh with the help of the
Almighty Holy all Powerful King of Kings! You serve the creator of the universe dont you?!

Whatever your sin is; get rid of everything that aids you in that sin.

May the Lord Jesus Christ the savior of the world give you strength to overcome. Amen

Christ came to set the captives free.

Surrender! Renew your mind! Overcome! Walk in victory over your flesh!!

 

[shotgunner]

I agree with blondie above. I would also add that doing a study on the words "In Christ" and "In Him" would be helpful. The more that you see yourself as a new creation in Christ and learn who this new person is, the less you will focus on your old dead man's desires. You have to know that that old man is dead, crucified and buried with Christ and you are now born again a new creation risen with Christ. Embrace the new life so much that you don't give any place for that old dead man to creep back in.

 

[resurrection33]

I constantly struggle with committing the exact same sin over and over again. Full aware that I'm doing it, regretting it afterwards, and then doing it again. I try to break it, but it's such an old habit I continuously fall back in. I remember reading in Hebrews that if you remain in the same sin, there remains no sacrifice for you. Does this mean that God's forgiveness comes with a limit. And eventually he may reject your repentance because you continuously fall into the same circle?

If someone is slow to repent, I think the Lord's discipline becomes harsher.