This is something that won't leave my head lately. I was fine a couple days ago feeling confident with my salvation, and now I'm confused and unsure. The Bible says many times we are saved by our faith, "We are saved by faith not works", "It is not your actions that save you lest any man boast", "your faith has healed you", "those who think they are saved by works has no effect of Christ" etc...
Hi joshuab,
Christians are all at different stages of growth so we should not compare ourselves with each other and panic over why don't I understand scripture or live as good a lifestyle as another Christian does. Just trust in God and let Him do His work in your life.
then there's "drunkards don't enter the Kingdom of God", I read on this site that the sexually immoral don't enter the Kingdom of God, "go and sin no more", "there should not be a hint of sexual immorality"
Scripture is
spiritually discerned, hence we should not try to interpret it in purely physical terms.
1Cor 2:13-16
These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
So what is sexual immorality (also called fornication) and drunkenness?
Consider Rev 17:1-2
Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Here God tells us of those who were drunk with the wine of fornication/sexual immorality. These drunkards (kings of the earth) were clearly not fornicating physically with some physical and notably great harlot, and nor do we make physical wine from fornication. Instead it's speaking
spiritually.
So what is spiritual fornication/sexual immorality?
Firstly, remember that Christians are
one spirit with the Lord.
Consider 1Cor 6:15-18
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body
The harlot with whom we are to flee sexual immorality/fornication with is Hagar, who is symbolic of the old covenant doctrine of righteousness by works of the law.
Gal 4:24
which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar—
There are many scriptures warning against following any doctrines of righteousness by works of the law (which is fornicating with Hagar). Such doctrine of works are preached by some on this forum too.
Note God's will in 1Thess 4:3
For this is the will of God, your sanctification (which we have when we believe in Jesus, Heb 10:10):
that you should abstain from sexual immorality (with Hagar)
We see often in scripture the importance of abstaining from fornication/sexual immorality. It's God's will. And as we see in the scriptures I've quoted already, God is referring to abstaining from sexual immorality with Hagar/righteousness by works of the law.
Christians are one spirit with the Lord. We were saved by grace. Therefore we should not turn back to works of the law for righteousness. We must not even try to mix grace with works of the law, as some try to do. God says you cannot mix grace with works of the law.
Rom 11:6
if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Anybody who follows doctrines that mix grace with works of the law is being lukewarm, and God will spew such persons out of His mouth, (Rev 3;15,16)
I try so hard with repentance and have gotten so far and I still feel inadequate, it's making me feel like it's too difficult to go to heaven and that I should just give up because I can't try any harder. It's leaving me depressed and hopeless. It's like there's parts of the Bible all about being saved by faith only, then there's parts of the Bible saying that there's works we must do, such as repentance (which seems strict, "no hint of sexual immorality" scares me to death).
Repentance is often misunderstood.
When we received Christ we had repented of
dead works of self-righteousness.
Heb 6:1
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God
Christians repented of their dead works and have submitted to God's righteousness instead. Now it's our faith that is counted for righteousness, Rom 4:5.
And a Christians
works are to believe in Jesus, as Jesus himself said in John 6:29
Sadly, the drunkards who are drunk with the wine of fornication with Hagar/righteousness by works of the law, they have not repented of their dead works. They may profess to no God, but by their works of the law for righteousness, they deny Him, Tit 1:16. They are in unbelief, which is the sin the world is convicted of, John 16:9.
I feel so bothered by this why can't I just enjoy being a Christian like everyone else in the world without constantly being paranoid or insecure...
The
thief on the cross who called Jesus "Lord" was saved
without any works of the law to accompany his way to paradise.
God offers this same gospel of grace to you, so you can stop worrying and just trust in Him.
Grace is not a license to live selfishly though. No Christian is going to profit by doing wrong. God disciplines us. Consider King David who comitted adultery and murder.
And as you grow in your relationship with God you will find that your lifestyle will improve anyway.
Just trust in Him.