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Salvation
Many people, including most pastors don’t like to think about, or even mention repentance, because willful sin is so very hard for everyone to deal with. But the scriptures below are quite clear, if a Christian does not repent and turn from their willful sins, before their death or before the Rapture (which ever occurs first), they will be in jeopardy of eternal torment. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:13 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 7:19 Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord (verbally accepts Jesus as Lord), shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will (obeys the commandments) of my Father in heaven. Matthew 7:21 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. Matthew 18:8 (Statement made by Jesus. Since He didn’t say, “Just confess me as Lord”, obviously belief in Him as Lord and doing away with sin is a requirement of salvation.) And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. Matthew 18:9 (Statement made by Jesus. Since He didn’t say, “Just confess me as Lord”, obviously belief in Him as Lord and doing away with sin is a requirement of salvation.) Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Luke 13:24 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate one and love the other or else he will loyal to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Luke 16:13 If you love me keep my commandments. John 14:15 If you keep My commandments you will abide in My love, just as I kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. John 14:10 Eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good (works) seek for glory, honor, and immorality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness-indignation and wrath. Romans 2:7-8 For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified. Romans 2:13 Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him (Jesus), that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Romans 6:6 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Romans 6:16 *Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God; on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you will be cut off. Romans 11:22 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Romans 13:14 *Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists, will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth; fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. Colossians 3:5 *For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. Hebrews 11:26 *But be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22 *We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself and the wicked one touches him not. 1John 5:18 *He who overcomes (sin and persecution) shall not be hurt by the second death. Revalation 2:11 Verbally accepting Jesus Christ in one’s mind, by the grace of God, is the beginning of the Born Again sanctification process. The final result of a Born Again believer’s sanctification is having Jesus through the Holy Spirit take up residence in their heart, which leads to repentance. The Holy Spirit working within a Christian brings about Godly sorrow towards sin, and Godly sorrow brings about repentance. In order for the Holy Spirit to work in a believer’s life, there must be a hunger for the things of God. Reading the Word, constant prayer, praise of God, and worshipping the Lord, are all necessary to fuel the workings of the Holy Spirit in one’s life. Once full sanctification is completed through the work of the Holy Spirit and Jesus takes up permanent residence in the heart of an individual, the love of God will become so evident that there will be little room in a believer’s heart for sin, for the scripture declares: He who says, “I know Him (Jesus),” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 1 John 2:4 Accidental sins will always occur in the lives of all Born Again believers, but it is the habitual, willful sins of old that we must all repent of. Accidental sins are brief moments where a believer goes against the will of God, without even thinking about what they are doing prior to doing it. Willful sins on the other hand, are sins that the believer knows are sins, and then takes a moment of time to decide if they will continue in them or turn from them. Full sanctification in the Lord comes about when a believer turns from all their willful sins of old and decides to live in obedience to God. The scriptures above indicate that without repentance of willful sins a believer in Christ is in jeopardy of missing heaven. Some may argue the point and say, well if repentance is a requirement of salvation, how was the one thief on the cross hanging next to Jesus, saved in a matter of hours? Answer- God (Jesus) searches the heart for two things on a person’s last day, belief in Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and heartfelt repentance. Bearing that in mind, we only heard about the saved, thief’s last hours on the cross. Days beforehand, He could have been laying flat out on the floor of the prison asking God to forgive him and save him. He could have been tearfully crying out to God and confessing all his past sins. If that was the case the saved, thief came to the cross with repentance written upon his heart and if you look at the scripture you know that to be true. Because the saved, thief rebuked the other thief while hanging on the cross saying, “Do you not fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?” Luke 23:40 When God searches your heart in your last minutes of your present life, will He find that Jesus Christ is your Lord? Will he find that you despise all sin and do everything possible to avoid it? Or will He find you are a hypocrite, a person confessing Christ as Lord, but continuing to willfully sin against God. If you are unsure what sin looks like please read our “Ten Commandments Page”. I pray that by the good works of the Holy Spirit, all sincere believers in Jesus Christ will be set free from willful sin and spend eternity in heaven with the Lord.
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Accepting
Jesus Christ as your personal Savior is the beginning of the Born Again
experience, but becoming the complete new creature in Christ foretold in
the Bible takes the working of the Holy Spirit. Even though, the blood
of Jesus Christ covers a believer’s confessed sins, the final evidence
of full sanctification in the Lord, is Godly sorrow toward sin, which
leads to repentance (turning away from willful sins).