Expert: Scott Talbot - 1/24/2009

Question
QUESTION: Well what if when you got saved,you didn't really intend to have a relationship with GOD or really thought about having a relationship with Him but later on after you get saved,you decide that you should draw closer to Him and then you try to draw closer to Him?

ANSWER: Are you asking whether or not you are truly saved? The answer is in the Romans 10 passage.

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QUESTION: No I am asking that if when you get saved,you don't start it out with the true intention to have a relationship with GOD but you still believe and then later on after you are saved,you decide that you need a relationship with Him or at least try to have one with Him,is that okay?

ANSWER: Oh, I understand what you're asking.

Is that okay? Well, the IDEAL situation, of course, would be for one to want that relationship from the outset. But it IS possible to be saved in that scenario. And the fact is that this is a somewhat common experience. In the early stages of the relationship, we are still accustomed to our unsaved experience. It takes a while to grow in our spirituality to the point that we really hunger for God.

I was saved when I was young, and now I'm 47. I am certainly much closer to God than I was when I was young and first saved. But there are still struggles and challenges, and I still have a ways to go. It's a process, and it takes time.

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QUESTION: I thought you were 25 on the allexperts picture of you.I have to get off the subject for a second and ask a serious question.Okay there is this older guy(I'm 13) that I tlak to over the internet and we have very sexual conversations,now I haven't ever had sex before but I guess we do what you can call cybersex.Does this mean that I lost my virginity and is this a sin and can I be forgiven?"

Answer
It's good that you shared this information. This is a very unhealthy relationship. It isn't good for you.

Have you lost your virginity? Not technically, no.

Is this a sin? Yes.

Can you be forgiven? Yes. (See I John 1:9.)

Is there someone you can confide in--a trusted Christian adult--who can help you with this temptation? It sounds as though it is a habit that may require some effort to break.

Scott