Expert: Mr. McClellan - 8/15/2011

Question
Hi.

I'm not very good at putting myself out in a personal way but here it goes.

I like to consider myself a christian. I have always had a strong belief in God although I feel like I have never practiced my believes. I drink, I swear, I have had pre-marital sex and constantly breaking the commandments. I am just extremly worried that my life is filled too much with sin to be forgiven at this point even though I truly know God is in my heart guiding me and helping me at my darkest hour. I just don't how to change to for Him and for myself and to be saved.

I want to thank you for taking the time to read this question and sorry if it is confusing in any way.

Answer
Hi Katie,

I can certainly understand your confusion. There is so much conflicting and contradictory information about this going around that a beginner would not know where to begin to find the truth about it.

It's really quite simple. However, there are a few very important concepts about it that are very popular but wrong. This makes it difficult to answer your question as simply as it should be. We have correct the mistaken concepts on the way.

Here is the answer to your question in simple terms.

Sin is violating the meaning of love in what you say and do. God is love and sin is the opposite which is selfishness. Selfishness includes hate, jealousy, impatience, lack of self control, unjustified suspicions of others words and behavior, prejudice, envy, and huge host of other kinds of behavior motivated by selfishness. The end result of selfishness is misery and death. Since you don't have to be selfish, no one forces you to be selfish, you justly deserve what it brings on you. Right? Also, once you begin living selfishly, there's no amount of good (unselfishness) that you can do to erase the bad (sinful) things you've done. Well, there is one thing that you can do but I'll get to that in a bit.

Love, on the other hand, is motivated by a strong desire of concern for the well being of other people, so much so that you'd be willing to sacrifice your time, money, and even your life for someone in real need of the help.

Now, since you've been living according to selfishness (in sin), it's rather obvious that you don't really understand love and that it is the only way for humans to live if they want peace and security and even immortality.

Here's what the Bible really says about how to be on the best of terms with God. First, you seriously repent of being selfish and of all the sinful things you do and have done that result from it. Second, you must accept that Jesus lived an exemplary unselfish life, perfectly representing God, and taught how to think and behave according to the demands of love (God) and you must be willing to obey him in all things. Since he is the only one to have done that and since he was resurrected, the ultimate miracle that proved he really represented God, he is the only one that can be trusted to know the way of life and friendship with God. Now, read the 2nd chapter of the book of Acts. This book was written by a Christian named Luke who was a doctor and a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul so he was perfectly acquainted with what Paul and the other miracle working spirit guided apostles of Jesus taught and did as they were guided into all the truth as Jesus promised them.
At verse 37, after a lot of people (many of whom had been directly involved in having Jesus executed) had heard Peter and the other apostles present the facts about Jesus, who he was proved to be, and that he had been resurrected having proved his power over death, asked "What must we do" to be saved from the penalty of this terrible thing that we've done and of the sinful lives we've been living? Peter tells them in verse 38. Their question makes it crystal clear that they already believed the gospel (what Peter and the others said about Jesus) so it's equally clear that "faith alone" was not enough to save them. They had to "do" something that would establish, or complete, their faith or belief. Peter told them in verse 38 what they "must do." Now, if you do the same thing, admitting that you do not deserve being forgiven because, you will be forgiven by God and at the same instant added to the group of all the other people who've complied with what Peter said there that day. That group is called "the churcn." It's God's kingdom on earth. It's the people who've allowed God (love) to rule their lives. However, if you do what Peter told those people to do thinking that you'll be earning forgiveness by doing it, you'll be wrong and it won't do you a speck of good as far as God is concerned. There's nothing you can do to deserve God's forgiveness because you never had to sin to begin with. Those were free choices you made and you could have chosen to do right instead of wrong just as easily if you had really wanted to. Understand?
OK, that's it in a nut shell so to speak. When you do what Peter told those people in Acts 2:38, you will be forgiven, you will be a Christian, you will be a citizen in the kingdom of God, a member of the church of which Christ is the head. At that point in time, and not until then, you will be free from the penalty of your past (as far as God is concerned) and can begin a new life just as if you'd been "born again" with no sin to your credit. See Romans chapter 6.

Now, baptism is not having water poured or sprinkled on you. You have to be immersed in water in order to be baptized. It has to be an actual burial in imitation of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection before God counts it as a legitimate admission of faith (trusting belief) in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. From that point on, just work hard to stay faithful to your commitment to live according to the law of love. Keep God's commandments in other words.
Now,
Read Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, I Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians, Galatians, Colossians, James, Hebrews, and 1st John at least. If you notice times that you are being selfish again, just ask God to forgive you and he will as long as you are serious.

OK. Go for it lady. With Gods' help you can do it. With Gods' help you can do whatever you really want to do.
Don't hesitate to ask me to clarify or further explain anything. It really is far more simple that it might seem.

I hope this helps you.
Sincerely,
Mr. McClellan