What does forgiveness mean? It means you are no longer held accountable for what you have been forgiven of. Have you been forgiven? If your answer is yes, then what did you do to receive the gift of forgiveness? If your answer is, "I asked for it and God forgave me" then you are not forgiven unless you have followed through with your asking. When you ask God to forgive you for something, you are repenting and asking in faith. Now answer this question. How do you repent? First you make a request to God for forgiveness; this is the faith part. Second, you put action with your faith. The action you must take now is to stop or start doing whatever it is you asked forgiveness for. James 2:20 says "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead." Now you may be saying, I can't stop or start doing this it's to hard for me. In 1 Corinthians 10:13 says there is a way of escape, and in Philippians 4:13 it says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So now you have no excuse for not receiving your gift of forgiveness because you have faith, there is an escape route, and you have the strength to take the appropriate action. All you have to do is decide whether or not you want forgiveness.2 Chronicles 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.1Pe 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:1Pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;1Pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment,and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
_________________Joel
All you have to do is decide whether or not you want forgiveness.
_________________Diane
Aside from all the so called major sin God set me free from, the most difficult one to turn away from was idolatry. It did not matter how good or bad I felt, how sick or healthy, or happy or mad. I never missed an oputunity to watch tv or a movie. It has been 4 years sense all television services have been removed from our home, only to end up being replaced by movie rentals and purchases. At first it was only clean movies, then progressivly got worse cause we still sat in front of the same old god fashioned out of plastic and glass. It's been just over a week since I turned away from that god and I will not look back. You can only become what you put in yourself through movies, music, conversations, and things you read. So be careful not to polute the temple. 1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
