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QUESTION: 76
Some people believe that they know something they want to do is wrong but  God will forgive  me so they do it. .What is your take?

ANSWER: First let me say, that all our sins past–present and future are all forgiven as far as the penalty goes. We will never be judged after death and cast into the lake of fire. 1 John 2:12, I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.  This is called judicial forgiveness.
There are three types of sins committed by believers. 
1- Sins of ignorance. We know nothing about them at all. These are called error or secret sins.  Ps 19:12  Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.  We commit these every day and never know what they are., but God knows.  So Christ, as our sin offering, takes care of them.
2- Trespasses: These are thing we do, say or even think,  and then realize they were wrong.  These we are to confess to the Lord and He will forgive. 1 John 1:9,  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we do not do this and continue in those sins they become;
3-Wilful or habitual sins.   For these God will spank us. He will not allow us to go on in habitual sins without correction us.  This is what Heb 12: 5-7, And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
The first wilful sin among the early believers was lied about money. A man and a woman both died immediately because of it.  (Acts 5:1. . .)  It was God’s message that He would deal severely with believers that willfully sinned again Him. Some of the Corinthians were sick–weak and some died because of their abuse of the emblems in the Lord’s supper. 1 Cor. 11:30,31

Thank the Lord He has a fountain opened for cleansing from all sins. Sinners can plunge in and so can the saints.

All comments and questions to: Harold Smith

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Updated July 2009, by Shelly Allen