Contrary to popular belief, the title of this article is based on clear teachings that can be found in Scripture - and it's taught in the same New Testament epistles in the Bible that some think expunge believers from having to repent of their sins once they are believers in Yahshua or Jesus. Take the following example:
~*~ 1 Corinthians 6:8-11 (NKJV) ~*~
I don't know about you, but it's pretty clear to me that this Scripture from the Apostle Paul's own mouth says that believers in Christ that are not willing to stop sinning - which means they are willfully sinning with full knowledge of the fact - are not forgiven, and UNREPENTANT SINNERS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD, period! This means that there are no exceptions to the need for real repentance to occur before we can receive forgiveness from God for sins either willfully committed, or committed in ignorance - even after we are saved.“No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 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, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
This process of acknowledging our sinfulness before God when we are made aware of it by the Holy Spirit or by fellow believers is called sanctification, and sanctification is the process we must undergo to achieve holiness after we are saved by belief and faith. To be clear, scripture teaches that we are justified by our belief and faith in Christ, and we are sanctified by the process of confessing our sins to God, and then applying the Blood of Christ over ourselves in prayer and communion by partaking of the Lord's Supper to wipe out our sins, and to bless our lives with healing, joy and peace.
This is why being saved and being sanctified are NOT the same thing. Being saved means that one is only saved from the fires of Hell. Being sanctified means that one is being prepared for entrance into Yahshua's Kingdom. In short, sanctification - which leads to righteousness and holiness - is essential for entrance into the Kingdom of God. Without it, believers will be excluded from participating in Christ's Millennial Kingdom, and they will have to wait until the end of the 1000 years is over to be raised up or resurrected, and allowed to dwell with God in eternity.
In fact, the only ones that Paul indicates will be allowed to enter the Kingdom of God (or Heaven), which is a reference to Yahshua's Kingdom, are defined in verse 11 of 1 Corinthians 6, where it clearly says that these saved people are justified and sanctified by the Name or Character of Yahshua or Jesus, and also by the active guidance and perfect teachings of the Spirit of God within their hearts. If that is not clear enough, then the following Scripture from the Book of Hebrews should clear up any remaining ambiguity:
~*~ Hebrews 10:26-31 (NKJV) ~*~ WILLFUL, UNREPENTANT SINNERS TRAMPLE CHRIST UNDERFOOT! “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”To clarify these Scriptures, it's important to know that a secret sin or unknown sin is not something we can be condemned for, as Scripture makes it clear that Yahshua's blood covers us from these unknown infractions of the Law, just as the blood of the innocent lambs and bulls that were sacrificed to Yahweh temporarily did so before Yahshua came. But if we are willfully and knowingly sinning, and ignoring the clear teaching of Scripture to lead a holy and blameless life, we are NOT forgiven! WE NEED TO REPENT OR TURN AWAY FROM SIN BEFORE WE CAN BE FORGIVEN, and if we are sinning and refuse to repent, we are condemned by our own refusal to change!
Interestingly, the Old Testament sacrifices that were a dim reflection of Yahshua's sacrifice for us on the Cross were never meant to atone for willful sins that were not repented of or turned away from. Likewise, the willful sins of those who profess to be under the New Covenant of Grace - but will not repent and refuse to stop sinning - are not forgiven either. So I beseech all believers to stop taking a few passages out of context like the "Once Saved, Always Saved" crowd likes to do. Sadly, the erroneous idea of "Eternal Security" can become a license to sin among lukewarm believers, and this flippant disregard of our need to repent of all sin is constantly contradicted and proven wrong in Scripture, where we are told that only the righteous (as in fully repentant and forgiven) among those initially saved by faith in Christ will be allowed into the Kingdom of God.
Your Sister in Yahshua,
Helena Lehman of
The Pillar of Enoch Ministry
Ministry Web Site: http://pillar-of-enoch.com
PLEASE NOTE: This article was followed by a similar article that goes into even more detail about the continual need for repentance in a believer's life whenever their sinful behavior becomes evident to them through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. For those who do not understand my teaching above, or are having trouble understanding what the Bible teaches about sin, I highly recommend reading this longer article that is linked to first in the list below, as well as the second article listed:
WHY WILLFUL SINNERS
WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN!
ENTERING THE KINGDOM OF GOD -
THE THREE GOSPEL STEPS
I hope that this article, and the
linked to articles above will bless many!
God bless you all!
linked to articles above will bless many!
God bless you all!
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