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AngelicSmile · 1 I am not a sinner on Sun 28 Jun 2009, 7:30 pm

AngelicSmile

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Warning:

I am not a sinner.
1. Are you saying you are perfect? If you are, then you're the first perfect person I've ever met who has never sinned.
2. Are you saying you've never broken the Law of God? Have you ever
  lied, cheated, or stolen? If you have, then you are a sinner whether
  you think so or not. The laws of God have punishments (a law without a
  punishment is only a slogan). As a sinner, you are separated from God (Isaiah 59:2). However, God loves you enough not to want you to be separated from Him. He sent Jesus (1 John 4:10)
  to pay for your sins on the cross. So, the only way to have your sins
  forgiven is to put your trust in Jesus and the sacrifice He made.
3. The Bible says that everyone has sinned (Rom. 5:12). That means you, too.

There is no such thing as sin.
1. Sin is doing what is wrong before God (1 John 3:4).
  To say there is no such thing as sin is to say there is no God. Are
  you willing to bet your life that there is no God?
2. Saying there is no such thing as sin doesn't mean it there. Have
  you ever lied, or cheated, or stolen? If so, then biblically, you've
  sinned.

What is sin?
1. Sin is doing what is wrong, as well as not doing what is right. It is breaking the Law of God (1 John 3:4).
  In other words, it is doing what is against God's will. If He says "Do
  not lie," and you lie, then you have sinned. If He says "Do not steal,"
  and you steal, then you have sinned. And, according to God, sin
  separates you from Him (Isaiah 59:2).
2. Sin is an offense to God's character. Because God cannot lie, it is
  wrong for you to lie. Because God cannot steal, it is wrong for you to
  steal. Right and wrong, then, is a manifestation of the character of
  God. God is holy; He cannot sin. Sin offends Him personally because
  they are His laws of right and wrong you are breaking. If you have
  offended Him, then you must find a way to "unoffend" Him. The problem
  is that you can't, but He can and has, by offering His Son, Jesus
  Christ, on the cross as a sacrifice for sin.

I am too big of a sinner.
1. Nobody is too big of a sinner. The love of God and the sacrifice of
  Jesus are capable of cleansing the worst of all sin. Even Hitler could
  have been saved if he would have turned to Christ. You have sinned the
  same as anyone else. It is just that your sins are yours. They aren't
  too big for God to wipe away. Sin has no power over God, only over you.
2. Let me ask you something. Do you think murder and adultery are
  serious sins? Yes? Well, David, a man in the Bible who was called by
  God "a man after His own heart," (Acts 13:22),
  was a murderer and an adulterer. He even tried to hide his sin from
  everyone. But God knew his sins and exposed them. David repented and
  threw himself on the mercy of the Lord. God forgave him and loved him.
  God loves you, and He will forgive you if you put your trust in Jesus,
  and ask Him to forgive you of your sins (Rom. 10:9-10).

What is salvation?
1. Salvation is the forgiveness of sins. It means to be saved from
  the righteous judgment of God. This salvation is only accomplished
  through faith in Jesus as Savior. He died on the cross for sins. If you
  want salvation, you need to trust in what Jesus did on the cross. Only
  then can you have eternal life and be with God.
2. Salvation is saving a person from damnation. Damnation is judgment
  upon the sinner. This judgment consists of God condemning the sinner to
  eternal punishment in hell. This is the destination of all who reject
  God's provision for the forgiveness of sins. If you want salvation,
  then you need to recognize that you are a sinner and ask Jesus to
  forgive you. He will.

What do I do to get saved?
1. Salvation is a free gift of God (Rom. 6:23). Jesus bore sin in His body (1 Pet. 2:24),
  and paid the penalty for breaking the Law of God, which is spiritual
  death (eternal separation from God). If you want salvation, you need to
  admit that you are a sinner and that you want Jesus to forgive you of
  your sins. You must acknowledge that there is nothing you can do to
  earn forgiveness. Pray and ask Him to forgive you. You need to trust in
  Jesus. Seek Him; He will save you.
2. Repentance is part of salvation. Once saved, you should stop doing
  those things that are displeasing to God. He will live in you and give
  you the ability and desire to resist sin (1 Cor. 10:13). When you are saved, expect to change -- for the better.

Is baptism necessary for salvation?
1. No. Faith in Jesus is sufficient for salvation. You don't have to
  do anything. Christ has done it all. However, baptism is very important
  and all believers should be baptized. If you refuse baptism after
  salvation, I would doubt your conversion.
2. There are denominations that believe baptism is necessary for
  salvation. The arguments used, on the surface, seem to be powerful.
  However, upon examination, baptism is found to occur after conversion,
  and is not in any way a cause or part of it. Take, for example, Acts 10:44-47.
  While Peter was witnessing, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who
  were listening to the message...and they were hearing them speaking in
  tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, "Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?"
  1. This passage shows that baptism happens after salvation. How do we
    know they were saved? They were speaking in tongues -- which is a gift
    from God to believers (1 Cor. 14)and they were exalting God.
    Non-believers do not exalt God. Also, Peter said they had received the
    Holy Spirit. That is only for Christians, and it happened before
    baptism. (Note: speaking in tongues is simply a sign of salvation. It
    is not necessary that a Christian speak in tongues as a proof of
    salvation. Not all speak in tongues (1 Cor. 12:30).
  2. Another set of verses applicable to this issue is 1 Cor. 1:17.
    Paul says, "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the
    gospel..." The gospel is what saves, and it is explained in 1 Cor. 15:1-4. Baptism is not part of the gospel; it is something that the believer does after salvation.
3. Baptism is only a symbol of that which saves, and symbols don't save.
4. There are no verses that say that baptism is necessary for
  salvation or say that if you do not get baptized you are condemned.
  But there are verses that say if you don't believe you are condemned.
  So, baptism is important, but it is not necessary to be saved.
5. If baptism is necessary for salvation then babies who die in the
  womb, during birth, or right after birth could not be saved. It would
  also mean that anyone who receives Christ on his deathbed and dies
  before getting baptized would go to hell. It would mean that faith is
  not what saves you.

I am already good enough.
1. How good do you have to be to get to Heaven? God is holy, and
  requires holiness. Holiness is purity. Even though you may think you
  are good enough, even one sin disqualifies you from being in the
  presence of God. You could never be good enough. That is why you need
  Jesus.
2. The Bible says that there is none good enough. "There is none who does good, there is not even one," (Rom. 3:12). Goodness is measured by God's standard - not yours.
3. To say that you are good enough means that Christ did not have to
  die. But He did die to save sinners. The Bible says if righteousness
  can come by good deeds, then Christ didn't need to die (Gal. 2:21); but He did, so being good isn't enough.

CARM

Fenny West · 2 very good on Fri 03 Jul 2009, 2:09 am

Fenny West

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Warning:

Thank you very much for this posting.

It is very direct and of a good Q & A style.