Question from a friend of WordTruth Ministries:
>>> Is it true that once you have accepted Christ as your Savior and then
>>> willfully sin, you will not be forgiven (see 1 John 3:6)?
WordTruth.Com Response:
No, this is not true. The verse you refer to reads: "whoever
sins has neither seen Him [Christ] nor known Him" (1 John 3:6, NKJV).
Later in that same chapter, the Bible says, "whoever
has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in Him and he cannot
sin..." (1 John 3:9, NKJV). These are difficult
to understand because the English translation does not fully explain the
meaning of the original Greek words. Basically it means the Christian
will not "continue to sin".
The answer is that once you have turned from sin and put your trust
in Christ you become a child of God (John 1:12), a new creation in Christ
(2 Corinthians 5:17), holy and blameless before God (Ephesians 1:4), and
receive eternal life (John 3:16). There is no undoing what our LORD
Jesus Christ has done for you! Eternal life is forever. Refer
to John 5:24 -- once you cross over the bridge [Jesus Christ] there is
no going back.
Now also it is true that Christians sometimes sin. Sometimes they
sin in big ways. But your sins have been forgiven at the cross of
Calvary 2,000 years ago. When God forgave you in Christ, He forgave
all your sins. Your position before Him is holy. On a practical
level, you do not learn to follow Christ perfectly the moment you trust
in Him. It is a day by day experience of walking with Him. When you
stray or fall into sin, the Bible says to the Christian: "If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and
cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9, NIV).
When the Christian sins, he/she does not become disowned from the family
of God -- you are still a child of God. Sin breaks your fellowship
with God but not your union with Him through Christ. Nothing can separate
you from the love of God in Christ!
May God bless you with His wisdom and the courage to follow Jesus!
Randy Lariscy :-)
Director - WordTruth Ministries
Our Creator God loves you and wants you to know Him! If you would
like to contact this ministry for further information or questions, please
send your e-mail to:
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Web Site: WordTruth.Com
Copyright 4/28/2002, Randy Lariscy.
