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Shaun,

 SB> I am trying, I swear it. But I will never be free from sin. And I am
 SB> terrified because of this!

  If you have done the one thing that God requires (believe on The One He
has sent), you have nothing to worry about. Basically, you've admitted to
God that:

1) You are a sinner bound for Hell.

2) There's nothing you can do on your own to save your soul (that all of
your good deeds/righteousness is as filthy rags (literally, bloody
menstrual cloths) before God).

3) Believe on Jesus Christ, by faith, that He took your place on the Cross 
of Calvary, bearing all your sins from birth to death, shedding His Blood,
and dying, to wash away your sin.

4) Believe by faith that God raised Christ from the dead on the third day, 
according to the Scriptures. The resurrection is God's Seal of Approval
on what Christ did...because if even ONE sin was NOT paid for, Jesus
would still be in the grave, and ALL of us would be headed for Hell.
The one sin God will NOT forgive is to reject Jesus Christ while here
on Earth.

5) Repent (change your mind) about sin...although you will still have
the sin nature and the propensity to sin until you die, or are raptured.

6) Ask Jesus to forgive your sin, to come into your heart, and be your
Lord and Savior.

  As Romans 10:9-10, 13 note, "If you confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus,
and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will
be saved. For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness; and with the
mouth, confession is made to salvation. For whoever calls upon The Name of
The Lord shall be saved".

  Anyone...no matter their background, race, finances, gender (male or 
female, as those were the only ones God created)...who come to God in 
humility, as noted above, He will NOT turn them away.

  At the moment you ask Christ to save you, EVERY sin that you've ever done
in your life, or will do, has been washed away by The Blood Of Jesus. They
are in "the sea of forgetfulness", where God doesn't remember them (there
is NO FISHING in that sea, either)...and they are cast away as far as the
east is from the west. Romans 8:1 notes "There is NO CONDEMNATION to those
who are in Christ Jesus". When God looks upon the heart of those who've
accepted His Son as Lord and Savior, He sees us as righteous as Jesus is,
as if we had NEVER sinned. There is a song entitled "What sins are you
talking about?? I don't remember them anymore"...words from The Lord
Himself. 

  Now, we still wake up in the morning with that sin nature, as well as 
body odor, bad breath, the call of nature, etc. -- and we will still have
all of those until we die, or are raptured.

  1 John 1:9 notes "If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to 
forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". You only 
need to confess it to The Lord, even He knows about it already. It just 
shows Him that you are aware that you did wrong, and you confess, repent 
(agree with God that this behavior is wrong), and ask His Forgiveness...
and it's done. Don't confess it before a preacher or a priest...they're 
as much a sinner as you are...and sadly, some will use this as bribery 
against you.

  Now, God's Grace is a LICENSE TO SERVE, and NOT a LICENSE TO SIN. And, 
those who continue unabated in sin, without feeling guilty (conviction from 
the Holy Spirit) should question whether they truly were reborn spiritually.
If you've asked Christ to save you, He will make a change in your life, and
you will want to please Him. 

  But, as noted, ALL of us are going to still have that sin nature, even 
after we are saved. Every Christian has at least one area where they are
particularly vulnerable...whether it's an addiction...not spending time 
in His Word...attitude toward others, etc. And, everyone has at least one 
skelton in their closet...while some have a whole graveyard of bones!!

  So many people have the fear that "God is waiting to strike me dead for
some sin(s) I've done". While He will discipline His Children (as any good
father would), He does NOT punish us. While discipline seems as if it's the
same as punishment (think of when you got spanked on your naked buttocks 
while you were growing up), it's actually different. Now, you may have done 
some sin in your life that will cause consequences (drug addiction, etc.), 
but once you've done the one thing that God requires (as noted above), ALL 
your sins (past, present, and future) have been forgiven...end of story.

  Again, if you are in Christ, the issue of sin, having been settled at The
Cross, will NOT even be considered at the Bema Judgment Seat Of Christ,
which will immediately follow the Rapture Of The Church (that event is
closer by the second). While rewards will be gained and lost there, every
one there will still be in Heaven.

  The ones who won't be there will be those who died without accepting
Christ as Lord and Savior...or for those who didn't do such before the
Rapture. If they don't accept Christ before they die...or if they take
The Mark Of The Beast during the Tribulation (which will literally be
seven years of Hell on Earth)...they will go to Hell when they die...
and be at The Great White Throne Judgment, where they will answer for
every sin they ever did in thought, word, or deed. 

  Lastly, everyone...eagerly in this life and in Heaven...or compelled 
to on Judgment Day...will bow before The Lord Jesus Christ. For those who
do it eagerly, Jesus will be their Best Friend. For those who end up
being compelled, Jesus will be their Worst Nightmare.

  Two of my favorite sayings are:

1) Please be patient. God isn't finished with me yet.
2) Don't worry about my sins on Judgment Day. You won't be asked about
them. 

  For that matter, since I accepted Christ on March 28, 1978, He's not 
going to ask me about them when I stand before Him...because "The Blood
Of Jesus cleanses from ALL sin".

Daryl

... Upgrade: Remove old bugs, insert new ones.
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