Hello again.
I was prompted by my Father yesterday to write about sin and repentance. I had previously written here on the website that once the Holy Spirit has sanctified you, it becomes impossible to sin, and we know that sin is lawlessness (1John 3:4). Here are some verses from that chapter:
4Everyone who commits sin is doing lawlessness as well. Indeed, sin is lawlessness.c 5But you know that Christ appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who remains in him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has seen him or known him.
7Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who doing righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous. 8The one who commits sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.
9Anyone born of God refuses to commit sin, because God’s seed abides in him; he cannot continue sinning, because he has been born of God. 10By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who is not doing righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
My understanding has changed over the past year, so that I recognise that any of us can sometimes sin, by ignoring or missing a part of the law. I have personally sinned a few times as I struggled through the past three years. Thankfully though, God and the Lord and the Holy Spirit have all stuck with me, and so I repented of my sin. Most recently I destroyed my altar and threw away all of my tassels and removed the A4 sheets of the law from where they were displayed outside of my house. However, within just a few days I repented of all of that, and rebuilt the altar and ordered new tassels and reprinted and displayed the book of the law outside my home. I realised that continuing in sin was wrong, so I quickly repented (repentance is the act of considering one’s sins, and feeling contrition or regret for those sins, knowing it is wrong to rebel against God by breaking His laws, and then immediately rectifying the matter, and sinning no more).
We know that the Lord was entirely free of sin himself, and that he died as a sacrifice for all of our past sins, but also for the occasions when we might slip after we have been baptised. We all will slip, it is a narrow and difficult path, and the enemy knows who we are, and is constantly attacking our faith and trying to lead us into rebellion and sin. In itself, keeping the law isn’t difficult, for example, wearing my tassels is as easy as wearing a scarf, even easier in fact, they just hang there. But when I threw my tassels away, it wasn’t the tassels I was throwing away, it was a simple rebellion against God (in my case it was because of the torments and abuse He was allowing me to suffer). I hated it all, so I tried to walk away. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t let us go easily, God wants us with Him, living a righteous life. But as the parable of the seeds shows, many who have been baptised don’t get very far down the narrow path before being permanently entrenched in sin. Some get baptised and don’t even make a start in living a righteous life, due to bad teaching, or a bad attitude, or because of demonic attacks.
So, it is vitally important to keep fighting to remain in Christ, to hold on to the Holy Spirit and to truth, and to submit to God’s will, and obey His laws. Paul told us about the consequences of continuing to sin after we have been baptised into the Lord, resulting in us losing our salvation, in Hebrews 10:
19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Yehoshua (Jesus), 20by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of his body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
23Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. 25Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
26If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think one deserves to be punished who has trampled on the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
The punishment will be severe, for trampling on the Lord, profaning his sacrificial blood, and insulting God Himself by wasting and abusing His Grace. Hence, nearly all baptised Christians are already lost because they live in unrepentant sin, making no effort to keep the laws of God. But those of you who are new to faith, considering baptism, or recently baptised, you all have the opportunity to enter God’s kingdom in these end times, because God has placed me in the world, to be a light and to restore all things, including teaching the laws. I believe hundreds of millions will enter God’s kingdom over the next nine years, maybe even billions, from all nations on earth.
I will give the final word on the subject of sin to God Himself, quoting from Ezekiel 18:
20The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.
21But if the wicked man turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. 22None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. Because of the righteousness he has practiced, he will live. 23Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord Yehovah. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?
24But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations as the wicked, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness and sin he has committed, he will die.
25Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’
Hear now, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
26If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, he will die for this. He will die because of the iniquity he has committed.
27But if a wicked man turns from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. 28Because he considered and turned from all the transgressions he had committed, he will surely live; he will not die.
29Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’
Are My ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?
30Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each according to his ways, declares the Lord Yehovah. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, so that your iniquity will not become your downfall. 31Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?
32For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord Yehovah. So repent and live!
It is apparent that God’s grace has always been available to His people. These days, the house of Israel includes anyone who has been baptised into Yehoshua, we are grafted into Israel, the nation of God (as opposed to the country in the Middle East). These days, as well as God’s grace, we have the benefit of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, teaching us, giving us strength, helping us to stay with God and the Lord. Ancient people didn’t have that, hence nearly everyone that was rescued from Egypt died before entering the promised land, due to sin and rebellion. The first will be last, but many in this last generation will be first, as it is written, and they will enter God’s kingdom.
Please spend time studying my teachings on God’s laws, there really isn’t too much to learn. May God bless you with His protection, and may we all bless Him and the Lord with our faith and love and by living a holy and righteous life. I was back out on the streets again today, it was good to be back to work after recent months. I told many people to repent of their sins and to get baptised. I hope they heed my warnings.