“As Long As You Are Still Breathing”

Friday, July 12, 2013

I have a few questions.  Is it possible to feel righteous (I am assuming, of course, that I once was), then regress in your life, and then return to righteousness?  Is it possible to feel spiritually complete but temporally drained?  How does one know when they are considered righteous in the eyes of the Most High?  Or are we supposed to not worry about that, but live as if the plateau is always getting higher, so we will not fall short?  My ultimate question would be: is it possible to sin against the Most High directly and be able to return to righteousness?  Or must the sin be atoned for before redemption?

Sincerely,
Backslider

Dear Backslider,

Once we obey God, we can fall way and lose our salvation, and many people feel righteous without actually being righteous.  We are warned about drifting away (Heb 2:1) and falling away from the Lord (1 Tim 4:1).  It is also important to remember that physical fatigue is not the same as spiritual failure (2 Cor 4:16)… righteousness isn’t about how we feel or what we want… it is about what God says.  Many people call upon the name of the Lord but don’t do what He says (Matt 7:21-24).  God makes us righteous through faith (Rom 4:5), and we gain faith through hearing and obeying the Bible (Rom 10:17).

There is time to repent and return to God if we have fallen away.  God is ready to forgive if we confess our sins (1 Jn 1:9).  Until the day of our death, there is still time to return to God (Heb 9:27) through obedience to His Word (Jhn 14:15).

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