What happens when a christian sins?  How much does a christian have to sin before he has lost his salvation?  Are consequences to sin in a believer’s life experienced to lead that one to repentance and redemption?  Or to separate him from a Holy God?  At what point will he be turned over?  His mind darkened?  His heart hardened?  His spirit separated from God?

Sincerely,
Where’s The Line?

Dear Where’s The Line,

A christian loses his salvation when he returns to a lifestyle and mindset of wickedness.  It isn’t a matter of how much sin we commit, but the attitude we take toward God and sin.  When we no longer value what Christ has done for us and stop letting His Word guide our life, we crucify Him again and fall away (Heb 6:4-6).  When a christian sins, they should have godly remorse and sorrow (2 Cor 7:10) because they have offended their Redeemer.  A wicked heart is hardened against such sorrow.  We must always be careful to protect our heart from becoming rebellious (Heb 3:12).

It is impossible to say exactly at what point someone moves from saved to lost… but that just accentuates the importance of guarding our lives and minds by trusting in Christ’s Word (Jude 1:24).  Commit yourself to growing and bearing fruit for Christ, and you will always be safe (1 Pet 2:1-2).

I have been married to the most wonderful man I have ever known for over nine years.  We have a wonderful marriage; we rarely argue, we discuss things fairly, and we communicate and compromise very well.  We are strong together and very, very happy.  There is only one problem.  I am an atheist.  My husband is a christian.  I do not try to change his mind or 'convert' him.  I was raised in a christian home, so I understand his feelings about my faith... or lack thereof.  He worries about my salvation, and he is quite upset that when he gets to heaven, I won't be there.  Becoming an atheist was a slow and emotional process for me.  When we married, I 'believed' in God, but my belief was based only on fear.  I did a lot of research on many different religions of the world, and the more I read, the more atheism made sense to me.  I love him, and his faith makes him happy, so I am 100% supportive of it.  But I cannot force myself to believe in something that I don't.

My husband and I found a Bible verse a few days ago, and I have asked every christian person that I personally know, and the answer is always different, so my husband suggested I find a website like yours (thank you, Google) and ask the experts, so to speak.  I do not know what your experience is, but I am assuming that since you are a preacher, and this is your line of work, maybe you can help clarify our interpretation of this verse.  Everyone interprets the Bible differently, and who is to say which interpretation is correct?  That's where I'm hoping you will come in.  My hope is to put my husband's mind at ease.  We do not intend to divorce.  That is NOT an option.  We have heard that from another preacher, so I'll just tell you up front that although we will value and appreciate your opinion, your opinion will not end our marriage.

1 Corinthians 7:12-14 says:
"To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.  And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.  For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband.”

Dictionary.com defines sanctify as such:
sanc·ti·fy   [sangk-tuh-fahy]
–verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing.

1. to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate.

2. to purify or free from sin

3. to impart religious sanction to; render legitimate or binding: to sanctify a vow.

4. to entitle to reverence or respect.

5. to make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessing.

Our interpretation, put bluntly, is that because of his faith, I get a free ticket to heaven (IF I'm wrong about my beliefs).  My Aunt (who is VERY religious) says that my interpretation is impossible because the Bible says that the ONLY way to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven is to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior… and that my interpretation contradicts everything the Bible says (hence, my atheism).  But you can look for yourself.  The verse I quoted is in there, too.

So... please help us.  Give us, especially my husband, some guidance in our situation.  Thank you very much for your time.

Sincerely,
Atheist Bride

Dear Atheist Bride,

Whenever we deal with verses in the Bible, it is very important that we remember that no single verse can be viewed without comparing it with other verses.  It is the sum of all God's Word on any given topic that gives us the truth (Ps 119:160).  The only way for someone to be saved is through Christ (Jhn 14:6); it is impossible to be saved unless we accept Christ by faith (Eph 2:8).

However, the word 'sanctified' doesn't just refer to salvation.  In its most basic sense, the word 'sanctify' simply means 'to be set apart'.  People married to christians are different than those married to unbelievers.  The constant influence and contact that occurs from being married to a christian increases your likelihood of ever obeying the truth.  As 1 Cor 7:16 points out, that influence can eventually lead to the salvation of the unbelieving spouse.  By no means does 1 Cor 7 imply that the unbeliever receives a free ticket to heaven... we all have to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12).

On a separate note, we here at AYP can commiserate with your frustration over fear-based belief in God... we believe the scientific evidence should be the basis for belief in God.  If you are ever interested, we would be happy to point you toward what we believe is the best evidence for God's existence.  Otherwise, at the very least, hopefully we have provided some clarity on 1 Corinthians 7.

I was baptized a year ago, but I have sinned so much since then.  I was wondering if I can get re-baptized one more time, or will it be held against me?  I am going to stop doing what I am doing.

Sincerely,
Do Over

Dear Do Over,

We are only commanded to be baptized once because baptism is a burial with Christ (Rom 6:3-4).  After baptism, we must learn to walk in our new life.  You don’t need to be baptized again, but you do need to confess your sins to God (1 Jn 1:9) and repent of them (Acts 8:22).  Do as you have promised; quit doing what you have been doing.  A large part of getting our lives in order is to become a part of a faithful congregation that can support and encourage us as we try to live rightly (Heb 10:24-25).  If you need help finding one in your area, please e-mail us at askyourpreacher@mvchurchofchrist.org, and we will happily locate one near you.

How do you know you are saved?

Sincerely,
Wanting Proof

Dear Wanting Proof,

You know you are saved when you have done what the Bible says you must do to be saved.  No matter what topic, if you take the sum of what God tells you on that subject, you will have the truth (Ps 119:160).  Let’s look at the sum of what God says on the subject of salvation:

1. Hear the Word.  Faith comes through hearing, and hearing comes through the Word of God (Rom 10:17).  Until someone hears God’s Word, they are incapable of obeying it.
2. Believe the Word.  It is impossible for someone to become a christian unless they believe that Jesus is the Savior and Son of God (Jhn 20:31, Acts 16:31, Jhn 3:16).
3. Repent of your sins.  ‘Repent’ means to ‘change your mind’.  That change of mind always involves a change of action as well.  Repentance is when we change our mind about what is important and submit ourselves to Jesus and His Word.  Repentance is a necessity of salvation (Mk 6:12, Lk 13:5, Lk 15:7).
4. Confess Jesus to others.  If we have sworn our allegiance to Jesus, we must be prepared to publicly confess Him as our Lord.  If we won’t confess Jesus before men, He won’t confess us before God (Matt 10:32-33, Lk 12:8-9).
5. Be baptized in the name of Jesus for salvation.  Many groups baptize people, but very few baptize people for the right reasons.  Baptism isn’t merely an “outward showing of an inward faith” or “for membership”.  Baptism is what saves us (1 Pet 3:21).  Baptism is the point where someone goes from being lost to saved because they are buried and resurrected with Christ (Rom 6:4-5).  Baptism is the final requirement to become a christian (Acts 2:37-38, Mk 16:16, Acts 2:41).  There is not a single example of someone becoming a christian without baptism.  Baptism is just as necessary as the other four requirements.

After that, there remains nothing else but to find a faithful congregation to assemble with (Heb 10:24) that teaches God’s Word and God’s Word only (see “Finding a Church” for more details) and to continue to grow in knowledge and practice of God’s Word (1 Pet 2:2).

Well, I suppose my question would be this: we all sin after we find the saving grace of Jesus.  There are times when I have sinned again and again with the attitude "Jesus will forgive me", so in my mind, I rationalized that it would be okay.  The Bible often talks of deliberate sin as sin that sends us to hell, but if you think about it, most of us deliberately sin all the time.  There was one point a few months ago where I felt so amazingly close to God, but I let sin get the best of me.  I have since repented of that sin and am no longer enslaved by it, but I feel like it was my last real chance at salvation, and I turned away from Him and towards the devil.  According to Hebrews 10:26-29 and Hebrews 6:4-6, there is no longer a "sacrifice for sins" for me because I deliberately sinned again and again after knowing the truth and being in love with God.  I guess because of these scriptures and various others, I question my salvation.  I don't question my love for God.  I love God.  I want to serve God, but I question whether or not I have gone too far… whether I have left the reach of His grace and mercy because God is a just God.  When I consider Hebrews 12:16-17, I can’t help but feel that I have given up my inheritance (salvation) for food (the world) and that all my tears (repentance and sorrow) won’t bring it back.  I feel I have gone too far and that I have deliberately turned my back on God too many times.

Sincerely,
Can’t Go Home Again

Dear Can’t Go Home Again,

As long as you are still sucking wind, there is time to repent and return to God (2 Cor 6:2).  The final judgment won’t be made upon your soul until you die (Heb 9:27).  God is always ready to forgive (Ps 86:5).

You are right that many of our sins are deliberate sins, but that simply means we need to deliberately repent.  Your life may (at times) resemble the man who repented of the same sin seven times in one day, but you must also remember that that man was forgiven (Lk 17:4).  God isn’t searching for perfection, but He does want genuine and sincere confession of our sin (1 Jn 1:8-10).  God desires a broken and contrite heart (Ps 51:17).  God won’t be deceived (1 Cor 6:9); if we try and live a duplicitous life, He will condemn us (Matt 6:24).  Strive for perfection (knowing you won’t achieve it), and remember that the Lord knows your heart (Acts 1:24).