5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom

I have been a christian for twenty years.  After being saved for one year, I began to fall into pornography.  It was very bad after a few years, and then it began to get better and better over the years.  But still, every month or even two weeks, I commit a sin in this area.  Was I really saved?  And if so, how do I have true repentance?  Please help.

Sincerely,
Lost One

Dear Lost One,

If you properly followed God’s commands to receive salvation (Read “What Must I Do To Be Saved” for more details), then you were saved.  However, you are right that this sin is deeply entrenched in your life, and you need permanent repentance.  We are told that a powerful tool in defeating sin is confessing our sins to one another (Jas 5:16).  Sin likes to be kept secret (Jhn 3:20), and bringing it to light by making it public goes a long way in defeating habitual sin.  A very popular way of getting this sort of accountability is by using accountability software that forwards your browsing history to a friend or trusted individual.  Companies like CovenantEyes make accountability software, and many struggling pornography addicts have found it to make a huge difference.  If you want to defeat sin, you must expose it.  Confess your sin to others, and you will begin the journey to change.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom

For many years I have been disabled with constant pain from osteo-arthritis.  I have asthma and struggle with major depression.  I have pain in my knees, feet, neck, head, spine, etc.  Each day I can barely function, walk, or stand up for very long.  I am 54-years-old and have a lot of fatigue.  I don't have a job because of all the pain and trouble breathing in hot and humid weather.  I feel weak and frail.  I have to be careful how I move, or I might hurt myself.  I move slowly and do everything slowly.  I have prayed to be healed physically, emotionally, and mentally.  What does God think of people who are disabled with pain... people who are sick... who can barely function?  What does God expect me to do in this world... when I can barely get through each day?  Please answer me soon.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
No Stranger To Suffering

Dear No Stranger To Suffering,

Do what you can – and don’t worry about the rest.  God has a lot to say about those who are sick and ill in this life.  Sickness is a result of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden of Eden (Gen 2:17).  Sickness and pain are not what God wants for us; they are the consequences of our choices.  God will eventually remove all sickness, pain, and death when we get to heaven (Rev 21:4).

When Jesus walked this Earth, He showed constant compassion for the sick (Matt 14:14).  Jesus is the same today, yesterday, and forever (Heb 13:8).  You may never know this side of heaven why it is that you’ve had to suffer, but know that it wasn’t because God doesn’t have compassion.  There is some reason why He has told you “No” when you’ve prayed to get better.  Paul had a physical ailment that he prayed God would remove, and God didn’t give him what he asked for either (2 Cor 12:7-9).  Paul learned to trust in the Lord more because of his illnesses and how dependent it made him.  Your illness has the potential to draw you nearer to God as well.  God only holds us accountable for what we are capable of doing (2 Cor 8:12).  If you are ready to work, but are unable to because of sickness, God understands.  Do what you can: write letters of encouragement to others (1 Thess 5:14), read your Bible for encouragement and comfort (Rom 15:4), continue to go to services when you can because your example will do wonders for others (Heb 10:24-25), and stand fast in your convictions and morals (1 Cor 16:13).  We don’t know how or when, but the Lord will cause your circumstances to turn out for good (Rom 8:28).

Must I be baptized in order to receive forgiveness of my sins?

Sincerely,
What’s In The Water?

Dear What’s In The Water,

Yes.  There are no examples of people becoming christians without baptism (the thief on the cross was not a christian… Jesus hadn’t died yet – read “The Thief On The Cross” for more details on that situation).  When people asked how to be saved in Acts 2:37, Peter told them that they would be saved when they repented and were baptized (Acts 2:38).  Mk 16:16 says that we are saved when we believe and are baptized.  1 Pet 3:21 says that baptism saves you, and Rom 6:4 says that we receive a new life in Christ when we come out of the baptismal waters.  Paul was immediately baptized (even before breaking a three day fast) when he had the Gospel preached to him (Acts 9:18-19).  The Ethiopian eunuch asked to be baptized after Philip preached to him about Jesus (Acts 8:36-38).  Acts 22:16 says that your sins are washed away in baptism, and Gal 3:27 says that we put on Christ when we are baptized.  All of these verses (and many more that we haven’t cited) clearly prove that baptism forgives you of your sins.  Baptism isn’t the end of your christian journey, it is the beginning… until you are baptized, you are still lost in your sins.