As proof that God fails to see our sin, read the geneology of Jesus in Matthew. Right there in Matthew 1:6, Uriah is remembered.

Oops. Meant to say "never fails".

So can someone please explain. If we confess our sin, and turn from it ,we are still punished. Is God a loving God? a Merciful God. Does this mean I will be struck by some horrible thing in my life years to come? What if the sin you did just once, and felt awful about and everyday I feel guilty about it. Is that part of the consequence? Please explain. Thank you

Marissa:
By example, if we have a sin and we are guilty for jail, our sin is forgiven by God, but the guilty has to pay the consequence before human law.

Our sins are covered by the sacrifice of the blood of Christ when He died on the cross. When we accept and ask Christ to come into our heart as Lord and Savior our sins are forgiven along with any subsequent sins as we ask forgiveness for them and all our sins. The only thing is that God will not usually remove the consequences of nature and man's law from these sins. So although forgiven it is always in our best interest and those around us to study God's word and live by it in order not to hurt ourselves or others by these consequences.

Marissa: Tiger Woods. He is paying the consequences right now for his sin. If he were to repent and turn to God for forgiveness through Jesus Christ (as Brit Hume boldly suggested he do), his sins would be immediately forgiven. But, he would still have to deal with the earthly consequences for the rest of his life. He might never get back together with his wife and kids (although he would have a better chance of reconciling if he is truly a repentant and changed man), and his reputation would be forever soiled (though, he'd have a better chance of redeeming himself to some extent as a changed man).

One of the biggest misconceptions of Christian doctrine is the we "accept" Jesus into our hearts. The Greek Biblical meaning actually states that our old flesh will die to sin and we will be born again. As a new creation, we are then adopted by Christ. We are His inheritance, not He ours. We don't accept Him, He accepts us.

Yet, He will not acknowledge us as His children, as a member of His family, if we are not born again in Him.

He won't recognize us in judgment if we are not covered in His blood, as Jesus was the answer to the Law for all of us -- that the wages of sin is death.

Continue seeking after God, repenting and turning away from your sin when you fall, confess your sins to one another and do not participate in your old ways that you did before you were made new in Christ.

Marissa, as long as your guilt causes you to stop sinning, you are following the Holy Spirit, and you know He will accept you!

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you..." (2 Cor 7:8-11).

God bless you!

This statement is problematic;
"It's not the initial act that destroys you, it's the cover-up."

This is one of the issues I have with this devotional. Words are so extremely powerful, and it is so vitally important that each and every sentence is complete. Because you never know when one will "stop" reading, and wouldn't it be a shame if they stopped after this sentence.

Sin is sin, initially when you commit it and when you cover it up. Both "will destroy you" without Jesus.

If I could ask that this devotional pay closer attention to the details since they have such an important job in witnessing. God did, because it is so vitally important.

Many blessings

Thank you everyone for taking the time to share. I still feel disturbed about the consequence. I battled satan's lies all day. "i'm not worthy of God's love. He hasn't forgiven me, He is going to cause horrible things to happen. I confessed my sin, turned from it, and from that life style and the people. I told them where I stand and who I stand for. I felt so blessed doing that. Now, I'm being told I will still be punished?

Marissa, I do not know your particular circumstances, but if you are not already suffering any particular problems from your past mistakes more than likely you won't. It's not really that God is punishing us after we have been forgiven, it's just that he doesn't always remove the natural consequences of our sins. I know for me anyway, it is an extra incentive to obey Him by knowing that it is not only His will, but also for my good to do so. Please just immerse yourself in His Word and You will continue to grow spirtually and learn what is a unwise lifestyle. Besides the New Testament, I love Proverbs because it is so full of wisdom and guidance in living a life that is not only pleasing to the Lord, but also just a common sense guide in how to live a happier more sucessful life. I congratulate you on turning from your old lifestyle and I know that as a result you will have a more peaceful happier life. God bless

Marissa,

Perhaps your thinking patterns are also part of your old self. It seems you may be in a potentially negative pattern of questioning and self doubt, which we all have experienced as new Christians. Try this...stop your cycle of negative questioning by trusting God. Silence your mind and let His truth speak through you, instead of barraging yourself with questions about punishment and "what happens next?" God does not lie to us...but we can lie to ourselves. Silence your mind and be confident that God will lead you away from the place where you sinned and repented. Only God is good. The Bible says that not one of us is good, not one. So rely on God to be good and put your mind at ease. Don't doubt His word when He says he will forgive you when you turn from your sin. Important: Your faith is in Him, not you.

Keep Jesus as your example and disciplinarian, and let your conscience respond to Him.

"Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one" (Psalm 53:3).

That's why we need Jesus, because our thinking is flawed!


Blessings