[/quote]

That is of course, without the necessary requirements for entrance into the kingdom.

"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them." Revelation 7:13-15 KJV

"He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy." Proverbs 28:13 NKJV
Regards!

I'm happy to accept the Amplified Word.

"If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness " 1 John 1:9 AMP brackets, parenthesis theirs LHC
Regards!

Amen, and,

" “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3 NKJV
Regards!

This is most assuring. It all sounds very easy but in reality in looking at what I must do, it all is a bit hard.

To be repenting of and confessing my sins to God on a daily basis, I am daunted at the prospects of what I must confess. My life will take a drastic change for me to honestly repent and confess my sins.

I am not sure of where the problem lies for me. I can confess my sins daily no problem. But the next day and the next I will possibly fall into the same traps and have to confess the same sins again.

OR am I reading this all wrong. I know I cannot do anything without Jesus help. Maybe I am just not understanding what I must do.

Hey doctorJ,

I want you to know that I'm praying for you and will continue praying for you and for whatever it is that's troubling you and causing you to have this struggle. Let me assure you that Jesus Christ is very well aware and that He sends His Spirit and His angels to help you to think right and do right. Without God's help, none of us would have a desire to obey God and let Him direct our life.

Do you have a friend in the local church or perhaps even a nonAdventist Christian who you trust and who loves Jesus Christ? It would be wonderful if you could find such a person who you could contact either by phone or by personally visiting whenever you feel the need of spiritual or moral support. How about the local pastor? I pray that God will lead you to someone who cares and is willing to spend time with you in prayer and study.

Yes, by all means pour out your heart-felt needs and desires to Jesus and the Father. You don't need to kneel down or stop what you are doing in order to communicate with Him. You might say things like, "Jesus, stay with me Lord. I feel so weak today. I feel so helpless. Please send all your angels to help me and give me strength to resist the temptations and overcome sin. Thank you, Jesus, for hearing me right now and for already answering." You pray something like that as often as you need to. God hears, my friend.

It sounds to me that in some ways you don't want to give up some things in your life and that you realize that full commitment to Christ will necessitate a lot of big changes in your life. All I can say to you is, don't worry about that aspect-- don't worry about what the future holds in terms of changes in your life. You just live minute by minute in fellowship and union with Christ. He will take care of the future. He is well able! Just put your hand in His by faith-- ask Him to change you so that you will want Him completely--- tell him the truth; He won't be shocked; He knows the truth already. We can't even want what is good or right without Him. So tell him that you feel a desire for things that are wrong but you want Him to change your heart and thinking and desires so you will think good thoughts and have pure desires.

If you have a hymnal and a small Testament, keep them with you and open them and sing a song or read a passage of Scripture whenever you can. You will be amazed at what a difference it will make in the way you think and feel. Keep doing it. Do not give up, no matter how often you fall or what sins you have committed. God is in the process of answering our prayers even when we are not aware of it. Just remember, however, that the more time you spend in prayer and in the Word, and more you resist and overcome sin by the Holy Spirit, the stronger your spiritual muscles will become. This in turn will bring glory and praise to Jesus Christ your Savior and to God your Father who loves you with an infinite love.

May the peace of God be on you and all around you, brother!!

Not to suggest we would, for everyone, expect to see the same sins besetting us, however it does appear there might be in some individuals' lives, the same propensity for the same sins for an extended period of time. Not for anyone that it must be, but for some a reality. Would that circumstance for those who found it to be true of themselves, be able to claim this promise if so motivated? I believe it to be so.

"Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." Matthew 18:22,23 NASB

Some of us get stuck on one particular sin at times. All of us have the malady of being sinful, therefore all need that suggested figure of 490 times of forgiveness to fulfill all righteousness. If we are asked to forgive that much, can you imagine how willing our Father in heaven is willing to forgive us, that we may be assured that we have free and constant access through the blood of Jesus, to the throne of grace.

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9 KJV

"Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Acts 5:31 KJV

I just read the other day what Jesus says we need to do to advance the kingdom of God on earth.

"Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." John 6:29
(NASB)

Praise God for what He's already done in your life.
Regards!

The answers given by my friends here are all about prayer, philosophy, bible study, promises, resisting temptation, etc. Sure these are important, but Paul says you can have all these and more and if you don't have charity, you're nothing, (1 Cor. 13:1-8).

Charity is where care about others and keep loving others and doing good things for them constantly, and keep sharing your faith. If you're caring about other people's problems, your problems won't be so intimidating:

Phil. 2:3 ...let each esteem other better than themselves.
2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Keep giving of yourself and God will keep giving to you to give to others:

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.

Luke 11:6 ...Friend, lend me three loaves;
11:6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him...
...
11:8 ...because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

And read this --> Christ's Object Lessons - Chapter 12, "Asking to Give"

In order to keep from committing sin, you need to stay so busy helping others that you just won't have time to sin. That's how the prophets did it:

Job 29:12 Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and [him that had] none to help him.
29:13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.

Job 31:19 If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;
31:20 If his loins have not blessed me, and [if] he were [not] warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.

If you read Desire of Ages, you see that's how Jesus did it too. He was born with a nature just like ours so we can do what He did to keep ourselves from sinning just like He did:

Isaiah 58:6 [Is] not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
58:7 [Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
58:8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.
58:9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I [am]. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
58:10 And [if] thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness [be] as the noon day:
58:11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

And the point in loving others is to lead them to Christ, to give you opportunities to share your faith. It has been said the 3 basic disciplines of Christianity are symbolized by the 3 things in the Holy Place.

The incense = prayer/praise ---> "And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand", (Rev. 8:4).

The bread is the Word ---> "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.", (Matt. 4:4).

The candlestick is sharing your faith ---> "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.", (Matt. 5:14).

Care about people. Pray for them. Do stuff for them. Love them. Appreciate them. Be a friend. Be a good listener. Do for them whatever they will let you do. Practice on friends and family. Get involved in a house-to-house ministry or some other outreach. Share what the Lord has revealed to you with others online, like at http://www.christian-forum.net/

If you make good money or have a business, support your favorite outreach ministry or missionary work. And give food and jobs to homeless people and love them.

Pray for and seek out opportunities to do these things. Everyone needs to share their faith to keep themselves out of trouble.

1 Cor. 9:16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!

I hope this helps doctorj. You can have unlimited potential if you just let the Lord love the world through you.

Saying salvation exists only as a carrot to lure back to the stick of the Law, some do.

Liars, they are. Know Christ they don't. Listen, we won't. Should you? Hmmmm.

(Responding in general to subject, this is.)

As clever as that picture is, there's a problem. The carrot is sweet, but so is God's Law:

Psalms 19:7 The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD [is] sure, making wise the simple.
19:8 The statutes of the LORD [are] right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD [is] pure, enlightening the eyes.
19:9 The fear of the LORD [is] clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether.
19:10 More to be desired [are they] than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Also this: If Christ saves you from sin, then what does He save you to? What is sin? Sin is breaking God's law, (1 John 3:4). So if you are saved from breaking God's law, then you must be saved to opposite of breaking God's law, which is keeping God's law.

This looks like another attempt to justify those who want to break God's law, that is they want to continue in sin and not feel so bad. Is that it? I know there's quite a big demand for such teaching. False prophets who justify sin will get alot of praise in this world:

Luke 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

2 Tim. 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

Heaps of teachers. Heaps upon heaps of itching ears. The greatest among the false teachers shine and receive great honor and recognition from the whole sin loving world. And they might even get to meet the Pope himself and kiss his hand and offer him gift!

Is this what you want? To unite with the evangelicals. Do you want to enjoy worldly honor and fame and the pleasures of sin for a season or to suffer affliction with the people of God? (Hebrews 11:24-25) You can't have both.

Really? If it's so sweet why did God deliver us from "under the law"?

Gal 4:4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons

We aren't under law. Why? Is God's law sin? What does Paul say? No way! Then why?

Because the law requires at least two things from you:

1] Perfect, unblemished obedience. You must live Christ's life of unselfish love in every aspect of your life from the cradle to the grave.

2] God's law demands death to those who fail the 1st requirement. Not just a sleep death, but rather goodbye to life forever!

Now, do you still wish to remain under law?

Rob