This is not uncommon for people to believe they have sinned too much to be forgiven. I remember telling a boy in middle school with a terrible home life that God loves him and wants to have a relationship with him. He responded that he had sinned too much to be forgiven and he believed he was beyond salvation. I wanted to write on, “Am I too bad or have I sinned too much?” because of these interactions. In this paper, I will discuss what the Bible says on this topic and would love to help you if you have any further questions. Cuurio also has many questions that may help further as well. Feel free to reach out at anytime at johnjr@steeplelesschurch.com. There also is a sermon that relates to this topic, if you are interested in watching it please click here.
5 Common Questions on Sinning
1. What is Sin in the Bible?
Sin in the Bible is described as anything that goes against the will of God. This is because God’s nature is morally perfect, meaning He is unable to sin because God cannot go against His nature. This may seem like an impossibility, but logic tells us that if someone is perfect they cannot change because to change would mean that they were not perfect in the first place. Therefore God cannot do things that are outside of His nature or are logical impossibilities such as making a rock so big He could not lift it.
Sin is when we pick our own will above the will of God. This does not mean that we sin when we choose our own decisions but rather when our decisions are against God. For example, eating an apple is not the sin that Adam and Eve committed, rather, eating it when God told them not to was the sin. The Bible says that all humans have sinned and have fallen short of the standard that God has. But God also makes it clear that loves humans so much that He made a way for us to go to heaven despite our sin.
2. Can I Sin Too Much?
The question here is, does God draw the line and no longer forgive when a person repents of their sin? I have met a lot of people who feel they have sinned more than God can forgive. The Bible says that God is perfectly just and therefore all sin must be punished. If God forgave sin without punishment, He would not be just. However, the Bible says that He has perfect love. An innocent person must take the punishment for those who are guilty. This is exactly what Jesus did when He died on the cross.
The sacrifice that Jesus makes fulfills justice in the world and all people have to do is accept the gift of salvation by believing in Jesus and putting their faith in Him. Therefore, no matter how much sin a person commits, if they repent of their sin, they will be saved. There is no limit because Jesus was sinless, and His death covered all sin. To say that sin would be too bad to forgive when repented of would mean that Jesus’ death was not enough.
3. Does God Love Me?
The Bible says that God loves humans so much that He made us individually. God’s own hands created every human being. God loves you so much that He died for you physically and spiritually. When you focus on the spiritual death, it becomes clear how painful this was. God the Father is eternal and is eternally perfect in His love towards the Son and Holy Spirit. They are One and have lived in perfect harmony loving each other. When Jesus died God the Father and Holy Spirit were separated from the Son. It was the most horrifying event in history that God had to be spiritually separated from Himself.
If we were put in that situation, we would likely simply let humans all be punished for their sin, but God loved us so much that He allowed Himself to be broken for us. A love like this is inconceivable when heard and it truly goes beyond any love that we can give. God loves you exactly how you are right now. He wants you to come to Him and He will not force you to come to Him. His church should reflect this, and many churches do well and others do not so well. Anyone is welcome at SteepleLess Church. We are not going to pretend that anyone is perfect or tell someone what they’re doing is right when it’s not, but we will always love you as best as we can.
4. What about the Unforgivable Sin?
I have written a lot about this on my Holy Spirit paper if you are interested in the reasons why but I will summarize here. If you can repent, God will accept the repentance. The unforgivable sin is blaspheming the Holy Spirit and therefore the Holy Spirit cannot enter the person. To become a Christian, the person must receive the Holy Spirit. Some theologians argue that some people have sinned too much in their life to turn to God. However, theologians overwhelmingly agree that if you have the desire to turn from your sin, then you can. If a person at the end of their life has never put their faith in God, they have committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and therefore have to pay for their sin themselves instead of Jesus.
5. How can I know God?
The only way to know God is to have the Holy Spirit inside of you. This only happens when someone accepts the gift of salvation that is given by God. If you are interested in doing this, there is a prayer you can pray below. The prayer does not save you, only faith in Jesus can save you. Once a person becomes a Christian, they will become a new creation and the Holy Spirit will be inside the person. The person will have to live as a servant of God and change their desires from their own to God’s.
For more information on salvation and faith click here. After becoming a Christian, we can know God better by praying to Him, reading the Bible, and participating in the community of God. There are other ways to know God but this is what we encourage the most because these things are integral to the Christian life.
God loves you deeply and I would love to help you with any questions or worries you have about Christianity. SteepleLess Church would love to be a place for you to hear about God too. You can connect with me anytime at johnjr@steeplelesschurch.com. God bless.
