Questions and Answers
Q: I truly love my Lord and Savior, so why do I blatantly hurt Him
by deliberate sin? I just do not understand why I continue to commit certain
sins.
—P.M., California
A: All of us must examine ourselves to make sure we have truly repented of our disobedient past way of life. If we have not, then we must make that turnaround, committing our lives to obeying God. Of course, even when we have repented, that does not mean we no longer contend with sin.
Our human nature involves the cumulative effect of habitual sins that we may have committed in the past as well as the profound influence of the environment around us. Additionally, that malevolent spirit Satan the devil projects his influence over every aspect of what the Bible calls “this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4). This adds up to a strong pull to repeat the sins and mistakes we thought we had left behind.
If we have sincerely repented, been baptized and received God’s Spirit through the laying on of hands, then God releases us from the death penalty and starts us on the road to eternal life. However, the Creator doesn’t automatically remove our human nature. So temptations to sin crop up from time to time, especially those that have dogged us in the past. Even the apostle Paul wrote of his ongoing struggles to resist sin (Romans 7:14-25).
Through regular prayer, Bible study and the power of the Holy Spirit, God will give us the needed defenses to increasingly resist those temptations. That’s why becoming converted is so important. Even so, Christians still at times yield to the temptation to sin. Because God is compassionate and fully aware of our human frailties, He readily extends His merciful forgiveness when we repent (see 1John 1:7-9).
Having to resist sin helps us in that it contributes to building strength of character, which to God is very important. Godly character then gives us the strength to resist sin so we may, with God’s Spirit helping us, avoid the heartache, pain and suffering sin inevitably brings.
There’s much more to understand about repentance and conversion. We urge you to request and read Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion. It brings together many scriptures about salvation, so that you can grow in grace and knowledge—obtaining God’s help in overcoming sin and living His way of life.
Q: I recently received your Good News magazine and found
it very interesting. I would like to know what denomination you are associated
with so I don’t get confused about the information I am reading.
—From the Internet
A: The United Church of God, an International Association, publishes The Good News. However, we are not associated with any denomination of Protestantism, Orthodoxy or Catholicism. We trace our beliefs to the Church that Jesus Christ founded in the first century. Our ongoing commitment is to continually recapture and practice true biblical Christianity.
To fulfill Jesus’ command to nourish Church members spiritually (John 21:15-17), the United Church of God has congregations around the world. Believers assemble for Sabbath services to receive instructions from the Scriptures and to fellowship with others of like mind. All our congregations share the same basic, fundamental beliefs and practices.
Our ministers are available to counsel, answer questions and explain the Bible. If anyone would like to contact a minister or visit one of our congregations, please feel free to contact the United Church of God at (513) 576-9796 or at P.O. Box 541027, Cincinnati, Ohio 45254-1027 or through E-mail at info@ucg.org.
Our booklet This Is the United Church of God describes our history, structure, organization and teachings. The Church Jesus Built details the Bible’s definition of and teaching about the Church. Both booklets are freely available on request from any of our offices or from the Internet at www.gnmagazine.org.
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