Dear Mike,
I had another question.

Are there examples in the Bible of people sinning continually, but receiving God’s forgiveness? Also, does quantity of sin “matter” to God? I know it is an offense, I’m asking whether or not it impedes His forgiveness after repenting.

Thank you, I____.

I____

Hi I_____,

Thank you for your question. I encourage everyone to download e-sword, but if you cannot find the answer, then by all means ask questions when you have the need.

You ask if there are examples of people sinning continually, but receiving God’s forgiveness? The answer to that question as you ask it, is absolutely not! The exact opposite is true.

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

This is like saying that we are perfected in the flesh and will never entertain an evil thought or ever make a mistake again. That day will not come until we relinquish these vessels of clay, which are called in scripture, ‘bodies of sinful flesh and blood’. Here is what Christ said of Himself:

Mat 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Luk 13:32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

“The third day” is symbolism for the resurrection. If our Lord is not perfected until the resurrection, then how can we possibly expect to be perfected apart from the resurrection of the dead into spiritual bodies.

1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

You also ask :

… does quantity of sin “matter” to God?

The answer to that question is again, “Absolutely not!” Paul considered himself to be ‘chief of sinners’, just as we all should see ourselves. He had persecuted the church mercilessly. Nevertheless, he was forgiven and used by God as one of His most fruitful apostles.

1Ti 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
1Ti 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

It was Paul who wrote both Romans 6 and Galatians 6, both quoted above.

“Newness of life” (Rom 6:4) is not “new” at all if, as you pose this question, we “continually sin”. No one who is truly “dead to sin” continues to ‘live’ in sin. The very thought of continuing in that sin makes anyone who has been crushed to death by the Word of God, “the Stone of Israel”, sick to his stomach. Those who have suffered in the flesh to the extent that it destroys that “old man… the first man Adam” within us all, experience a change of spirit, which ceases from yielding to that sin. It literally makes them nauseous.

Gen 49:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel)

Mat 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

“Carnal… babes in Christ” who have not been granted to accept the Biblical fact that we must all “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, [that] all things… things present and things to come… the things written therein… are ours”, will take Matthew 21:44 as an either/or proposition, instead of the progressive process which it is.

1Co 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
1Co 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

These newly-born Corinthian Christians were “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints”, and they “came behind in no gift”. However, what was their spiritual state, even with all these miraculous miracles in their lives? The answer is that big miraculous gifts, like all the plagues sent on one’s enemies, with the destruction of all the crops and cattle of Egypt, the death of the first born of Egypt, and the destruction of the Egyptian army at the parting of the Red Sea, do nothing to change the hearts of God’s people, and though they are coming out of Egypt and “come behind in no gift… [they] are yet carnal… babes in Christ”.

1Co 3:1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
1Co 3:2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
1Co 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
1Co 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

The journey of God’s elect includes living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Nothing that happened to Israel is excluded when Christ said “every word”.

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

There are many such Corinthian “carnal… babes in Christ” who cannot see that, in spirit, “all things are ours” including “all these things [that] happened to them”.

The point I am making as it relates to your question is that all the judgments that came upon Israel, or anyone else in the Old Testament, are the same judgments which must come upon our “old man, [our] first man Adam”, who is predestined to be destroyed and replaced by our “new man… the last Adam”.

It is in that sense that “all things… things present and things to come, are ours”.

1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
1Co 3:22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;

Yes, it does say “the world… is ours.” This world is full of sin, and we are to see ourselves as the “chief of sinners”, but that is not meant to be a title we continue to maintain. It is meant only to be understood as seeing that “all things”, including “the world”, are in our own sinful flesh:

Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

1Ti 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

It also says that death is ours, and that is how we are to see our old man and this body of sinful flesh. As we quoted above, we are to reckon ourselves as buried with Christ in death, for the purpose of being raised up in newness of life, not repeating the sins of our past.

Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

That sixth chapter of Romans drives that point into the ground:

Rom 6:7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Rom 6:18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Rom 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

This is a process which takes so much time that our Lord tells us this:

Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

You will not, in this clay vessel called flesh, be above the sin you are in just by being in that flesh, but what you will discover is that you are “being made free from sin” and not be taken bondage by sin. It takes time for the man of sin to be destroyed by Christ at His coming, and when that man of sin is dethroned, then and only then, is Christ able to sit upon the throne of our heart, which is the temple of God.

2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
2Th 2:6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
2Th 2:7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

I suggest that you begin to read the studies on the book of Revelation which begins here. Start at the very beginning to get the basis for how we are to approach this book. Read ‘Strong Delusion’ in the Essential Reading section in the upper left corner of the home page. Download e-sword or any other online bible-help site.

In closing I will say that the one thing which separates this web site from so many other Biblical websites is that while we do acknowledge that “as in Adam all die, so in Christ will all be made alive”, we also teach the Truth of the verses I quoted at the beginning of this email.

Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

All those sites and all those men who emphasize God’s sovereignty and acknowledge the fact that He will save all men while ignoring the bulk of God’s Word which deals with His judgment and destruction of our old man, “the first man Adam”, in an event called ‘the lake of fire’ and “the fiery trial which is to try you” (1Pe 4:12 and Rev 20:10-15), are doing a great disservice to all who are in their charge and in their sphere of influence. These are those of whom Jude warns us all:

Jdg 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

With so much at stake, why would we ever go back to all of that vomit which is our old man, our first man Adam?

We all “fall seven times”, meaning we will all come to see just how helpless we are of ourselves to overcome the beast within us.

Pro 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

We are all “the wicked” before we are granted to become “a just man”. We can do nothing without Christ, but with Christ we can do all things, including making war with the beast.

Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

In closing I want to suggest that you read this article concerning the purpose and function of grace.

This writing will demonstrate Biblically that ‘grace’ is not just a dead noun used only as a name for God’s undeserved favor. You will come to see that ‘grace’ is also a super-active verb which “chastens us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live godly lives in this present age” (Tit 2:11-12).

I hope this helps you to see that we do not continue to live a life which is dominated by sin even though we will continue to live in bodies of sinful flesh which will continue speeding in a 55 mph zone, etc. I hope you are granted to understand that there is no volume of sin or any depth of depravity of sin which is too great for God’s saving grace to overcome. I pray also that you can see that in your patience you possess your soul as you learn to let grace and patience have their perfect work in your life.

Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Jas 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Your brother in “the patience and faith of the saints” (Rev 13:6-10, Rev 14:10-12).

Mike