/christian/ - Christian Discussion and Fellowship

https://orthodoxwiki.org/Moses_the_Black

>The power of repentance has transformed this infidel slave, St. Moses the Black (330-405 A.D.), who was a murderer, adulterer and robber into a great Desert Father, teacher, comforter, and priest, who wrote rules for the monks, and a martyr-saint whose name continues to be mentioned on the altar and in our prayers.

What you say you're guilty of are hardly the worst sins a person could do (thought serious.) Remember God forgave St Paul who actually went around killing Christians. If you're repentant you're already on the path to forgiveness.

>>739003

Mark 3:28:30

28Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation: 30Because they said, He hath an unclean spirit.

There is nothing new under the sun. You put too much weight and measure on your self and your sins. No where in scripture does it say that God puts weight or measure on sin. It is all wrong before him and we have wronged him but can be forgiven. If a worthless wretch of a man such as myself. Who has wronged him exceedingly greatly can be forgiven so can you.

>>739003

>Can all sins truly be forgiven

Yes. Suicide is the least yes of them, but it can still be forgiven.

>>739012

Serious question:

What if I have no idea whether I blasphemed against the holy spirit?

And then, what if my mind and thoughts are evil and blasphemous and I unwillingly think blasphemous thoughts against it?

>>739042

To blaspheme the Holy Spirit, you must first reject Christ. Remember, though your sin be red as scarlet, he will wash it white as snow.

>>739042

Might be cliche but it's never too late to start doing the right thing. The hardest part is convincing ourselves to continue doing the right thing while in the mindset that we could just get away with whatever you want as long as you change in the last second, or so I found. I continue to struggle myself but not to this degree you speak of. Life is of great importance but we could lose value in it when we exponentially revolve our lives around fleeting things that when we eventually lose value in we'd lose value in ourselves. This is going to sound weird, but I've found it somewhat comforting to think that many before and after us have and will live fruitful lives. Kinda sets a template we could mold ourselves towards.

The good things we try to do before, now, and onward will out way the mistakes we've made getting here as long as we try to improve ourselves in our own way moving forward.

>>739073

I did reject Christ when I was an edgy atheist larperfaggot :'(

Trying to make amends now.

>>739003

Yeah, you gotta go to confession though

>>739145

Because God is good, and he wouldn't leave us with a chaotic individualistic mess like Protestantism.

>"Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."

>>739145

>why does a clergyman have such authority?

Dunno, why did the 12 Apostles have such authority too?

>>739155

have you ever even tried going to confession? maybe try it and see how different it is than praying for forgiveness (you're supposed to do both anyway). it humbles you. are you too proud to humble yourself?

>>739169

>As for going to church and confessional, I need to actually finish the bible first.

what is your reasoning for this? this is unnecessary. you should go to confession asap, the bible is a very big book and you could die tragically before you finish it

>>739145

Because God gave him that authority: "Whose sins you bind and loose on earth will be bound and loosed in heaven". Anyone who sins mortally after baptism has reneged on their baptismal promise and rejected God, which is a second spiritual death which because you can't be baptised again requires another sacrament to restore sanctifying grace.

God wants it this way because he knows it helps us better to stop sinning and to be perfect.

>>739169

reading scripture is important only so far as you recognize that is it Gods personal love letter to you.

"When you pray, you speak to God. When you read, God speaks to you."

My man you are already in conversation with God.

The Bible is not something to be read for the purpose of "finishing it". It is not to be read to seem more learned, or to be able to quote from it to "btfo larpers and athiests". Like everything else, its purpose is to be closer to God, to know Him, to Love him, and to Serve him.

In another way, it is more important not to read with your eyes what Our Good Lord said, but to hear what He said with our hearts. I very much would rather be able to keep the commandments, than know how to recite them perfectly.

And the only way we can Love God, and keep His commandments, is by His Grace, for "[we] can do nothing without [Him]". And in His Goodness He gave us a means of living in His sanctifying grace, in the sacraments, one being the sacrament of reconciliation.

It is well and good, and very refreshing to know, that a young man like yourself wants to earnestly know God and know His Will. There is a certain level of respect that you want to give Him, a respect that He truly does deserve. But we must remember that to truly serve God, we must serve him according to His Will.

Reading the whole bible is not the means of initiation, baptism is. And Gods forgiveness is not something you earn, but something that you accept in humility.

tl;dr: examine your conscience with the 10 commandments you have memorized, and go to confession