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How Do I Know I’m Forgiven?
The problem with salvation
Most Christians have a serious guilt complex about pretty much anything. After 26 years in ministry, I still feel guilty about taking a day off every week, or not answering work emails when on vacation, because we vicars should be available 24/7, shouldn’t we?
The Bible tells us that anyone who puts their faith in Christ is saved. But because of this guilt complex, you may still be left feeling unsure about your salvation. How do you know that you’re forgiven? Why is it you don’t feel forgiven? Because if your sins are truly put aside, why is it that the one thing you are most sure about is that you still have the urge to commit the same old sins time and again?
One way we deal with this is to try not to think about it too much. Repetitive sinfulness can simply become habitual, addictive and therefore ignorable, until it affects other people adversely. The sinister difficulty is that even small things can have deep roots. Something apparently trivial can actually represent a far more serious imbalance in our spiritual lives.
Have you ever been undercharged at a store and not gone back to correct the mistake? Have you ever worked in an office environment and helped yourself to a few paperclips? Today it’s paperclips, tomorrow it might be a hole-punch and who knows where it…