Q:
I'm being tempted to do something that I know is probably wrong, but what difference does it really make? After all, God has promised to forgive all our sins, hasn't He?
A:
I sincerely hope you won’t give in to this temptation, whatever it is. If you do, you won’t only be doing something you know is wrong, but you’ll be rebelling against God—and that is very serious.
Yes, God can forgive every sin (except the sin of rejecting Him and refusing His offer of forgiveness). But God has only promised to forgive us when we truly repent and admit we’ve done wrong, and then look in faith to Christ for the cleansing we need. The Bible says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation” (Isaiah 30:15).
When we willfully rebel against God and deliberately commit sin, however, we have no promise of forgiveness—not unless we’re truly sorry for what we’ve done. But how do you know that day will ever come for you? Sin has a way of making us colder and colder toward God—and that could happen to you.
But I also urge you to resist this temptation because sin will always hurt you—always. It may not be evident at first—but sin destroys us, and eventually that will happen to you. Why risk your soul for a few days or years of so-called pleasure? Instead, turn to Jesus Christ and commit your life into His hands. God loves you; He loves you so much that He doesn’t want you to destroy your life. Ask Christ to come into your heart and life today. Then ask Him to give you the courage to do what is right and avoid wrong. The Bible says, “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil” (Proverbs 3:7).
Where will you turn when you are tempted?