No commandments greater than these. How?

[Dave M]

[QUOTE="BLACKSHEEP, post: 308222, member: 33540"

These are the kinds of comments that are a turn off to believers and unbelievers. Christians shouldn't portray themselves as being sinless.[/QUOTE]

they should not also promote sin either, It does get confusing, especially for someone new to the faith. You have preachers saying we are sinners saved by grace nothing we do can us into heaven we are all sinners etc...., which is true but that sure sounds like a free pass to live like you want to . I think they need to explain that as we grow in Christ and mature we will no longer be practicing sinners and if we remain practicing sinners we may be in danger of not being saved in the first place as the bible says .... they seem to always leave that part out. and for a new believers I think it is very important to understand the difference between living in sin as a lifestyle and struggling with sin and repenting from it when we stumble in it and hopefully mature out of it. It is a process and when it happens and God changes your heart towards the sinful life you once loved to hating that sinful life you know you are growing in faith and seeing the miracle of your heart changing is a God moment that everyone should experience. Of course this happens at different rates of time for everyone.

IMO as we live in the flesh will have a selfishness that is sinful that we are not even aware of. when we compare Jesus who was willing to lay his life down and suffer at the hands of evil men for us sinners, he gave everything for us. Do we really give EVERYTHING for other people??

Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

 

[Sue D.]

they should not also promote sin either, It does get confusing, especially for someone new to the faith. You have preachers saying we are sinners saved by grace nothing we do can us into heaven we are all sinners etc...., which is true but that sure sounds like a free pass to live like you want to . I think they need to explain that as we grow in Christ and mature we will no longer be practicing sinners and if we remain practicing sinners we may be in danger of not being saved in the first place as the bible says .... they seem to always leave that part out. and for a new believers I think it is very important to understand the difference between living in sin as a lifestyle and struggling with sin and repenting from it when we stumble in it and hopefully mature out of it. It is a process and when it happens and God changes your heart towards the sinful life you once loved to hating that sinful life you know you are growing in faith and seeing the miracle of your heart changing is a God moment that everyone should experience. Of course this happens at different rates of time for everyone.

IMO as we live in the flesh will have a selfishness that is sinful that we are not even aware of. when we compare Jesus who was willing to lay his life down and suffer at the hands of evil men for us sinners, he gave everything for us. Do we really give EVERYTHING for other people??

Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

There is another thread very similar to this one. I'd commented that in years gone by -- Bible/ God's Word was taken seriously. Not so much any more. Higher education says that God's Word is archaic -- lots of stories but not to be taken seriously. And we Also have complicated salvation, maybe? As in what constitutes Real salvation / baptism, speaking in tongues, etc. And then a person can get into Calvinism / Armenianism. Man-made concepts along With the cross.

And then, the OSAS which Is Scriptural. Once the Holy Spirit comes to indwell a person, He never leaves us until we're safe with Christ. And there are those who see that as a free pass to live like you want to cause no one can loose their salvation. But the born-again person Won't have the Desire To continue sinning -- we were talking about that in Bible study Sunday evening. The 'desire to' is replaced by the 'desire To' live a Christ-like life. Does that mean we'll Always succeed , of course not. We will feel guilt, remorse for having grieved the Holy Spirit.

The thing is that 'these days' -- lots of churches 'forget' to teach Bible. It's not Popular to talk about sinning. Biblical morality / ethics is Not taught very much in churches. And that's part of what causes a problem in churches / amongst Christians / non-believers. The non-believing world Should be seeing / hearing a difference in Christians / church-going people. Our lives should be attracting people To Christ not turning them Off.

Believers are living in sin as much as non-believers are. And Why? Churches that Do teach salvation, tend to leave people simply 'being saved' -- no disciple-shipping is being done. Does anyone really encourage personal Bible study? Or do we leave it up to our pastor's preaching. Or do our backgrounds leave us believing that the Bible is too difficult to understand without Bible college.

Sexually immoral behaving / homosexuality is accepted by Society. And if / when / a person gets caught while cheating on their mate -- If they've actually gotten married, well, they live with the results. Lots of single, unwed mothers. But That's not frowned upon very much either. Welfare kicks in. If a disease is contracted, well, everyone is going to die Anyway, so ya might as well enjoy yourself in the process.

And, of Course, all of these attitudes are Wrong. But Society is taking over , not Bible / God.

I'm Also thinking that churches are getting away from the old-fashioned Gospel songs. "Praise and Worship Teams" are replacing it. Praising and worshiping God Should be seen as a Good thing. But just because a new form of worship is being introduced, doesn't mean its a Good thing. The older songs like "The Old Rugged Cross" just isn't heard much any more. And "Amazing Grace" is used so very much. But do people really pay attention to the Words. We love the melody.

The passage in Galations 5 -- wonderful -- truth -- but so much of That is common-place in society.

And the 1 Corinthians 6 passage -- when heaven and hell are Not taught as existing -- does the unsaved world really care? Not really. They don't even know what the 'kingdom of God' IS.

It's never too late to get back in to reading / accepting God's Word as our authority. Heaven / hell are going to be in everyone's future - whether 'they' want to accept that or not. Some people are going to get a very nasty surprise when they enter eternity. Is some of that going to be 'our' fault for not sharing that with them.

 

[At Peace]

Good Morning @At Peace
I am just seeking a little clarification here to understand what you are saying.
In another post (on another thread I think).....you say your salvation isnt assured, that your life is a battle and that you must endure until the end. (I am paraphrasing here)

One first "clarification...
"I" do not say it, the bible say it.

This would suggest that you as in your flesh CAN still sin
Otherwise why would it be such a battle?

Is it not the flesh warring against the Spirit that you describe?

If I allow the "flesh" to manifest itself, I also manifest that the "flesh" was never crucified with Christ. (Rom 6:3-7)
It is always my choice in who will I manifest.
Either the "flesh", or else the glory of God and of the name of Christ Jesus.

These verses are written to believers
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Neither give place to the devil.
Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:25-32

If you are a believer, you will adhere to these exhortations, won't you?

Ps I apologise for going off topic.....especially as I had prompted people to stay on topic

Requesting further clarification of the testimony of one who loves God and my neighbor as myself is NOT off topic.

 

[At Peace]

Some one who is not "assured" of their salvation is not walking by faith, and whatever is NOT of faith is a sin!

I would rather keep on my toes, relevant to my salvation, than be assured of salvation while I spit in the face of Jesus as I continue to commit sin.

 

[At Peace]

At Peace said,
These are the kinds of comments that are a turn off to believers and unbelievers. Christians shouldn't portray themselves as being sinless.

I agree with the part about "unbelievers" being "turned off".
My portrayal of Christians is one of faith and obedience, love and gratitude, grace and strength.
A "life-style" unknown to unbelievers.

 

[At Peace]

Believers still have the old nature to deal with --

Why?
Have you never read 2 Cor 5:17..."Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
All things includes the nature.

and, so, yes, we Can and Do sin. Jesus Christ's death and bodily resurrection makes it possible to break our slavery To sin.

If you believe that, why are you still defending sin?

We now have a Choice. 1 John 1:9 "IF we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness".

The "choice" of the believer is obedience to God.

The difference between the non-believer and the believer is the desire to or not to sin in the first place.

I agree.
True repentance from sin is manifested by a life of sanctity and love. Grace and charity. Power and might.

We have the Holy Spirit indwelling us and telling us what we Should or should NOT be doing. And some of us Do have our 'pet' sin. The thing that we know God understands about us. I know I sure do. There's a particular 'thing' I struggle a Lot with. The fact that I Do struggle with it shows me that it isn't really right or okay to do it. But it feels good. Which is Also suggesting that I don't really trust God to satisfy that part of my needs. That supposedly I know better than God how to satisfy that particular 'thing'. That's one of satans' many lies to us.

You have come to the point of your life where you recognize the unbeliever vis-a-vis the righteous.
NOW...decide which you will cling to!

 

[Sue D.]

Why?
Have you never read 2 Cor 5:17..."Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
All things includes the nature.


If you believe that, why are you still defending sin?


The "choice" of the believer is obedience to God.


I agree.
True repentance from sin is manifested by a life of sanctity and love. Grace and charity. Power and might.


You have come to the point of your life where you recognize the unbeliever vis-a-vis the righteous.
NOW...decide which you will cling to!

I'm Not intending to defend sin. I'm simply going by what I've experienced during my almost 70 yrs of life and being in churches all my life. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior in Jr High. I've No Doubt as to my salvation. I Also know that being a born-again believer does Not mean we are sinless. Yes, the Holy Spirit does come to indwell the believer. We now have Spiritual life in / through Christ. But we still have this mortal body. And satan is still alive and well on this planet. Satan is Not in the form of the thing with a red tail and glowing red eyes that we'd recognize and run away from. He Is in the form of anything, everything that he knows is a weakness of ours. That's why a believers life has bumps and temptations to try to make our witness for Him as weak as possible. Church secretaries run off with the pastor / youth director. People in church have affairs -- because satan is out to destroy Christ's Church and the Christian home.

As Christians, we are Not God's puppets. We always have choices, yes. Sometimes they are not wise choices that we make. And hind-sight is Always 20/20. Daily living isn't always so clear,. We are in the process Of sanctification -- it will be complete when we are with Christ.

Maybe Your life has been simple and struggle-- free. Mine hasn't been. Up until about 10 yrs ago -- bad stuff only happened to 'other' people who I wasn't around. And Then the 'unspeakable' started happening in our extended family. One of our grandsons got involved with the 'choking/ fainting' game. It wasn't something people talked about. Until is happens to one of their kids. And our older grandson was a victim. He was found unconscious at home and died the next day at the hospital. No one of the other kids were willing to admit what had happened when asked by the Police. After a while - it resulted in our born-again son-in-law filing for divorce. He'd been part of our family for 20 yrs. He refused any attempt at counseling from their pastor or Anyone. It shattered our daughter and all of the family. So Please -- born-again believers are very capable of very poor decisions.

 

[At Peace]

At Peace said,
These are the kinds of comments that are a turn off to believers and unbelievers. Christians shouldn't portray themselves as being sinless.

Won't those who love God above all else rejoice in their freedom to remain faithful to God?
The difference between Christians and the "world" is that the Christians obey God...above all else.
The "world" doesn't.

 

[At Peace]

I'm Not intending to defend sin. I'm simply going by what I've experienced during my almost 70 yrs of life and being in churches all my life. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior in Jr High. I've No Doubt as to my salvation. I Also know that being a born-again believer does Not mean we are sinless. Yes, the Holy Spirit does come to indwell the believer. We now have Spiritual life in / through Christ. But we still have this mortal body. And satan is still alive and well on this planet. Satan is Not in the form of the thing with a red tail and glowing red eyes that we'd recognize and run away from. He Is in the form of anything, everything that he knows is a weakness of ours. That's why a believers life has bumps and temptations to try to make our witness for Him as weak as possible. Church secretaries run off with the pastor / youth director. People in church have affairs -- because satan is out to destroy Christ's Church and the Christian home.

As Christians, we are Not God's puppets. We always have choices, yes. Sometimes they are not wise choices that we make. And hind-sight is Always 20/20. Daily living isn't always so clear,. We are in the process Of sanctification -- it will be complete when we are with Christ.

Maybe Your life has been simple and struggle-- free. Mine hasn't been. Up until about 10 yrs ago -- bad stuff only happened to 'other' people who I wasn't around. And Then the 'unspeakable' started happening in our extended family. One of our grandsons got involved with the 'choking/ fainting' game. It wasn't something people talked about. Until is happens to one of their kids. And our older grandson was a victim. He was found unconscious at home and died the next day at the hospital. No one of the other kids were willing to admit what had happened when asked by the Police. After a while - it resulted in our born-again son-in-law filing for divorce. He'd been part of our family for 20 yrs. He refused any attempt at counseling from their pastor or Anyone. It shattered our daughter and all of the family. So Please -- born-again believers are very capable of very poor decisions.

A litany of "bad choices".
Where are the "good" choices?
Service to God without regard for the "devil".
Manifestations of the power of God in your life?
Charity out of a pure heart?

You said this..."We always have choices..."
Make a good one now.
Turn from sin forever.
As it is written in Hebrews 10:29 ..."Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"
"Was sanctified", past tense.

God's seed cannot bring forth evil people.

 

[Sue D.]

Maybe you could take a moment and explain what you mean by "God's seed cannot bring forth evil people."

The devil is alive and well on planet earth and that's where we live. Service for / to God -- yes, absolutely. But, look at Job 1 --the Lord and satan are having a conversation. vs 6 and 7 -- satan had been roaming back and forth on the earth. He's very much here , but not forever.

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned -- believed satan's lies over God's Word -- we've had the propensity For sin. Even the 'little white lie' is a sin. Going over the posted speed limit while driving is a Sin.

 

[At Peace]

Maybe you could take a moment and explain what you mean by "God's seed cannot bring forth evil people."

Sure, and I thank you for your earnest interest.
Jesus frequently used the parable of "fig trees cannot bear grapes and grape vines cannot bear figs".
He was alluding to the fact that the seed you are born of will determine what kind of fruit you produce.
The reborn of the NT have been born of God's seed and cannot bear the fruit of the devil.

The devil is alive and well on planet earth and that's where we live. Service for / to God -- yes, absolutely. But, look at Job 1 --the Lord and satan are having a conversation. vs 6 and 7 -- satan had been roaming back and forth on the earth. He's very much here , but not forever.

We are not of this world.
It is written..."If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." (John 15:19)
And..."I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (John 17:14)

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned -- believed satan's lies over God's Word -- we've had the propensity For sin. Even the 'little white lie' is a sin. Going over the posted speed limit while driving is a Sin.

Hence the need for rebirth...from God's seed.
Free of the Adamic nature...praise be to God!

I'll conclude with these three verses from 1 John.2.."Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:15-17)

 

[Sue D.]

Sure, and I thank you for your earnest interest.
Jesus frequently used the parable of "fig trees cannot bear grapes and grape vines cannot bear figs".
He was alluding to the fact that the seed you are born of will determine what kind of fruit you produce.
The reborn of the NT have been born of God's seed and cannot bear the fruit of the devil.


We are not of this world.
It is written..."If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." (John 15:19)
And..."I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." (John 17:14)


Hence the need for rebirth...from God's seed.
Free of the Adamic nature...praise be to God!

I'll conclude with these three verses from 1 John.2.."Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:15-17)

We live in this world -- our eternal home is in heaven. But in the meantime -we're here.

So - you're saying that believers Never speed. That believers Never say to their wife/ girlfriend that the dress looks great on them so they will good about having bought it -- when -- they Could be told in a loving manner that a different style or color Would look better on them. That only Non-believers ever do those things?!

You might take the phrase and "Google" it. "God's seed cannot bring forth evil people". I did that -- interesting articles.

 

[At Peace]

We live in this world -- our eternal home is in heaven. But in the meantime -we're here.

The vessel Jesus uses on earth is 'here'.
To the converted, it is written..."For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Col 3:3)

So - you're saying that believers Never speed. That believers Never say to their wife/ girlfriend that the dress looks great on them so they will good about having bought it -- when -- they Could be told in a loving manner that a different style or color Would look better on them. That only Non-believers ever do those things?!

God's children, the product of His seed, cannot commit sin. (1 John 3:9)
Fig trees cannot bear grapes.

You might take the phrase and "Google" it. "God's seed cannot bring forth evil people". I did that -- interesting articles.

Why on earth would I want to read some unknown authors POV about Godliness?
Let me guess...it accommodates sin in the believer...right?

 

[Sue D.]

The vessel Jesus uses on earth is 'here'.
To the converted, it is written..."For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." (Col 3:3)


God's children, the product of His seed, cannot commit sin. (1 John 3:9)
Fig trees cannot bear grapes.


Why on earth would I want to read some unknown authors POV about Godliness?
Let me guess...it accommodates sin in the believer...right?

You'd be surprised at the articles you'd find. They are only unknown authors because you don't take time to get to know them.

The passage 1 John 3:9 -- I just read it -- it isn't really saying 'cannot commit sin' but that we won't continue sinning -- as a life style. It isn't saying we'll be able to live a perfect life. A person who lives a life of lying, stealing, murder, etc. is Not a believer -- Unless the Holy Spirit gets their attention and they accept Christ. BUT a person who does lie once in a while -- looses their credibility with others. Can get into a lot of trouble as a result. Those other activities will land a person in jail, prison. And there are prison ministries -- believers who feel led to go to jails / prisons to share Gospel of salvation with any inmates who are willing to hear -- Bible studies led by inmates who accept Christ.

A person can experience temptations To sin in some way -- only give in to it once in a while. The Holy Spirit lets them know they are wrong -- the person acknoledges it , asks forgiveness and Is forgiven. Does that mean he'll never give in to that particular temptation again, no, not necessarily.

In the area of forgiveness -- Matthew 18:21-22 -- forgiveness suggests that someone wronged another person in some way -- sinned against them -- Peter asks Jesus how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me ? Up to 7 times? Jesus tells him not 7 but seventy times seven. We are to be ready for forgive our brother for sinning against us as often as we need to.

 

[B-A-C]

Fig trees cannot bear grapes.

You keep mis-quoting this. But that isn't exactly what the scripture says.

 

[Sue D.]

You keep mis-quoting this. But that isn't exactly what the scripture says.

@At Peace -- a person can take verses that are very much Scripture -- inspired by God through the Holy Spirit -- and misapply them. There are those who have their particular belief and find Scriptures to back them up. Rather than taking Scripture in it's context -- chapter -- and finding out what it's saying and comparing it with other Scriptures.

By their fruits we shall know them. Those who exhibit the fruits of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, etc, etc. And it's true -- a fig tree cannot bear grapes. Will it always produce Perfect figs? Will any tree Always produce Perfect fruit? No. Some fruit will get worms or whatever and it needs to be sprayed or treated so that the entire tree or branch doesn't get messed up.

 

[At Peace]

@At Peace -- a person can take verses that are very much Scripture -- inspired by God through the Holy Spirit -- and misapply them. There are those who have their particular belief and find Scriptures to back them up. Rather than taking Scripture in it's context -- chapter -- and finding out what it's saying and comparing it with other Scriptures.

By their fruits we shall know them. Those who exhibit the fruits of the Spirit -- love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, etc, etc. And it's true -- a fig tree cannot bear grapes. Will it always produce Perfect figs? Will any tree Always produce Perfect fruit? No. Some fruit will get worms or whatever and it needs to be sprayed or treated so that the entire tree or branch doesn't get messed up.

Jesus wasn't talking about the quality of the fruit.
He was illustrating that devilish people are NOT born of God's seed.

 

[At Peace]

You keep mis-quoting this. But that isn't exactly what the scripture says.

I wasn't "quoting" a scripture.
But if you wish..."For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:43-46)
I had to add the last verse to again show how my Lord was differentiating good PEOPLE from bad PEOPLE.

 

[Sue D.]

I wasn't "quoting" a scripture.
But if you wish..."For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Luke 6:43-46)
I had to add the last verse to again show how my Lord was differentiating good PEOPLE from bad PEOPLE.

A person's life Will reflect his heart. My life Does reflect what's in my heart. If / when my heart isn't right with God -- it will be reflected in my attitudes, language. Sometimes a believer Will harbor wrong attitudes towards others in his heart. Those need to be confessed to God and, as appropriate, to the other person. And That's the thing that can be humbling --going to another person and confessing a wrong attitude you've had towards them. It may or may not be affecting them or they might choose to not accept your apology, but 'you' certainly feel better having done the confessing.

I said -- as appropriate -- because there are times -- if you find yourself very attracted to the married person next door or at church -- you realize it Isn't right and confess it to God and have His forgiveness -- it Probably would Not help to admit that attraction to the married person. It's only going to cause a problem. The married person can't help it that 'you're' highly attracted to him / her. You simply Don't act on that attraction.

I noticed that in your last sentence you referred to the Lord as "my Lord". How about simply " to show how 'the' Lord was differentiating....." Just curious.

 

[At Peace]

You'd be surprised at the articles you'd find. They are only unknown authors because you don't take time to get to know them.

If their teachings accommodate sin...they are of the devil.

The passage 1 John 3:9 -- I just read it -- it isn't really saying 'cannot commit sin' but that we won't continue sinning -- as a life style. It isn't saying we'll be able to live a perfect life.

See what I mean by "accommodating sin"?
The scripture IS saying we can live a perfect. sin free life...IF we are reborn of God's seed.

A person who lives a life of lying, stealing, murder, etc. is Not a believer -- Unless the Holy Spirit gets their attention and they accept Christ. BUT a person who does lie once in a while -- looses their credibility with others. Can get into a lot of trouble as a result. Those other activities will land a person in jail, prison. And there are prison ministries -- believers who feel led to go to jails / prisons to share Gospel of salvation with any inmates who are willing to hear -- Bible studies led by inmates who accept Christ.

By "life of" do you mean once a year?
Once a week?
Once a month?
I'll need scriptural evidence for your "life of" comment.

A person can experience temptations To sin in some way -- only give in to it once in a while. The Holy Spirit lets them know they are wrong -- the person acknoledges it , asks forgiveness and Is forgiven. Does that mean he'll never give in to that particular temptation again, no, not necessarily.

If that person had the Holy Spirit, they would know it is wrong before they did it.
And they wouldn't act on the temptation.
It is written..."There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (1 Cor 10:13)

In the area of forgiveness -- Matthew 18:21-22 -- forgiveness suggests that someone wronged another person in some way -- sinned against them -- Peter asks Jesus how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me ? Up to 7 times? Jesus tells him not 7 but seventy times seven. We are to be ready for forgive our brother for sinning against us as often as we need to.

Yes, if we don't forgive others, we won't be forgiven either.