Doubt: Am I Really Saved?

[sheariah07]

Yes. With my method of thinking I will only know I'm saved after death. So I do have doubts. But I am mentally ill and probably shouldn't be too tough on myself.

If you would consider, it is actually good to test our faith and be very curious whether we are saved or not. I know it might seem like you would be tough on yourself but I believe it's for your good in the end. God said his word is sharper than a two edged sword that pierces the soul and is a discerner of hearts and minds.

He also said:
1 John 2:5 KJV
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

So there is absolutely a way that we can know if we are truly saved while we are still on earth. That's how I believe it, I'd love to know your thoughts on this.

 

[sheariah07]

Acts 2
27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Hello Adam! My question would be how sure are we that this verse is applicable to us? How can we claim this? The thing is many will say to Jesus in the judgment day, “Lord, Lord, did we not cast out demons in thy name...?” and the Lord will answer, “Depart from me, I know you not, ye workers of iniquity.”

 

[Adam]

In other words, we must realize we are sinners and give ourselves over to Jesus to save us from the sin nature that keeps us sinners. You see, 1 John 1:9 is to receive the Holy Spirit and makes us a born-again Christian whose new spirit has no desire to commit sin in the first place, therefore there should never be any willful sins to repent from.

Many men say that they are wise and virtuous, but I have not seen a single one who could go even a single month without a sin of any kind. It is foolish and a sin in itself to believe yourself perfectly righteous.

Luke 18:11
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

BTW, I do not find anything in the New Testament that goes along with what you believe about us not being destroyed if we wind up in the lake of fire, but will live and receive torture according to our works.

An easy way to disprove the idea of eternal torture is consider what kind of merciful, all loving God would torture people for eternity.

Even if you claim that there is no torture only destruction, this still doesn't jive. Many passages say, God planned out your life. God will not abandon you.

Psalm 139
13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Luke 15
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Luke 3:6
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

There is this, but it is chastisement now.

Luke 12:47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

If all sinners go to destruction, there cannot be a greater chastisement or a lesser chastisement. Unless you mean this chastisement is for the ones you claim to be sinless? If they are sinless then there won't be chastisement at all.

The chastisement is part of the process of becoming sinless. It goes beyond one lifetime.

 

[Adam]

Hello Adam! My question would be how sure are we that this verse is applicable to us? How can we claim this? The thing is many will say to Jesus in the judgment day, “Lord, Lord, did we not cast out demons in thy name...?” and the Lord will answer, “Depart from me, I know you not, ye workers of iniquity.”

The next passage:

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:

This message is for people who claim to be Christian but don't love, forgive, and help others. There are many people who think they serve God by singing in church, but are nasty to everyone. These people will be given their lashes. But everyone will ultimately be saved, even if it is through harsh correction. Your religion isn't what church you go to, it is how you treat people.

 

[Adam]

Consider, perhaps, the purpose of chastisement. Does a good parent punish a child forever? Does a good parent cause unnecessary or disproportionate pain in response to some wrongdoing? So if you, being evil, understand that the purpose of punishment is correction, why do you believe that your own justice and mercy exceeds that of God, and make God out to be a tyrant?

Job 5
17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.

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

 

[Lambano]

I decided to stop worrying about it and just trust Jesus to save me.

 

[sheariah07]

In a nutshell this is the gospel and how the gospel works and why His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. He does it all! He is even the One who draws us to Himself. We just must open our hearts and become aware.



Romans 1:16

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith TO faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”



To start, after we are drawn to Christ by the gospel, all we must do is repent. So, what does that mean? Let’s untwist scripture and compare scripture with scripture.

It is not repenting of individual sins as we commit them as some use 1 John 1:9. No, it is realizing that there is no way we can ever stop sinning by ourselves, as those who Moses taught who tried to live under the Law. In other words, we must realize we are sinners and give ourselves over to Jesus to save us from the sin nature that keeps us sinners. You see, 1 John 1:9 is to receive the Holy Spirit and makes us a born-again Christian whose new spirit has no desire to commit sin in the first place, therefore there should never be any willful sins to repent from. Peter said the same as 1 John 1:9 in Acts of the Apostles 2:38 “Repent…and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” But to have the knowledge to repent, we must first hear the true gospel. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. Jesus did it all. Repenting is just acknowledging the truth about ourselves. It is not a “work” as some doctrines of demons twist scripture to include. Demons certainly do not want you to repent! Then it is His Spirit that abides in us and begins to change our lives forever, from glory to glory and from faith to faith. We just need to respond and abide in Him too.

Once we repent and admit we are sinners and cannot be holy as commanded, Jesus takes over and creates a new nature in us that is free from sin, making us children of God. This is level one. The first faith. We are cleansed of all unrighteousness and empowered with the Holy Spirit to live up to that first level as a baby Christian. Then the next – and the next… In God’s eyes, we may not yet be perfect, but at each level we are without sin.



Philippians 3:16

16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.



Hebrews 12:2 above says that Jesus is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith. He does it all. We just must obey our conscience where Jesus wrote the first level of laws for us to keep. As we learn to take those baby steps, the Spirit adds more laws of holiness to our conscience with conviction and releases more power to keep those. Faith to faith. Step by step. From glory to glory. This is called walking in the light or Spirit. We see in 1 John 1:7 that this Christian was walking successfully in the light he had been given, and the blood of Jesus cleansed him from all unknown sin. It didn’t mean he was perfect, but sinless in the eyes of God. Unlike the Old Covenant where they were accountable to keep all 613 laws, in the New Covenant we are only accountable to obey the commands He puts in our conscience as we keep growing in Him. Remember it is He, not us, who is the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith. This is the New Covenant.



1 John 3:21-24

21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.


The bottom line is obeying your conscience. Listen to it. Obey it. Jesus has made it so easy. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Our part is to study the gospels and the letters from the apostles, and your conscience will grow. As it grows keep following it.

Hello sister. We are actually called to stop sinning. We can only do this if we believe truly that Jesus can save us from sinning. Many do not believe this that's why he said blessed are they who are not offended at me. I can share many verses to prove it but the thing is we could both use the scripture with different interpretations. However, only one is the truth. That's why we have to see evidence in our life that we are truly saved.

You said: there is no way we can ever stop sinning

But the bible says:

1 Peter 4:1 KJV
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh HATH CEASED FROM SIN;

Being free from sin is not figurative or metaphorical, however we wanna call it, but it is actual, literal, you cannot commit sin if God's seed is in you.

1 John 3:9 KJV
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he CANNOT SIN, because he is born of God.

And
John 8:34

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.


You said: therefore there should never be any willful sins to repent from

It depends how we define wilful sinning.

James 4:17 KJV

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (Wilful)

Hereby we shall know if we are saved or not. Do you still lust? Do you still strive with others? Do you still have fits of rage? If you know that these are not good but you still do it, to you it is a sin. (Wilful)

Galatians 5:19-21 KJV
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these ; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, [20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, [21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

If you commit adultery and you know the commandment that thou shalt not commit adultery and whoever lusts after a woman in his heart already commits adultery, you sin wilfully. Therefore you are convinced of the law as transgressor, therefore you will be judged under the law in the day of judgment.


You said: Repenting is just acknowledging the truth about ourselves. It is not a “work” as some doctrines of demons twist scripture to include

Once we repent and admit we are sinners and cannot be holy as commanded, Jesus takes over and creates a new nature in us that is free from sin

It didn’t mean he was perfect, but sinless in the eyes of God.

Here is the true meaning of repentance:

This is the true grace of God. It teaches us to deny ungodliness (stop sinning) so he might redeem us from “all iniquity”

Titus 2:11-12,14 KJV
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, [12] Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; [14] Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Is not denying ungodliness work? And it further says “zealous of good works”

We are truly saved by grace and not of works. I cannot redeem my own soul by doing good things and cover up my other sins. However, the grace of God teaches us to obey God which we cannot do under the law. That's by loving God and our neighbors.

Shall we sin that grace may abound? Certainly not.

As Jesus said, Go and sin no more.

How can we judge the world if we be found like them? If you look at this verse, the dead will be judged by men according to flesh but live according to God in spirit.

1 Peter 4:6 KJV
For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Again. i have plenty of scriptures to quote but I don't want to argue with anyone but rather, to exhort and give hope to those who want to be saved from sinning by showing in the scriptures what the truth is. Because Jesus came to heal the sick. He cannot heal those who are well. If you are open, we can study and seek the truth together without debating.

 

[Patrick1966]

I understand. Do you sometimes experience doubt as well? Like the thought of dying and then realizing you're not saved and it's now too late because it's forever?

I believe, based on the scriptures, that ALL will be saved - eventually. Very ungodly people will, I believe, go through a fiery, restorative, process known as the "Lake of Fire", but it is temporary and those who go into it will be healed of their sinful affliction and be made perfect. Godly people will avoid that process.

John 12:32 esv
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL people to myself.”



1 Timothy 4:10 esv
For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.



Revelation 21:5 esv
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”



2 Corinthians 5:19 esv
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.



John 6:39 esv
And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.



2 Corinthians 5:14-15 esv
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.



Colossians 1:20 esv
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.



Romans 5:18 esv
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.



John 3:17 esv
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

 

[Patrick1966]

I used to not recognize the fruit of the spirit in my life. It made me doubt if I was saved. I don't think doubting your salvation is always this horrible thing. It can help you adjust your walk with the Lord. The Bible says we should examine ourselves to see if were truly in the faith. I see nothing wrong with that.

Billy Graham said that, the closer we grow to Jesus, the more we will feel our sin. It's healthy for us to feel that way in order to be better.

 

[sheariah07]

I believe, based on the scriptures, that ALL will be saved - eventually. Very ungodly people will, I believe, go through a fiery, restorative, process known as the "Lake of Fire", but it is temporary and those who go into it will be healed of their sinful affliction and be made perfect. Godly people will avoid that process.

John 12:32 esv
And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL people to myself.”



1 Timothy 4:10 esv
For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.



Revelation 21:5 esv
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”



2 Corinthians 5:19 esv
that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.



John 6:39 esv
And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.



2 Corinthians 5:14-15 esv
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.



Colossians 1:20 esv
and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.



Romans 5:18 esv
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.



John 3:17 esv
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Brother, that is not true. The bible was written to give good news but also to warn of the coming wrath. The wrath of God is eternal fire that no one can quench. If there is eternal life, there is also eternal death. And we are commanded to flee from the wrath to come, which will be poured to those who did not believe and obey God.

Revelation 20:12-15 KJV
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. [13] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. [14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. [15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Also, if all are saved, that would mean that the rich man in Luke 15, who was tormented in hades, is saved. But he was already dead and tormented, and Abraham said he cannot help him go out of there.

Also, all murderers, serial killers, rapists who died and did not repent will be saved. That is a great deception. The bible does not contradict itself. If it seems to contradict itself, then must the interpretation be wrong.

 

[Adam]

Billy Graham said that, the closer we grow to Jesus, the more we will feel our sin. It's healthy for us to feel that way in order to be better.

Though I agree in a general sense, there are trip-ups that can happen to a faithful Christian.

Some people live sinful lives, then realize how much they hurt others and repent -- this is good.

Some people though, are decent enough, but live in perpetual anxiety of eternal damnation -- this is bad. Such people become burnt out and lose faith or else turn into such obsessive moral police that they drive others away from God but still miss the mark on what is truly good.

There are also people who perpetually chastise themselves for past wrongs -- this is also bad. This is a form of egotism, because the focus is still on themselves, when the correct path is to focus on the needs of others. Endlessly beating yourself up doesn't make the world any better.

 

[1stCenturyLady]

Hello sister. We are actually called to stop sinning. We can only do this if we believe truly that Jesus can save us from sinning. Many do not believe this that's why he said blessed are they who are not offended at me. I can share many verses to prove it but the thing is we could both use the scripture with different interpretations. However, only one is the truth. That's why we have to see evidence in our life that we are truly saved.

You said: there is no way we can ever stop sinning

But the bible says:

1 Peter 4:1 KJV
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh HATH CEASED FROM SIN;

Being free from sin is not figurative or metaphorical, however we wanna call it, but it is actual, literal, you cannot commit sin if God's seed is in you.

1 John 3:9 KJV
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he CANNOT SIN, because he is born of God.

And
John 8:34

Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.


You said: therefore there should never be any willful sins to repent from

It depends how we define wilful sinning.

James 4:17 KJV

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (Wilful)

Hereby we shall know if we are saved or not. Do you still lust? Do you still strive with others? Do you still have fits of rage? If you know that these are not good but you still do it, to you it is a sin. (Wilful)

Galatians 5:19-21 KJV
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these ; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, [20] Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, [21] Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

If you commit adultery and you know the commandment that thou shalt not commit adultery and whoever lusts after a woman in his heart already commits adultery, you sin wilfully. Therefore you are convinced of the law as transgressor, therefore you will be judged under the law in the day of judgment.


You said: Repenting is just acknowledging the truth about ourselves. It is not a “work” as some doctrines of demons twist scripture to include

Once we repent and admit we are sinners and cannot be holy as commanded, Jesus takes over and creates a new nature in us that is free from sin

It didn’t mean he was perfect, but sinless in the eyes of God.

Here is the true meaning of repentance:

This is the true grace of God. It teaches us to deny ungodliness (stop sinning) so he might redeem us from “all iniquity”

Titus 2:11-12,14 KJV
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, [12] Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; [14] Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Is not denying ungodliness work? And it further says “zealous of good works”

We are truly saved by grace and not of works. I cannot redeem my own soul by doing good things and cover up my other sins. However, the grace of God teaches us to obey God which we cannot do under the law. That's by loving God and our neighbors.

Shall we sin that grace may abound? Certainly not.

As Jesus said, Go and sin no more.

How can we judge the world if we be found like them? If you look at this verse, the dead will be judged by men according to flesh but live according to God in spirit.

1 Peter 4:6 KJV
For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Again. i have plenty of scriptures to quote but I don't want to argue with anyone but rather, to exhort and give hope to those who want to be saved from sinning by showing in the scriptures what the truth is. Because Jesus came to heal the sick. He cannot heal those who are well. If you are open, we can study and seek the truth together without debating.

Wow, you sure did misquote me. That's a bit shady.

I actually said,

It is not repenting of individual sins as we commit them as some use 1 John 1:9. No, it is realizing that there is no way we can ever stop sinning by ourselves, as those who Moses taught who tried to live under the Law. In other words, we must realize we are sinners and give ourselves over to Jesus to save us from the sin nature that keeps us sinners. You see, 1 John 1:9 is to receive the Holy Spirit and makes us a born-again Christian whose new spirit has no desire to commit sin in the first place, therefore there should never be any willful sins to repent from. Peter said the same as 1 John 1:9 in Acts of the Apostles 2:38 “Repent…and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” But to have the knowledge to repent, we must first hear the true gospel. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." There is nothing we can do to earn salvation. Jesus did it all. Repenting is just acknowledging the truth about ourselves. It is not a “work” as some doctrines of demons twist scripture to include. Demons certainly do not want you to repent! Then it is His Spirit that abides in us and begins to change our lives forever, from glory to glory and from faith to faith. We just need to respond and abide in Him too.

 

[Adam]

If it seems to contradict itself, then must the interpretation be wrong

The interpretation is indeed wrong, in that the punishment is not eternal but finite. In the original greek, there is never any mention of eternal punishment but only an "aeon" of punishment. Aeon is a fixed length of time.

 

[dev553344]

If you would consider, it is actually good to test our faith and be very curious whether we are saved or not. I know it might seem like you would be tough on yourself but I believe it's for your good in the end. God said his word is sharper than a two edged sword that pierces the soul and is a discerner of hearts and minds.

He also said:
1 John 2:5 KJV
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.

So there is absolutely a way that we can know if we are truly saved while we are still on earth. That's how I believe it, I'd love to know your thoughts on this.

Well I think the only way to know you are saved is if God tells a person that. And no I don't think it's mentally healthy to spend your life in fear of hell.

Recently I had to cut out of certain discussions that were not edifying or uplifting. They were filled with people saying that you can lose your salvation. Aaarrgghh.

 

[1stCenturyLady]

Well I think the only way to know you are saved is if God tells a person that. And no I don't think it's mentally healthy to spend your life in fear of hell.

Recently I had to cut out of certain discussions that were not edifying or uplifting. They were filled with people saying that you can lose your salvation. Aaarrgghh.

There is a test. 1 John 3:22.

 

[dev553344]

There is a test. 1 John 3:22.

We had lengthy discussions about what his commandments are. The sheep and goats spells out certain doom for people that are not charitable to others. We could go on and on about how most people don't keep the commandments but think they are by observing the 10 commandments and such.

 

[1stCenturyLady]

We are actually called to stop sinning.

How? Will power like the Jews who memorized the Ten Commandments?

 

[1stCenturyLady]

We had lengthy discussions about what his commandments are. The sheep and goats spells out certain doom for people that are not charitable to others. We could go on and on about how most people don't keep the commandments but think they are by observing the 10 commandments and such.

Silly, the next verse tells you which "commandments." 1 John 3:23. No debate required. The point was answered prayer is the test in verse 22. Are your prayers answered or not? That gives you some idea if you are saved or not.

 

[dev553344]

Silly, the next verse tells you which "commandments." 1 John 3:23. No debate required. The point was answered prayer is the test in verse 22. Are your prayers answered or not? That gives you some idea if you are saved or not.

Well that's your opinion about how to interpret scripture. I can quote numerous scripture that point to sheep and goats and all manner of other tests to see if you're doing OK.

I think the test of whether your prayers are answered is not a guarantee as Paul himself didn't get his prayer answered when Satan afflicted his flesh. So your idea doesn't really hold up to scripture. God doesn't always answer prayer.

 

[sheariah07]

How? Will power like the Jews who memorized the Ten Commandments?

No. Not memorize but live it. Not the 600+ commandments. I have read the first response where you said I misquoted you. You are indeed right that we can never stop sinning by ourselves. Nevertheless, what I was saying was it is possible to stop sinning, although not by myself, but by the power of Jesus. Do we agree on this one?

Also, I'd love to know how you define wilful sinning. I think it might be helpful. Because God forgives unintentional sins, but wilful is being presumptuous.

How? By obeying Jesus' commandment, to love God and our neighbors as ourselves. If we do this, we will not sin and not cause anyone to stumble because of our words or deeds.

Romans 13:8-10 KJV
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. [9] For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [10] Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

You can only do this by repentance. Repentance is not just acknowledging that we are sinful, but also turning away from our sins.

But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.